See, not every wild headline you see in 2020 is all bad. The video-sharing mobile app TikTok quickly morphed from a place to learn viral dances into a place of solace for many creatives without an outlet to express themselves otherwise. Strangely enough, Pixar’s 2007 film Ratatouille has found a distinct part of the community’s culture. Earlier this year, the soundtrack’s peppy French song “Le Festin” was featured on many baking videos. And as 2020 reaches its final weeks, an internet-created Ratatouille musical is getting Broadway treatment.
Seaview Productions has collaborated with the app to present Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, the ticketed event that will stream on New Year’s Day to benefit the Actors Fund. Playbill made the announcement following three months of TikTok users building off the video that started it all, Emily Jacobsen’s Ode To Remy. Since the video took off, everyone from set designers, choreographers, lyricists and graphic designers have worked together on the app to create the Ratatouille musical out of the fun of it. The creator took to TikTok to react to the good news:
@e_jaccs
Within the last month, the Ratatouille musical went completely viral, with Disney getting involved and the voice actor behind Remy, Patton Oswalt, also taking notice. The creators had gone so far as to create a Playbill for the musical featuring the eighteen songs, which have been written and performed by a variety of talents from across the globe. At this point, there are songs that have been composed for just about every scene and character. Some memorable favorites including “Tango for Colette and Linguini” and “Trash is Our Treasure.” Lizzy Hale, the Senior Manager of Content at TikTok U.S, said this of the musical now coming to life:
It has been magical to watch the TikTok community create and embrace the #RatatouilleMusical. From @e_jaccs’ original ‘Ode to Remy’ to @shoeboxmusicals’ set designs, seeing the endless creativity of the platform and the wider community rallying around it has inspired and driven a new forum for theater lovers to express themselves, participate, and enjoy the show.
Tickets start at $5 and tend to escalate solely depending on how much a viewer wants to give to the Actors Fund, a charity that supports performers and behind-the-scenes employees working in theater and other entertainment. Holders of tickets will be able to stream the event starting at 7 p.m. ET and continue to watch the show for a 72-hour window. The event will reportedly star Broadway’s “biggest and brightest talents” alongside some of the creators of the famed TikTok music “for a singular special event.”
It sounds like it will be a legitimate adaptation of the viral videos, and not simply a rerun of the original videos in order. The musical has been an inspiring bright spot of 2020, and we can’t wait to start the new year with Remy, the ratatouille, the rat of all my dreams.
