| “ | The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new: an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook." But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere.
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„ |
| ~ Ego's final review and change in life |
| “ | Now you listen to me little coward!! I do not like food at all!! I love food!! And if I don’t love the food, I do not swallow it!! You should be praying to not disappoint me!! I am looking for money, not disgusting filth!! And it seems that money will be easy this time to find on a tree. Doesn’t it? | „ |
| ~ Anton Ego taunting Linguini and telling him that food has to be his perfection |
Anton Ego, also known as Mr. Ego, is the main antagonist of Disney/Pixar's live-action Ratatouille franchise. He acts as one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Talon Labarthe) of the 2019 Pixar Fanverse fanfilm/presentation and remake Ratatouille and the main antagonist of the Pixar based adult live-action series Auguste Gusteau. He is a greedy, vicious and extremely negative and rude food critic in Paris who closed down Auguste Gustau's restaurant before the day of Gusteau's mysterious murder. He is also Auguste Gusteau's former best friend and current arch-nemesis.
He is portrayed by Kevin Costner, who also portrayed William Stryker from Dawn of The Mutants, Erich Ludendorff from X-Men: Origin of Chaos, Judge Claude Frollo in the 2024 Disney based fanfilm The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Bo Jenix from Xi Jinping. In the series as a youngster, he is portrayed by Jacob Elordi.
Information[]
Anton Ego is a negative, greedy and accerbic food critic and his reviews can break the best restaurants around Paris. Known as The Grim Eater, Anton had a mysterious past with Auguste Gustau who became his rival during the years.
Role in the film[]
He at first comes to review Auguste Gusteau's famous restaurant, as he is fully prepared with hopes to close his restaurant down for money, and since he developed rivalry with that "pathetic chef". He reminds Gusteau that if he doesn't love the food, he doesn't swallow it. In secret, Claudian Barnaby makes the "disgusting salad" and gives it to Mustafa, who serves it to Ego. Anton Ego has the impression that Gusteau made the food, and starts preforming a tantrum as he implies that the food is disgusting and ridiculous. Chef Gustáv Skinner offers to make the food again, so they can improve their relations with Ego, but the fearsome critic declines Skinner's offer, thus implying angrily that Gusteau is a coward and a fraud. However, during the very next moment, a big shot gangster fires a bullet at Gusteau and manages to end the unfortunate head-chef for good. Anton Ego implies that he is proud of that killer, and that he will hide the criminal from the police in order to take care of the situation personally and make sure that Gusteau pays his price. Anton Ego puts Skinner incharge of the restaurant and makes him the head-chef, thus telling the other employees that from now on they must do whatever Chef Skinner tells them to do. Anton Ego then leaves the restaurant with a bad impression and with more hopes to either improve the place with another head-chef taking control or else close the place down completely. Due to Anton Ego's negative, and yet very successful and convincing review on Gustau's restaurant place, Ego received billions of dollars and became the richest man of Paris for lying to the public and supporting Claudian Barnaby's scheme. It is also revealed that Mr. Barnaby became Skinner's sue-chef and that he was hiding the truth as he was the one to murder Gusteau, in order to take over the restaurant and frame Skinner for the incident. Mr. Barnaby eventually gets the restaurant's lawyer to write evidence against Chef Skinner, so they can both overtake Ego's fortunate amount of money and become the richest businessmen of Paris, and thereafter, Claudian can take over the restaurant and own it legally. Anton Ego then sends the Ambrister minion to spy after Skinner and his employees and make sure that Skinner doesn't repeat Gusteau's "mistake". The minion finds out that the restaurant has come back to being the most popular in Paris. Ego gets shocked and all uptight and mad, as he is not willing to loose his billions of cash for a "pathetic" restaurant. Ego reveals that he is a multi-billionaire now that he wrote his own negative review on Gusteau's, and that he will not allow anything to stop him from getting richer and richer all the time. He then angrily asks his Ambrister minion how the restaurant could ever be popular. Mr. Barnaby then attempts to take over the restaurant, but Talon Labarthe tells him that it is not worth taking over Gusteau's yet, and that if he gives the command to Linguini instead and lets him face Ego's tough and acerbic criticism, he will be fired by Ego and then Barnaby will have his chance to kill him and take over the restaurant. Thereafter, Mr. Barnaby informs Linguini that he is the new head-chef of the restaurant and congratulates him for his work. Anton later confronts Linguini and Colette (the current sue-chef and Chef Linguini's lover), thus asking Linguini if he is really the head-chef now. Linguini replies that he is the current head-chef of the place. Anton then starts taunting him by sarcastically apologizing for interrupting his premature celebration and offering him a supportive chance as he is new to "this game". Linguini doesn't understand the meaning behind Ego's sarcastic comments, and asks him if what the game is all about. Anton replies that in the game, Linguini is supposed to make food and impress Anton Ego, so he could remain the head-chef of the restaurant and therefore it will be a "win win situation" for the both of them. Anton however adds that if he wins the "game", then he will fire Linguini and put a better owner in position for the last time. Linguini asks if that's a game, and Ego replies that it is, but sarcastically also adds that Linguini is playing without an opponent, which is clearly against the rules. Anton taunts Linguini by telling him that he is slow for somebody on the fast lane. Linguini replies that he might look a little weird for an owner, but that Ego looks thin for someone who likes the taste of food. Ego gets upset and mad, and starts calling Linguini angrily a coward, and then he adds that he doesn't like food, but he loves it. He continues taunting Linguini and states that if he doesn't love the food, he will not swallow it. He also adds to his speech that he is looking for money and not for filthily food, and