The hashtag #ratatouillemusical has approximately 88.5 million views on TikTok.
The 2007 Disney Pixar movie, “Ratatouille,” has transformed into a TikTok musical, and it all started with 26-year-old Emily Jacobsen. Jacobsen, a teacher in Westchester, New York, said she was singing a song to herself about the musical’s main character one day after hearing that a “Ratatouille” ride was in the works at Disney. She “thought [the song] was funny, [and] particularly catchy,” so she made a TikTok of it.
“I decided to make a TikTok out of it with some crazy visual effects and cartoony altered voice, just to send out to family and friends as a joke,” Jacobsen told Inside Edition Digital’s Leigh Scheps.
Before Jacobsen knew it, a composer and arranger on TikTok, Daniel Mertzlufft, took the song and made magic with it. Jacobsen said he turned it into :this captivating musical theater version with instrumental, choir voices, choreography, stage notes. And it was absolutely amazing.”
She said she almost cried when she heard it. Jacobsen’s song and Mertzlufft’s arrangement were hits on the social platform. “Be More Chill” composer Joe Iconis joined in on the trend to write a song, too.
“It's about celebrating these characters that feel like misfits,” Iconis said of why the movie is so popular. “I loved it so much I was truly inspired to write a song, and that's where it came from.”
Jacobsen said she was shocked to see Iconis get in on it. Kevin Chamberlin, who was the Butler on Disney’s “Jessie” also took part with a song of his own. The whole trend is being dubbed “Ratatouille: The Musical”
“I mean, Kevin Chamberlin came in with a song for Gusteau that I didn't ever envision him in the role of Gusteau, but now I think we really need it. It was just so fun. So warm,” Jacobsen said.
The hashtag #ratatouillemusical has approximately 88.5 million views on TikTok. The musical has become an elaborate production on the app, with people posting ideas for costumes, acting out what it would be like to manage the show, and of course making a ton of music for it. In October, an account, RatatouilleTheTikTokMusical, was also started. It already has more than 100,000 followers.
Disney’s Pixar took notice of the trend, sharing Jacobsen's video on Twitter and Instagram.
“I mean, for a while, I was afraid I was going to get some kind of legal notice to stop. But all these little nods here and there kind of makes me think they're not mad. We're on the right track so far,” Jacobsen said. “I'm along for the ride at this point and ready to ride the wave wherever it's going to take me.”
RELATED STORIES
