"It is about ze food, and zat is really enough to zell it to ze Americans..."

Rating: 6/10 (29 June 2007)

Remy (Patton Oswalt) was born with the unique gift of deciphering smells and tastes, and marrying the two effectively--a gift any chef would give their apron for. Unfortunately, Remy was also born a rat. When it becomes apparent that his family cannot really appreciate his gift outside of its use in avoiding rat poison, Remy attempts to refine his talents in human kitchens. He even has the guidance of the late, great master chef Gusteau (Brad Garrett) to influence his endeavors. A series of unfortunate events unfolds, and the little rat finds himself in the big city, namely Paris, attempting to prove his talent with the help of hapless kitchen boy Tony Linguini (Lou Romano, Bernie Kropp in "The Incredibles") to the most discriminating of palates, including that of tough-as-nails critic Anton Ego (Peter "The Great" O'Toole). This is actually a nice piece of storytelling and an even better piece of animation. The environments of Paris and the French countryside are represented in grand scale--Bird's capable team and Pixar's diligent artists even manage to make a sewer look amazing! Meanwhile, you truly get the desperation and inspiration driving some well-designed characters, who are sure to remain memorable. Bird's fans might be a pinch disappointed in this one, though--it doesn't have that breakthrough stance employed so boldly with "The Iron Giant" or "The Incredibles", although it is nice to see him take on something a little lighter. A few lulls in the pacing make it feel a bit long, and technically, it's probably a little TOO good. It's evident that the Pixar crew did their usual in-depth study on the subjects, and while the rats are designed cute, the sight of millions of them gushing out of kitchens and houses made my skin crawl and took me right back to cult head-turners like "Ben" and "Willard" (brush up on your film history if you're unfamiliar with those). While far from Bird's or Pixar's finest, it's still a good time, and really a must for those of you (You know who you are!) who truly appreciate food. NOTE: Also dig Oscar-nominated Pixar short "Lifted" before the main event, and stay for the credits!!