This year, the classic Pixar film Ratatouille turned 15, and we wanted to celebrate in a big way. In the spirit of the film’s famous line “Anyone can cook”, we decided that our creative should center on the “anyone” in this case, our fans! We created a series of vertical videos formatted and optimized for TikTok and Instagram Reels that brought fans of the film front and center, to celebrate the film and encourage a rewatch on Disney+.
The side-by-side format, which combines clips from our films with real-life recreations, has been a strong performer for Pixar social. We wanted to see how our movies could be brought to life by Pixar super-fans, so we partnered with 3 creators who all have big personalities, strong followings, and most importantly, a passion for Pixar! Jordynn Lurie is known for her creative and comedic interpretations of pop culture, so our production team partnered with her to bring both Remy and Emile to life (she hilariously played both characters!). Next, we brought on Kurt Tocci, a Disney-centric creator known for his over-the-top personality and cosplays. He brilliantly embodied Linguini trying to hide Remy in the kitchen. And finally, we knew we had to pay homage to the huge Ratatouille fandom on TikTok by working with Joe and Frank Mele, who went viral on the platform thanks to Frank’s striking resemblance to Anton Ego. Joe and Frank recreated one of the most iconic scenes in the film—when Ego eats the titular Ratatouille. And our fans went wild, commenting that it was a perfect marriage of fandom and film! Many were excited to see that Pixar took notice of the duo.
There are always inherent challenges in making sure that a creator-driven video is up to Pixar standard, but our production team as well as the talented creators worked together seamlessly to deliver amazing creative. Our lead producer took charge on collaborating with talent on shot lists, prop, and best practices for mobile-first 9x16 ratio, which made the production and edit process incredibly smooth.
In total across Pixar TikTok and Reels, this content amassed 15.7M views organically, and fan sentiment was positive across the board! Fans recognized the creativity of all the creators and were delighted in seeing these beloved Ratatouille scenes come to life.
Joe and Frank’s video accumulated a stunning 9.9M views on TikTok and 4.3M views on IG Reels. Kurt Tocci’s had 121K views on TikTok and 999K views on IG Reels, and finally Jordynn Lurie’s had 57K views on TikTok and 352K on IG Reels!
