The Rat in the Hat

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2007)

Ratatouille is a sweet little film about a Parisian rat with ambitions to become France's top chef, and a young dish-washer who may just be his only hope. The plot takes a number of clever twists and turns and delivers some unpredictable elements, which keep what could have been 'just another Pixar' quite fresh. Setting the film in France, and giving it just a pinch of French absurdist comedy for seasoning was a stroke of brilliance. The voice talent is also quite excellent - especially Ian Holm's "Chef Skinner" - who also does a mean Golem impression btw - and Jeanine Garafolo's "Collette".
I am generally not a big fan of talking animal movies, though purely animated ones are definitely preferable to those that morph real animals. But Ratatouille even does this very differently - the rats can understand our language, but we don't get theirs. And, other than their very military approach to getting things done, and the lead character's odd cooking talent, they generally behave like rats and have rat motivations.
The movie is fun and funny and, at times, quite heart-warming. The rats are absolutely adorable and even do their own stunts! The human characters, though less sympathetic, are some of Pixar's best! Recommended for family viewing - kids of all ages.