TikTok trends and meme culture alike are constantly changing and developing. With thousands of TikTok videos made a day, trends can pop up out of nowhere and consume the whole platform for a week and then disappear as quickly as they popped up. Internet memes are the same way. One newfound TikTok trend that has also made itself a meme that seems to be here to stay is Ratatouille: The Musical, also known as Ratatusical.
Now you must be thinking: why is a Pixar movie that came out in 2007 about a rat who becomes the best chef in Paris taking TikTok by storm and why in musical form? It seems like such a random choice that it makes you stop and chuckle to yourself, which is partly why it has picked up so much traction. There is really no explanation as to why of all non-musical animated movies Ratatouille is what content creators picked up on. TikTok and the internet in general work well off randomness, and it’s difficult to quantify exactly what will make something trend online. One fact is certain, though: the content has been simply amazing.
The trend started with a video created out of quarantine boredom by TikToker Emily Jacobson in August. From there, other creators became inspired, and several people started writing and composing songs for other scenes and characters of the movie.
What started with songs quickly transformed into something more. People in the theater world starting choreographing dances, creating possible set designs, an unofficial poster and a Broadway producer, Ken Davenport, has even expressed his interest in producing a real life Ratatouille: The Musical on Broadway.
There has been a TikTok account made that has compiled all of the Ratatouille: The Musical creations onto one account called @rattatouillemusical2021, and seeing all of the content together in one place makes it very evident that what started as an internet meme has gained so much traction and has so much content with an open door for more that it truly could be a Broadway musical. If all of this content made mostly by bored teenagers and young adults stuck in quarantine can come up with, imagine what can be done with it by actual musical professionals.
This trend not only speaks to how creative and talented Gen Z can be, but it speaks to the new type of creation that TikTok has generated. Never before has it been possible to crowdsource a musical or large creative project. Thanks to TikTok, that is now a reality. Ratatouille: The Musical and TikTok have given a creative voice to those who maybe never would have been able to have one before. Teenagers or college students with dreams of theater production have now been able to be a part of a project that Broadway producers and choreographers are also a part of.
Keep an eye out for Ratatouille: The Musical to gain further traction. A lot will have to happen for this brilliant musical to become a reality, but if there is anything that the boom of TikTok has proved, it’s that anything can happen.
Mikayla Rochelle is a senior studying strategic communication at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Mikayla by tweeting her at @mikayla_roch.
