Ratatouille is a Dish Best Served Fun

Rating: 10/10 (19 June 2007)

It amazes me just how ingenious the men and women of Pixar can be with the trickiest of material. Every film made is both a technical marvel and a festival of fun, the perfect marriage of art and entertainment. And just when you think they've bitten off more than they can chew, they introduce Ratatouille (pronounced Rat-a-too-ee), their most ambitions and most delicious film yet. Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), the film not only exceeds expectations, but also raises the ante for all animated films period.
The bottom line on this film is this; Ratatouille is a masterpiece. It perfectly maintains both the fairy tale and the reality of the situation all the way its satisfactory ending. Yes, Remy can walk upright, use his front paws to cook (and he does wash up before touching the food), but he also has to maneuver around the health inspector who wouldn't appreciate a rat chef, no matter how clean he his. The characters are multi-dimensional, exciting, and intriguing. The film is fearless to do thing that other animated films are afraid to do, such as putting such complex themes into what most people would consider to be a kid's movie.
On the technical side, this has to be one of the most beautiful animated features made, ranking beside Finding Nemo. The colors are warm and alive. The digital sets are scaled very well. This is important since size plays a major factor. We will have to see the same things in the kitchen from both a rat and human perspective. And for the first time, water effects look natural, especially with characters that are covered in fur.
Normally voice acting is usually noticed because of the huge celebrities involved. After the lazy voice acting in the latest Shrek movie, I was hesitant. But the voice talents here are not well-known people, but they were the perfect choices. Patton Oswalt is amazing as Remy, making him both funny and vulnerable. Peter O'Toole oozes with evil delight as Anton Ego, but is also shows the soft side of a hard critic. Ian Holm rarely gets attention for his range in voice acting, but with Skinner he does wonders. But when it comes to great voice acting, I have to talk about Janeane Garofalo, whom I didn't even recognize her voice at any time. And yet she gives Colette a razor-sharp wit and resiliency that is very much a part of her own personality.
All in all, this is one of the best films of 2007, if not the best. I can't think of a better summer movie for the whole family. But go hungry, you might find yourself wanting something French afterwards, and I hardly think it will be fries.