More scrumptious than eye-candy

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2007)

Okay, first things first: scratch ANYTHING you've read in any review, private, published, online, or otherwise, that worries that children might not be that interested in this movie; the presentation I went to was filled with people of all ages, and they all sat right through the end credits. I'm getting really offended by reviewers' habits of passing off successful character development as something children wouldn't be interested in, as if children don't have the basic cogent powers to understand stories, but even if that were the case, this film is remarkably kinetic and exciting--it even is a little slapstick.
But that's just the spice. The meat of the matter is that Pixar has followed up their still-good-but-somewhat-formulaic Cars with something really special, a pretty original movie about a rat named Remy who wants to be a cook and all of the things that get in the way--not just a world disgusted by rats, but a personal life that doesn't support his dream. In positive Pixar land, that means Remy will have to make new friends and discover the value in himself before he's able to ultimately work it all out, but believe me, it's all enjoyable and fun in the process.
I've written a few and read a million reviews on various Pixar films, and there's just no way around mentioning the animation. Though computer animation has vastly improved over a very short time and other companies are beginning to reach Pixar's level, Pixar's animation is still distinct and original, and a great mainstream marker with which to base any other animated endeavor. In this case, the motion and energy seems to fill the frame as much deep and far as it does close and personal, and the team has built a world of details. Every Pixar feature seems to be an improvement on the last, and at this point the production company is getting uncannily... real...
But what I think I like the most about Ratatouille is the use of Anton Ego, the bleak food critic who presents one of many major challenges of Remy's culinary skills. I can't help but read this as Pixar's comment on criticism itself, and the twist is that when something like this work is made right, it not only pleases the adult sensibilities but gets into the true heart of what entertainment like this is meant for: the child inside. The moment of Anton's food taste is a perfect moment of epiphany, handled well by every trick these master craftsmen know.
Ratatouille pleases, and also leaves enough to tidy us over until next year's Wall-E. It's hard to imagine it getting any better, but these guys are strangely good at that.
--PolarisDiB