Ratatouille: a rat's tale too long!

Rating: 5/10 (4 July 2007)

Normally I do not venture out to see animated films because I am usually disappointed. Ratatouille was a pleasant surprise for the first sixty minutes. Director Brad Bird who also wrote the screenplay weaves an excellent adult fantasy up until that point. Sadly this 110 minute film could have been cut to 87 and Ratatouille would have been far more digestible. This is a movie about life, food, and new found relationships all working together to keep the human and animal spirit evolving. The animation is excellent. Pixar does magical film work, especially on a large screen when 2D becomes 3D. The colors, the depth, and the pure movie magic is completely captivating. Too much seasoning can foul the taste of the broth, too much time spent on needless scenes, drags out this film. Parents, this is not a film for children because it is made for an adult audience. There are only bits and pieces of cute scenes that your small fry will truly understand or comprehend. The actors who dub the voices of the main characters do an excellent job. How can you go wrong with such luminaries as Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Peter O'Toole, and Janeane Garofalo. Where Ratatouille sours is that it tries to choke itself on it's own recipe.