A colorscript is a sequence of small pastel drawings or paintings used to emphasize color in each scene and establish a film's visual language.

Production designer Harley Jessup conjured up his own admittedly “informal recipe” for a Ratatouille colorscript using gathered bunches of dyed yarns to create a rat character palette of stylized fur colors. Working with lighting director Sharon Calahan, Jessup fashioned a coolly colored underground rat world against the warm, rich tones of the human world.