Ratatouille the Musical: How TikTok Made It To Playbill

In today’s generation, social media is a prevalent topic. Having grown up with technology at the tips of our fingers, it’s fairly obvious that Generation Z is constantly informed on up-and coming-trends. As TikTok grows in popularity, users all over the world have successfully contributed to fads, crazes, and in this case, musicals.

Ratatouille is an incredibly nostalgic Disney film for many, as it was released in 2007 and received fairly positive reviews from its viewers. Consequently, 13 years later, social media has picked up on a trending musical surrounding the movie.

On August 10, 2020, Em Jaccs uploaded a post to TikTok that would begin to change the game for the next upcoming months. Her ode to Remy the Rat surprisingly took off in views and became a popular audio for users to share.

To take this a step further, Daniel Mertzlufft then created his own musical-esque version of the fifteen-second tune, bringing together an audience to envision what could become of this initial internet joke.

From here on, many other users contributed their own songs to the fan-made soundtrack, such as RJ Christian’s Anyone Can Cook. Ideas were not only limited to music; fans made cover art for the Playbill and even designed costumes and choreography.

With more attention being brought to the musical every day, Playbill’s official site eventually created its own post on the story.

The popular theatre company compiled a collection of TikToks that all surrounded Ratatouille the Musical, which received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from those who worked together to develop ideas, popularize, and simply enjoy the musical.

While many may argue that Generation Z is too caught up in technology, this project has made a clear statement on the power of social media and its influence.