Keep in mind - I liked this movie, but my criticisms are mostly negative because I expect more from Pixar

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2007)

Good, but not at the level that I expect from Pixar. It's always fun, but it's often in danger of feeling slight. Besides the awesome setpiece of Remy, the gourmand rat, entering Gusteau's kitchen for the first time and the wonderful climax, there is little that is memorable. The characters are also pretty generic, except for food critic Anton Ego, voiced by Peter O'Toole, and Colette, voiced by an unrecognizable Jeneane Gorofolo. Remy is dull, as are a lot of cartoon heroes (they're hardly ever the most memorable characters), and the other rats don't have enough screen time to make an impression. The villainous chef is a dull bad guy, and Luigi, the human who is helped by Remy, is never redeemed by the script. Even in the end, that character has taken advantage of Remy. He admits that to the other characters, but doesn't do much to make up for it. I would actually have ranked Disney's CGI film, Meet the Robinsons, above this, but the climax is so wonderful, and the aftermath so beautiful, that I ultimately felt very pleased, despite only being moderately so for the other 90 minutes.