One of the Finest Animated Films to Ever Grace the Silver Screen

Rating: 10/10 (29 March 2020)

Ratatouille is Pixar's magnum opus. Written and directed by the mighty talented Brad Bird (The Incredibles I and II, The Iron Giant) this 2007 animated film is both a satisfying comedy adventure and a deep piece on creating and the critique that comes with it.
Remy, an aspiring chef with big dreams, gets the chance of a lifetime when separated from his family during a thunderstorm. He soon finds himself on the streets of Paris, home of some of the finest chefs and food in the world.
The only thing standing in his way to becoming the finest chef in Paris? He's a rat. Rats don't belong in the kitchen.
Or do they? As Remy's cookbook idol Gusteau would say, anyone can cook. Remy sure can cook. But is he right? Food critic Anton Ego will be the judge of that.
With the help of a young nerdy chef named Linguini, Remy sets out to change Gusteau's into a five star restaurant. Proving to his dad and Anton Ego that anyone can cook, all while avoiding the aggressive, hilarious (and small) Chef Skinner.
Ratatouille fires on all cylinders. This is a top shelf animated production from Pixar. It's full of hilarious moments, from Remy's relaxed brother Emile to the various chefs that populate Gusteau's restaurant. The adventure is incredible, showing life in Paris from both a rat's and human's perspective. There is never a moment wasted in Ratatouille. The script is clean, tight, and focused. It's overall not just a great animated film but a good piece of film in general.
The film is elevated by the touching relationship between Remy and Linguini, and their journey to becoming chefs. The characterization is phenomenal and no one character feels unneeded or the same. Everybody is here to enhance Remy's journey, friend or foe.
But what makes this particular film so fantastic is the delicious, saucy filling that lies just underneath. Ratatouille raises deep questions of what it means to critique, and those who make the work to be critiqued. The ideological battle between Gusteau's and Anton Ego's thoughts on cooking give the film something to chew on.
This inner layer enhances Remy's journey, and gives the narrative a flow that brings everything together in a nice little bow. All of the film's characters are furthered through this deeper narrative, making the film feel seamless. Even old cranky Anton Ego has a change in heart. That scene with him eating the Ratatouille is perfection and one of Pixar's (and cinema's) greatest moments.
The pacing is slick, the characters rich, the themes above and beyond that of an animated family film. And don't even get me started on the beautiful animation and rendering, that food had me hungry as hell. Those rats move like real damn rats.
All of these things make Ratatouille one of the finest animated films to ever grace the big screen. Brad Bird and the Pixar story team are geniuses who understand what makes a strong script. A masterpiece of animation and Pixar's best.
10/10