Pure delight

Rating: 9/10 (28 October 2007)

Rats, face it, are not the most popular creature on Earth, even if they are one the most numerous. Look at the vile creature that sneaks into the baby's room in Lady and the Tramp and you'll get a good idea of Man's perception on these little creatures.
But Pixar transforms these 'vile little beasties' into something completely adorable and lovable. And so, we get Remy. Remy's dream is to become a chef and eat real food instead of the rubbish that rats usually feast upon. After being separated from his family in an 'American Tail'-esquire way, he goes on a crazy ride through the sewers (in the style of 'Fievel goes West') and ends up under Paris. Meanwhile, a young man named Linguinie, on the wishes of his dead mother, is given a job at the three (formely five) star restaurant Gusteau's. When the two finally meet after a near-miss with some soup, the talent-less Linguinie realises his cooking potential in the little animal...
Sure, it might seem a bit far fetched with the whole 'rat knows how to cook' theme, but Ratatouille is just such a funny, sweet and charming film that you'll forget all about it. It's touching without getting too overly sentimental and it's funny without becoming too juvenile and forced (that one too often sees in todays numerous CGI flicks). The food in the film looks very delicious. It doesn't look like plastic at all. I know this is going to sound weird, but even the cake in the rubbish heap looked tasty. Ratatouille will not only evoke emotions, it''ll evoke your stomach too! The rendering and imagery is just fantastic.
The plot is fun and more importantly, unpredictable - which was a real problem in Pixar's previous films. The characters are memorable too. If I had to sum up Ratatouille in one word, it would be 'sweet.' Linguinie's somewhat odd friendship with Remy is sweet, all of the rats look sweet, just the entire film is sweet and funny. Go see Ratatouille - it's a delightful offering in today's animated wasteland.