- “Welcome to hell...now recreate the soup!”
- ―Skinner mocking Linguini
Chef Skinner is the main antagonist in Ratatouille. He is voiced by Ian Holm.
Personality
Chef Skinner is shown to hate rats very much and feels the need to act tough. When he discovers Remy and eventually captures him, Skinner forces Remy to create his own frozen foods for him. Skinner is also bent on claiming the restaurant as his when Auguste Gusteau had no heir.
Role in the film
Skinner in "Ratatouille"
He is also head chef of the famous restaurant Gusteau's. He was sous-chef under Gusteau but became the head chef after Gusteau's death. In Gusteau's will, it was stated that Skinner would inherit Gusteau's business interests if no heir appeared within two years after the latter's death. Skinner evidently did not hold Gusteau's ideals in the highest regard, and was more interested in personal profit from his line of Chef Gusteau Frozen Foods. This line comprised of several different foreign foods like chicken, haggis, burritos, ribs, and corn dogs in order to appease overseas markets, with Gusteau as its image to woo buyers.
Skinner reluctantly hires Linguini to work at the restaurant as the plongeur (garbage boy) when he learns that Linguini's mother, Renata, with whom Gusteau was close, requested that Linguini get the job prior to her recent death. He is shocked when Linguini makes a soup that night that impresses a food critic that just happened to be at the restaurant, although it was Remy who cooked it in secret. Suspicious, Skinner forces Linguini to make it again believing it is all a fluke.
After Linguini and Remy team up, they successfully recreate the soup and impress Skinner. However, they become rivals when Skinner learns that Linguini is Gusteau's biological son, and is determined to keep Linguini from discovering this fact. He becomes even more determined when he sees Linguini making contact with Remy on numerous occasions, suspecting that Linguini is scheming in the kitchen.
He loses the restaurant to Alfredo Linguini when it comes out that Linguini is the son of the dead chef. Remy discovered this fact and gave it to Linguini so that he may assume his rightful place as owner. Linguini later cancels the frozen food line altogether, as it was smearing Gusteau's image.
Skinner spies on Linguini and eventually discovers that Remy is the cook. To get revenge on both of them, he captures Remy and intends on forcing him to create a new line of frozen foods, while attending the restaurant in disguise to see Linguini fail miserably and endure another scathing review from Anton Ego.
To Skinner's amusement, Linguini served him and Ego a simple dish of ratatouille, but is surprised when Ego actually likes it. After Skinner tries his own dish and finds its taste irrestible as well, he races to the kitchen to find that Remy and his colony of rats cooked the dish. The rats attacks him, bind him with the ropes and gags him with duct tape. After binding, he can't even move a finger and is thrown in the refrigerator along with the health inspector who has been bound and gagged too. However, the rats had to let him loose and Skinner reports the rat infestation to the health department, causing the restaurant to be closed. Linguini starts a new restaurant later and Skinner finally leaves him alone.
Trivia
- Skinner's name is a nod to behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner, famous for his experiments with rats.
- Skinner's behavior, diminutive size, and body language are loosely based on Louis de Funès .
- Skinner is unique among the villains, as he does technically win, as since he cannot have Gusteau's, he gets it shut down instead, although his efforts ultimately lead to nothing, as Linguini and Colette open an equally popular restaurant funded by Anton Ego, therefore Skinner temporarily wins, then finally loses.
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