he taunts Linguini once again by implying that money will be easy this time to find on a money tree. He exits the restaurant after promising Linguini to return the following night with high expectations and hopes to either improve the restaurant or eventually close it down forever. Anton Ego is not seen again until the climatic moments of the movie, in which he comes back to the restaurant at night and he sarcastically asks Linguini if he is ready for the big moment, or in other words "his doomsday". Ego tastes the food, and as his glasses fall and his eyes open wide, Mr. Ego remembers his life when he was young and he had his mother with him. He remembered his mother Mrs. Janet Ego telling him about money and greed that it's no good and that money is not the most important thing in life, and that instead Anton should be looking to be the most adorable child and be loved by everyone. Anton Ego replies to Janet that he always dreamt of being a billionaire and that he wants to be a food critic when he is older, in order to make food as perfect for him as he wants it to be. Janet however told Anton that a food critic needs to judge the food (and also humans, metaphorically) by it's kindness, and not by it's fashion or by how much money it has. In that moment, Ego's heart has changed from being a cruel, ruthless, extremely greedy, lustful and ambitious food critic to being a kind, gentle, well-mannered, happy, good-hearted and honest person. Ego called the Ratatouille meal that he ate "the mother of all foods", and asked Colette and Linguini to present him to the real chef that they have talked about during the first moments of his visit. Linguini revealed to Anton Ego that Remy the rat was the actual chef who made it for him. Anton thanks Alfredo Linguini and Colette for the meal, and then turns to Remy and thanks him for making the best food that he has ever tasted in his life. Anton then exits the restaurant without saying another word. Anton Ego writes his final review on Gusteau's restaurant, implying that critics may become obsessed with remaining all powerful and ontop of all cooks, thus enjoying to hurt others for their possible mistakes, but that sometimes a critic just has to receive, defend and discover the new. He adds that anyone can cook, and that not everyone can become a great artist, but that a great artist can still come from anywhere. Anton Ego exits his office and switches off the lights after his long, life changing review that he has written about Gusteau's.
Role in August Gusteau[]
Far before the events of the fanfilm, Ego used to be a good hearted yet tragic and nerdish child and the best friend of his protector at school, who was no other than Auguste Gusteau himself. They shared a common dream of owning together a fancy restaurant. As bullies came to provoke Ego once again, Gusteau told the bullies that their dream shall succeed while they won't have a penny in life. Angered, the bully replies that he gives Gusteau his chance of proving himself for a lifetime, and promises to give a harsh response if it fails. Ego then goes home from school, and his mother happily gives him a meal of ratatouille for lunch.
Growing up, Ego realizes that Gusteau was successful, but that he did everything alone without Ego being part of it. Ego grew jealous, and hated the planned motto of "anyone can cook". After Gusteau was convinced by his lover Katie Marshell to promote that motto he had, Ego vowed to do anything so Gusteau will lose everything he has. He visits Gusteau and tells him this, and on the way back home, he coincidently meets with the food critic Dylan Morris, who vowed to teach him to be a food critic and help him destroy Gusteau completely.
He later teams up with the two crime lords Matheo Sonatas and Mario Lord, who both hold a grudge on Gusteau, as Sonatas also had a past with Gusteau himself. Ego plans with them an attack on Gusteau's restaurant. After Matheo confronts Gusteau, his crew and the friendlier critic Soline LeClaire, Ego orders one of the mafia men called William Weller to throw a grenade so the restaurant will burn. Ego caused a massive fire in the restaurant which covered several areas in the place. Ego stops both LeClaire and Gusteau from exiting the restaurant completely, attempting to get rid of them so he won't get caught for his crimes or even get some bad publicity. However, when Skinner came to defend his boss, Ego retreated.
Personality[]
Anton Ego is a tough, ruthless, negative, greedy and cunning food critic who meant for the good of all restaurants but in reality, he just closed down or wrote a negative review on every single restaurant that he came to visit. He is perhaps the embodiment of egoism and corruption, since he only cares about how he wanted food to look and taste like. That shows that he doesn't care about anyone except himself. Despite the fact than Anton is an egoist, he did actually care about his mother, or at least remember her and then realize what he has done wrong in his life. Since the moment that Ego thought about his mother and remembered what she had taught him, Anton Ego became a much more pleasent, good-hearted, justified and honest man. He confimed that everyone can succeed in life and therefore he gave up on his ego, letting others succeed instead of him and him only. Despite being presented as a villainous and feared monster, Ego was not as dangerous and cunning as Skinner's sue-chef Claudian Barnaby. Unlike Ego who just had the capabilities and ambitions of a tyrannical food critic, Mr. Barnaby lusted for power and control over the restaurant, and was willing to kill Chef Gusteau in order to achieve his goals and furthermore to become richer than Ego himself. Anton Ego could generally be described as a redeemed and anti-villainous busniessman who only intends to reshape the food all over Paris and to become rich in a mostly, if not entirely, legal way.
However, as revealed in the series Auguste Gusteau, Mr. Ego has a vengeful side, and holds a grudge against Gusteau who was his former friend.
External Links[]
Ratatouille[]
Auguste Gusteau[]
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IG0lVGlWpmmMcoEiVLQQNyJbxcBvObPvyQcFqR9FkrE/edit?usp=sharing (episode 1)
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KPc-XqCSDTbZsch98ssEcw9qdN5uoGhiCWFxibSjs9E/edit?usp=sharing (episode 2)
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| Pixar Fanverse Villains | ||
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Ratatouille Monsters Inc. Toy Story. Cars franchise. Toy Story: The Sunny Side. Monsters Inc. 2. Up. A Wonderful Bug Life. Incredibles. | ||