Pixar maintains its spot in the industry with another winner

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2007)

Very Minor Spoilers Ratatouille is the next film from acclaimed director Brad Bird, with The Iron Giant and another praised Pixar film already on his resume he clearly had a lot to live up to in Ratatouille. Like The Incredibles Bird came up with the story and then penned the screenplay, if the film failed it would be put squarely on Bird, after all the plot seems ludicrous a Rat who is a gourmet and an excellent chef, the film could have easily fallen on its face with a less competent director but Bird crafts it masterfully and it works wonderfully.
Lets start with something that seems obvious the animation, its Pixar of course would it be anything less then perfection, and of course it is not. However it is hard to gauge just how good it is without seeing the movie. When it is raining (which oddly enough happens a lot) every hair on the rats will stand up and appear just like it should. Pixar obviously has an animated look in their animation, its not the eerily realistic animation of the Polar Express and soon Beowulf, you know at all times some one didn't go out and film a rat colony, but where Pixar really gets it is in the detail put into every shot so the viewer is looking up in awe at the screen. Which will happen in the pan outs on Paris itself with the lights and famous landmarks it is truly beautiful.
Even though Ratatouille looks amazing even for a Pixar film that isn't enough the story has to be good and in this movie it certainly was. The story begins with of course Remy, who introduces himself dubiously as a rat with a highly defined Pallet, who is reduced to be the poison checker for the rat colony, through some misadventures they are forced to leave the house they currently inhabited and move to the big city. Remy eventually finds out he was not far away from his "mentors" resteraunt Gusteau's. When Remy see the garbage boy Linguini mess up the soup he feels the urge to fix it, which he does until he is caught and Linguini is forced to dispose of him, however Remy's soup is a hit and Linguini is given the praise, realizing he can not make it again he decides to keep Remy to help him cook. Throughout the rest of the movie they face different challenges with a crazy head chef and the frightening critic Anton Ego.
The voice work in Ratatouille is also exceptional. When I pass by a Rat now, I'll probably expect to hear Patton Oswalt's voice, though maybe a little higher pitched. Lou Ramono who never has had a role this big (he was Dash's teacher in The Incredibles) is in fact incredible. Also have to give props to John Ratzenbeger to still have his trademark voice even with a french accent. Also I say give Peter O'Toole the Oscar for this, his voice is pitch perfect for the most feared critic in all of Paris Anton Ego.
So where does this land in terms of Pixar, it is much better than last years disappointing entry in Cars and 1998's A Bug's Life. Narrowing it down from here however is much harder all of the rest are masterful films that all deserve awards, but I would put it past Nemo and Monster's Inc. and The Incredibles. With that only the original franchise is left the original Pixar and the sequel that managed to be just as good. It would be naive to proclaim Ratatouille the best Pixar ever while only seeing it once, so far now I'll make my favorite Pixar a three way tie.
Before the Review ends however I must mention one last thing, with Pixar movies we always get a short film at the beginning. Some times there only OK (The Incredibles Boundin') and sometimes there better than the movie itself (Cars' One Man Band). Lifted is the one shown with Ratatouille and it is an excellent short film, probably my favorite though I have seen some of them in a while.
A+
Lifted:A