"Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere."

Rating: 10/10 (17 February 2008)

When "Ratatouille" (2007) was released last summer, I was not too eager to see the animated 106 minutes long film about a rat in a kitchen of a five-star Parisian restaurant. The idea seemed too original and brave for my taste. As film had been shown all over the world, I kept reading and hearing only great reviews for it. Then, my brother who usually does not get exited about any movie, told me that "Ratatouille" was absolutely charming, captivating, funny and moving at the same time, and the most charming about it was Remy, a rat, "little chef" with huge talent in the fine art of cooking. I saw the movie last weekend and I am happy to agree with my brother completely. "Ratatouille" has everything for every viewer to enjoy - technical excellence, amazing colors, highly original images, and the voices that matched the characters perfectly. The film is a clever satire and the moving story that will be interesting for the adults and children alike. Where the movie succeeds admirably - in showing on the screen the process of cooking which can be as inspiring and creative as painting, writing, or composing the music: "How can I describe it? Good food is like music you can taste, color you can smell. There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savor it." Speaking of how the movies sometimes affect our life - after we saw "Ratatouille" together with my husband, he demanded that I cooked him a Ratatouille that would take him back to his happy childhood days and rock him to his core just like the one that Remy prepared for a "grim eater", the universally feared food critic Anton Ego.
Not every year, an animated film is nominated for five Academy awards, and I wish "Ratatouille" victories in every category. It deserves them all.