Ratatouille

A Rat Chef Dishes Up Delights...Bon Appetit!
Once again, the creative minds behind Pixar have created enchantment ... possibly their best film in years. Everyone loves Ratatouille...even though he is a rat in the kitchen.

Indeed, the idea of rats in an upscale restaurant would normally have us run for cover. Nevertheless, the movie successfully blends the themes of the Ugly Duckling with Cyrano de Bergerac to come up with a fantastic story. Remy is a simple rat with an extraordinary nose. His idol is a great French chef who lectures on the Food Channel. "Anyone Can Cook" is his mantra. So when Remy and his rat family have to leave their homes, Remy accidentally ends up in the very kitchen of this great Chef. Alas, the great chef has passed away, and the food standards are falling, as well as the Michelin stars. To reverse this trend, Remy - the rat - teams up with a clueless scullery boy in the kitchen to whip up some wonderful recipes. Indeed, the rat's food creations are a hit with the customers. The problem,...

A Feast for the Eyes
Ratatouille is a beautiful film and a wonderful showcase for your new Blu-ray player. As beautiful as this film was on screen, it's even more breathtaking on Blu-ray. Every detail and subtle color shine. I was truly blown away by the quality of the picture.

As for the film itself, it holds up even better the second or third time around. Definitely a more sophisticated tale than what's usually expected in an animated film. And while really young children may squirm through a lot of this, that doesn't at all detract from the quality of this great film. Creative, amusing, heartfelt and ultimately satisfying, Ratatouille defies the genre - raising the bar once again on American animated films. PIXAR continues to create in an entirely different league than it's competitors. You can't even compare this film to anything else. It makes the ridiculously popular Shrek look, well, green.

Bonus features are entertaining, particularly the well-concieved short on the...

Bon appetit!
Considering the Disney empire was founded on a mouse, it would be harsh to dismiss Ratatouille simply because it's about a rat as even the most rodent-phobic will be melting for this charming dish.

This is Pixar's second collaboration with Disney since it's fusion. And while Ratatouille may lack the pioneering invention and sardonic wit of some of Pixar's previous films, there is plenty to enjoy.

Ratatouille has a culinary flavour as it tells the story of Remy, a rat with a passion for cooking. Much of the film is set in the kitchen of Gusteau's, a restaurant so realistically rendered it's possible to almost smell the mouthwatering aromas lingering around.

Remy is possessed with a more sophisticated taste than his brother Emile and the rest of his rat colony. He is visited by the ghost of his cooking hero, Gusteau, whose motto is 'Anyone can cook' and encourages Remy to use his catering skills to rescue his restaurant whose reputation has floundered...

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