Perhaps not Pixar's best but definitely a personal favourite

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2017)

RATATOUILLE - 2007
Directed by Brad Bird AND Jan Pivanka
Starring Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano AND Janeane Garfalo
Plot Overview: Remy (Patton Oswalt), a resident of Paris, appreciates good food and has quite a sophisticated palate. He would love to become a chef so he can create and enjoy culinary masterpieces to his heart's delight. The only problem is, Remy is a rat. When he winds up in the sewer beneath one of Paris' finest restaurants, the rodent gourmet finds himself ideally placed to realise his dream.
I don't think this is the best Pixar movie, not at all. But I'll be damned if I don't say it isn't one of my favourites. I love everything about this film. The characters(with the exception of one), the animation, the cinematography, the heart - I love everything about this movie. Brad Bird is arguably the best animation director working today and he cemented that status with this film. I love this film and I highly recommend you see it.
The story for this film is excellent. Some could argue that it is overly complicated but I disagree. I love the sub plots in this film that all converge to an end game message. Speaking of which, I love the message for this movie. It is truly inspirational and the epitome of Pixar standard. Furthermore, the message I prefer is not even the only one. There are other, albeit lesser developer, messages that are intertwined within the plot. The ending for this film is amazing and, when I say this I am not over-exaggerating, the monologue narration at the end of this film is, in my honest opinion, one of the best ever written.
I do think that the opening for this movie was very rushed and I wish they let that play out a bit more and extend the run time.
Patton Oswalt was excellent as Remy. I absolutely love Remy as a character. He is simply a rat that can cook and that helps cement the overall message of the film. He is strangely likable and you just can't help but sympathise with him. I love that Gusteu is his 'imaginary friend'. It is such a fun, imaginative idea and makes his character more layered.
As stated before, I have issues with one character in this movie: Linguini. While Lou Romano does a good job in the role, I just don't find Linguini that interesting of a character. He is just your run of the mill doofus; he has no unique doofus traits and is just overall a pretty boring character.
Linguini's love interest, Collette(Janeane Garofalo), on the other hand was very interesting and the voice acting was great as well. I think that stance goes for all the other chefs in the kitchen. I can't recall any of their names but the little snippets of information we get about them make we want to learn more about them and that is why it is unfortunate we do not. The reason I don't know any of their names is because they focus so little on them and that is incredibly disappointing.
Ian Holm was good as Chef Skinner and I actually really liked him as a villain. He wasn't as eccentric as Syndrome or eerily creepy as Sid but he had a sense of determination and quirkiness that makes me really like him as a character. He won't be remembered as one of the greats but I still really like him regardless.
PETER O'TOOLE(You read that right) voices Anton Ego, a cruel critic who despises Gusteau's restaurant. I love this guy. His design, his voice, his dialogue, his conclusion, his monologue; I love everything about it. Possibly my favourite Pixar character and one of my favourite Disney characters PERIOD. You may claim I am too forgiving but I love this character. Oh, and of course O'Toole is spectacular in the role.
The animation for this movie is stunning. The colours are so warm and inviting. The character models are incredible and the location design is great. Anton Ego's design is incredible. The stark contrast of colours between him and the backgrounds is incredible. The lighting in this movie is awesome. I love the cinematography and editing. It is a visually stunning movie.
The humour in the movie was appropriate and none of it felt forced. I laughed numerous times, which I don't often do in animated films nowadays.
The music in this movie is also really good.
Overall, I love this film. It's not the best Pixar movie but it is one of my favourites. The colour pallet is incredible. The characters and awesome(for the most part). The message is important and genius. Please watch this movie if you haven't. You won't regret it. I'll rate this film 9 Shotgun Grandmas out of 10!