NEW YORK • With Broadway and theatres idle in the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, some actors, producers and prop designers have found an unlikely outlet for their talents: a musical version of the animated film Ratatouille (2007) that is playing out in exuberant 60-second increments on TikTok.

Starting in October, thousands of TikTok users, including many with Broadway credits, have paid homage to the Disney Pixar film, about a rat who dreams of becoming a French chef, by creating their own songs, dances, make-up looks, set designs, puppets and Playbill programmes.

The result is a virtual show unlike any on Broadway.

There is no director, no choreographer, no stage crew. It has come together organically on TikTok, where users have only a minute to catch people's attention.

In the film, Remy the rat follows the example of a famous chef who says "anyone can cook".

It is in that spirit that professionals and amateurs have taken up the Ratatouille musical challenge, said Mr Brandon Hardy, a puppet designer whose Broadway credits include Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and The Pee-Wee Herman Show.

"He never limited himself on his vision," Mr Hardy, 30, said of Remy.

He added: "We just fell in love with this and we don't want anyone to stop us."

The project began in August, when Ms Emily Jacobsen, 26, a schoolteacher, Disney fanatic and theatre lover from New York, read about a Ratatouille ride that is scheduled to open next year at Walt Disney World in Florida.

As she was cleaning her apartment, she started singing a song about Remy.

Adopting a high pitch, she recorded what she described as "a love ballad" for the rat - "Remy, the ratatouille/The rat of all my dreams/I praise you, my ratatouille/May the world remember your name" - and posted a video of the tune on TikTok.

Mr Daniel Mertzlufft, 27, a New York-based composer, orchestrator and arranger, was tagged in Ms Jacobsen's video.

In October, he used a computer program to enhance her original ode to Remy, adding a French horn, trumpets, vocals and strings to create a big Disney-style finale for a Ratatouille musical.

Mr Mertzlufft said he had been inspired by the music Alan Menken composed for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty And The Beast (1991) and other classic animated Disney films.

Since Mr Mertzlufft posted his video in mid-October, thousands of others have shared their own contributions to what has become something of a virtual Ratatouille musical.

In the last few days, Disney signalled that it had been paying attention, quoting Ms Jacobsen's lyrics on Instagram and Twitter.

It even made its own TikTok rap at Epcot, where the Ratatouille ride is being built.

"We love when our fans engage with our stories," Disney said in a statement, "and we look forward to seeing these super fans experience the attraction when it opens at Walt Disney World next year."

Mr R.J. Christian, 21, a vocal performance student at New York University, said he had been inspired by the movie's acerbic food critic, Anton Ego, for the solo he contributed.

He said he wanted to embody Ego with "weird chords, spicy harmony and creepy-crawly kind of music".

For Blake Rouse, 17, the Ratatouille project gave him an outlet after the pandemic forced the cancellation of his high school's production of Newsies.

He contributed several songs based on scenes from the movie, including a tango between two chefs and a duet between Remy and his brother.

"This is no longer a niche TikTok theatre joke," he said. "This is kind of a thing that people care about and are starting to keep up with."

The contributions go beyond performances. Mr Hardy made some masks and small puppets for the virtual show, even using garbage to create some of the elements.

"We've created something that's engaging to people at every level," he said.

"People of every age group are fascinated by this and want to contribute to this. As far as I've seen, there hasn't been a show or musical in history that's sort of operated that way."

Mr Christopher Routh, 30, used boxes to create elaborate miniature set designs for the show, complete with lighting and a Lego robotics set to move around the pieces.

"It's such an incredible trend on how our community can come together like this and create a musical out of nowhere," he said. "And it all started with one girl."

NYTIMES