A Ratatouille musical meme took TikTok by storm, and now it's getting a legit premiere event

Some non-musical movies just beg for a musical remake, and if ever there was one of those, it's 2007's Ratatouille –– Pixar's beloved tale of Remy, the French rat who becomes a master chef with the help of his puppet human, Linguini. Or at least that would seem to be the case based on the 141.3 million (and counting) views on TikTok's #ratatouillemusical hashtag.

Of course, with such popularity, it was only a matter of time before some opportunistic producers pounced on the idea. But with the lights of Broadway currently out due to COVID, how could they give the fans that spicy musical they're obviously so hungry for?

Ladies and gentleman, for your listening and viewing pleasure, this New Year's Day, Seaview presents Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical!

Per Deadline, Seaview, the Tony Award-winning Broadway production company behind such shows as Slave Play and the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring Sea Wall/A Life, announced yesterday a ticketed, digital stream of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical as a benefit show for The Actors Fund, produced in association with TikTok and TodayTix Presents. And like most good entertainment these days, it all started with a meme.

Granted, tracing the roots of a good meme isn't the easiest thing to do, but let's just say this one really took off when TikToker e_jaccs dropped the hot, Alvin and The Chipmunks-inspired jam, "Ode to Remy," complete with such catchy lyrics as "Remy the ratatouille/the rat of all my dreams/I praise you, my ratatouille/May the world remember your name."

But things really went viral when TikToker danieljmertzlufft gave the song some serious production value, while envisioning musical theater stage directions in the graphics, like "CONFETTI EVERYWHERE! LIGHTS GOING CRAZY! REMY ON A LIFT FLYING OVER THE AUDIENCE!!"

They say boredom is the mother of all invention (or some such thing), and with so many musical theater/Pixar fans sheltered in place, the meme soon took on all the depth, nuance, and flavor of Remy's famous ratatouille, the dish that even won the favor of bristly food critic Anton Ego. The meme inspired beautifully orchestrated Ratatouille songs a plenty, as well as elaborate set designs and choreography.

Check out a sampling of the saucy goods below...

No word yet on who will be performing in the New Year's Day event, but there have been some actual Broadway and Disney stars who have already joined in the #ratatouillemusical fun, including Dear Evan Hansen's Andrew Barth Feldman and Disney Channel actor Milo Manheim, who, according to Deadline, got Disney's blessing to contribute "Ratatouille Rap," including an official Disney World-shot video.

"It has been magical to watch the TikTok community create and embrace the #RatatouilleMusical. From @e_jaccs' original ode to Remy to @shoeboxmusicals' set designs, seeing the endless creativity of the platform and the wider community rallying around it has inspired and driven a new forum for theater lovers to express themselves, participate, and enjoy the show," said Lizzy Hale, Senior Manager of Content, Tik Tok US in a statement to Deadline. "In a year where we saw Broadway close, the TikTok community brought musical fans together virtually with one of the most unique trends we have ever seen on platform."

The curtain opens on Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical Friday, Jan. 1 at 7PM ET, and will be available for streaming for 72 hours. Tickets range from $5 to $50 and are available now.