What do you get when you mix Rats and Food? If you guessed “Movie Magic”, strangely you’d be right and would apparently be talking about the recipe Pixar coooked up in their summer release, Ratatouille.
In the film, Remy the rat, who has a penchant for cooking, finds himself accidentally separated from his family in Paris. He develops an unlikely friendship (and partnership) with Linguini, a human, as they work together to (accidentally) become the star chef at a popular Paris restaurant. Watch as both Remy and Linguini struggle to stay true to who they really are as success rapidly comes to them. The story is a heartwarming tale that should please both kids and parents alike.
Writer and Director Brad Bird spins magic in this one as he did in another Pixar success, The Incredibles. On the production side, this movie is very well put together. Expect the same gorgeous 3D animation that Pixar is known for. The voice work is just right as Patton Oswalt (of King of Queens fame) is superb as Remy. Lou Romano is also refreshing as Linguini and Ian Holm nails his role as Skinner, the cruel head chef. Expect some other good performances from Janeane Garofalo, Peter O’Toole, and of course Pixar mainstay, John Ratzenberger.
However, I’d like to offer a word of caution. Some may define the success of an animated movie by the number of moments that generate raucous laughter from the audience. Ratatouille certainly doesn’t focus on slapstick antics like those found in movies like Shrek The Third. In fact, it’s more reminiscent of the Disney movies of old (Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King), that had story and characters that people cared about. The beauty in Pixar’s work is the warm characters and brilliant story, told with a magical wonder and interwoven with brilliant, subtle humor.
All in all, Ratatouille delivers. Is it Pixar’s best movie? Probably not. I will say this, the film stands out as welcome original idea in a summer chock full of sequels and Hollywood ‘recycling’. Even more, it sticks out in a market that is completely flooded with 3D animated movies, all of which were certainly not created equal. In fact, some have been so terribly executed that they have diluted the genius that Pixar helped innovate. But that’s another gripe for another time.
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