Bon Appetit

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2007)

The city of Paris has never looked better - more richly-hued and elegant - than it does in "Ratatouille," the latest product from Pixar Entertainment and the umpteenth animated film featuring an anthropomorphic animal as its lead character.
Brad Bird's confection brings two unlikely elements - food and rodents - together in its clever story of a rat with a passion for gourmet cooking who teams up with a newly hired "garbage boy" to surreptitiously whip up a whole host of savory dishes at an upscale restaurant located on the West Bank of Paris.
"Ratatouille" is somewhat more cerebral and considerably less frenetic than the typical Pixar production, which may prove problematic for some of the younger folk in the audience. And, indeed, there are times when the pacing does tend to drag a bit even for more seasoned moviegoers like myself. Still, the action scenes are palpitating in their energy and excitement, and even those jaded by the unimaginable strides made in CGI technology over the years will be properly bowled over by what the filmmakers have managed to pull off here. The sheer fluidity of movement alone in this film is draw-dropping in its impressiveness. The story is rather less compelling overall, but one has to admire Bird's willingness to keep the drama at least somewhat intimate and life-sized. The price of that subtlety, however, is that the movie is also a trifle dull in spots.
The film is highly blessed with energetic voice work by the likes of Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brad Garrett, Peter O'Toole, and, above all, Janeane Garofalo as a high-strung, up-and-coming chef who doesn't take too kindly to fresh-out-of-the-oven competitors encroaching on her territory.
But it is the exquisitely designed backdrops that finally make "Ratatouille" a thing of joy and beauty. Bon appetit!