Dazzling visuals do not hide a half-hearted story

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2007)

My reaction to "Ratatouille," the latest from the seemingly endless siege of computer-animated features from Pixar or Dreamworks, is one of semi-exhaustion. Written and directed by Brad Bird, former "Simpsons" contributor and maverick behind 2005's "The Incredibles," the film has the necessary ingredients for greatness, but comes off as a lukewarm dish overall. The positive message of this very kid-oriented feature? "Anyone can cook!" Which is what rodent Remy (Patton Oswalt) does best; after being separated from his colony, he winds up in France, helping a gawky clean-up boy at an upscale restaurant produce brilliant dishes, much to the head chef's chagrin. Strangely enough, "Ratatouille" has a monopoly on frenetic action, brilliant cinematography and editing, and a fine balance between authentic and cartoonish animation styles--yet none of this really makes the film 'funny.' I often found myself laughing at the sheer zaniness of what was happening on-screen rather than any of the scripted punchlines; even in a theater populated largely by children and their parents, the occasions of unison laughter were few and far between. Bird hit the mark much better with "The Incredibles," which combined genuine thrills with satire and a sense of humor that pleased kids AND their parents. "Ratatouille," with its cultural displacement (it takes place in France, after all) and focus on razzle-dazzle and lesson-learning, comes across as half-hearted effort.