A unique and sophisticated animated film!

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2007)

"Ratatouille" (2007) / Directed and written by: Brad Bird
****(Excellent)
This is one of the best animated films I've ever seen. Though it's largely a comedy, it ranks up there with some of Disney's best work, including Snow White, Bambi and Pinnochio. As usual, the Pixar digital animation is excellent and always improving in some small way with each new film. The step forward for this film, is water and how it's depicted in a very realistic manner. That's the small technical leap here. However, this is a rare film (of any genre), where all the right elements are done very well and all come together to make a unique and special film.
"Ratatouille" is a film with some surprisingly sly, sophisticated humor that goes beyond the expectations of the usual animated film. There's a surprisingly well written, humorous and touching story here, that probably connects better with adults than with children. Though there's plenty of action and humor children will find appealing, the humor and finer peaks of the story are more aimed at adults. I've rarely seen a film rated G that contains with such creativity and sophistication.
A young man begins work in a famous restaurant in Paris. Here he accidentally meets and befriends a unique rat that was discovered in the restaurant kitchen. This young man has a secret connection to the restaurant. This unique rat has an affection for fine food and a talent for food preparation. It's a story idea that doesn't seem to hold much promise to hold adult attention and interest for the length of a feature film. However, there are a number of factors that strengthen the story, such as well conceived and voiced characters and a fine attention to visual detail.
The look of Paris and food preparation is done with remarkable authenticity. The distinguished actor Peter O' Toole provides the voice of a hard hearted and egotistical restaurant critic. This character looks and sounds like a villain, however the real villain of the story turns out to be the current chef of the restaurant.
Two of the best scenes of the film are when the current chef is getting the young man drunk on wine, in order for him to divulge his secrets of success. The other scene is when the hard hearted restaurant critic suddenly has a childhood flashback upon tasting one of the restaurants famous creations prepared in a new way.
Though I think children will generally find this an entertaining film, it's adults who will most appreciate it's sophisticated, sly humor and amazing visual details. In an audience largely of families, I noticed a sometimes bewildered look on the face of a young girl sitting next to me during the film. It was at this time that adults better connected with the film than children.
Not to forget the lively music score, which really supports the humor and dramatic moments of the film. The film editing provides the right pace and rhythm all throughout the film.
Overall, "Ratatouille" celebrates the preparation of and enjoyment of fine food with a surprisingly well conceived and written story and characters. This film deserves two Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Feature Film.
Highly Recommended.