It’s time for another Disney+ battle. This time we are comparing a popular Pixar film with the film that launched the Disney Renaissance. Let’s compare and contrast “Ratatouille” and “The Little Mermaid.”

1. PROTAGONIST

The main character of “Ratatouille” is Remy, a rat who loves to cook. When he is separated from his family, he helps a lowly restaurant worker become a world class chef by guiding hiding under his hat and pulling his hair. In the end, Remy helps Linguini with his next restaurant after the original restaurant is closed down due to rats, like Remy. In contrast, the main character of “The Little Mermaid” is Ariel. She is a young mermaid who is the daughter of King Triton. She gives up her voice to get legs to be where the people are. Both are great lead characters but Remy drives the story of “Ratatouille” a little better. Point to “Ratatouille.”

Ratatouille 1 | The Little Mermaid 0

2. ANTAGONIST

The main villain of “Ratatouille” is Chef Skinner. He is a former sous-chef at Gusteau’s who is looking to take over the restaurant. He hires Linguini and then ends up trying to steal the restaurant before it’s revealed that Linguini is Gusteau’s son. He’s the right villain for this piece, but he’s not truly evil just ambitious. The main villain of “The Little Mermaid” is Ursula. She is a sea-witch who wants to rule. She is opposed to King Triton and manipulates Ariel to give up her voice. Ursula is ready to kill for what she wants, so she is far more villainous than Chef Skinner. Point to “The Little Mermaid.”

Ratatouille 1 | The Little Mermaid 1

3. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

While both films are filled with strong supporting characters, “The Little Mermaid” stands out as the clear winner in this category. As great as Ego, Collette, Django and Emile are, they pale in comparison to Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle. Point to “The Little Mermaid.”

Ratatouille 1 | The Little Mermaid 2

4. MUSIC

This is another unfair category as one of these is a musical while the other is an excellent Pixar film, but, other than “Coco,” Pixar isn’t known for its music. “The Little Mermaid” introduced the world to a new era of Disney animation featuring musicals galore. It gave the world some of the best known songs including “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea” “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Kiss the Girl.” Point to “The Little Mermaid.”

Ratatouille 0 | The Little Mermaid 3

5. MEMORABLE MOMENTS

These are two of the most memorable films in the Disney canon. “Ratatouille” features some great scenes including Remy teaching Linguini how to cook, the rats tying up Chef Skinner, and Ego loving the ratatouille. But, “The Little Mermaid” features such memorable scenes as Ariel rescuing Prince Eric, the mermaids singing for King Triton, “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl,” Ariel giving up her voice and Prince Eric risking himself to stop Ursula. “The Little Mermaid” is the more memorable film. Point to “The Little Mermaid.”

Ratatouille 1 | The Little Mermaid 4

“The Little Mermaid” wins this battle, but don’t sleep on “Ratatouille” as it is an excellent film in its own right. Which do you prefer?

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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