individuality and creativity are eloquently explored.

The best film of the summer didn’t star a pirate, a giant green monster, or even a Spider-Man. It starred a rat. A rat that can cook. Ratatouille is a stunning achievement that has earned its place among other Pixar greats such as Toy Story and The Incredibles with a mix of sophisticated storytelling, three-dimensional characters, and dazzling visuals that should be just as appealing to adults as they are to children.

Ratatouille follows the culinary journey of Remy the rat, voiced perfectly by comedian/actor Patton Oswalt. Oswalt continues a long line of brilliant casting decisions by Pixar. Other animation studios seem to believe that it’s important to cast A-list stars as the voices of their animated creations, but Pixar has always known that the voice must match the character, and Oswalt’s Remy ranks up there with Tom Hanks’ Woody and Craig T. Nelson’s Mr. Incredible. Remy is different from the rest of the rats in his pack. He has an acute sense of taste and smell, and refuses to eat the garbage that the rest of his family scavenges from the old woman whose house they occupy. When Remy is separated from his family after a mass exodus from the old woman’s home, he finds himself in Paris, and more importantly, at the restaurant of late chef Gusteau, Remy’s idol whose ghost guides Remy along on his quest to become a chef. But of course it is impossible for a rat to be allowed to cook in a kitchen, so through a twist of fate Remy is paired with the restaurant’s garbage boy, Linguini. Remy’s cooking (via Linguini) becomes the toast of the town, arising the suspicions of head chef Skinner, who is determined to gain full control of the Gusteau brand so that he can use it to sell cheap microwave dinners and become rich.

One of the most surprising things about Ratatouille is that, aside from having talking rats, it never feels like a kid’s movie. It’s certainly family friendly and the images and jokes will definitely appeal to the youngsters, but the subject matter and themes have maturity rarely seen in Disney films. The film takes food very seriously and the level of detail and research that went into making the kitchen feel real is superb (by the way, the computer animated food will have you headed to the nearest French restaurant afterward, it all looks delicious). The story takes bold turns that you wouldn’t expect, and themes such as individuality and creativity are eloquently explored. All credit must go to writer/director Brad Bird and his Pixar team, who’ve raised the bar for what we choose to entertain our children with. While Nickelodeon continues to dumb it down or sex it up on Teen Nick, and Dreamworks constantly spoils the soup with too many cooks, Pixar and Brad Bird elevate our standards of children’s entertainment, choosing not to dumb it down or pander, but instead challenge and enlighten the young ones with sophisticated storytelling and grown-up worlds that can inspire children to do great things with their lives.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is stunning, another out of the park digital-to-digital transfer from Pixar. This is also available on Blu-Ray, and from what I’ve read, it’s one of the most gorgeous examples of high-def superiority yet. The Dolby Digital EX 5.1 soundtrack is also reference quality.
While we may take it for granted at this point that Pixar is always going deliver, Ratatouille exceeds these expectations and delivers a surprisingly sophisticated film.

Ratatouille- Disney/Pixar think outside the trap!

My mom rented this movie out of the RedBox in the grocery store for a family movie night and because I love to cook. (I am culinary school graduate and was almost a chef in a very prestigious restaurant.) Ratatouille is now on my sister's Christmas wish list!

Disney and Pixar really thought outside the trap and dished up something special with Ratatouille. Remy the Rat has a special gift-a keen sense of taste and smell- and dreams of becoming a French chef, after the legendary Gusteau. After a series of mishaps leads to him getting separated from his family, Remy finds himself in the world-famous Gusteau's Restaurant in Paris. After the new garbage boy, Linguini, ruins the soup, Remy fixes it and impresses a very snootty, high-ranked food critic. Asked to remake the soup by the head chef, Remy and Linguine make to deal and eventually become the star of gay Paris.

This movie was well-worth the wait!! The animation was astounding; and the characters were funny, cute, charming and endearing. Unlike most films all of the characters were much better developed and multi-layered, with each having his/her own story, rather than just the main character being the one with story. There was even a cute, little love story between Linguini and Collette, the only woman in kitchen.

Parents and children alike will love this movie with its great inspirational message about being true to yourself and not giving up on your dreams. Even my dogs loved this movie! As I was watching Ratatouille, I looked over at my aquarium for a moment and I thought I saw my guppies trying to watch too. (It's too bad for them that their aquarium faces away from the TV. LOL!)

The bonus features were very educational about how rats and humans have interacted through out history, and debunks many of the myths and misconceptions about rodents in general. It was very beneficial that after each deleted scene, the director explained why the scene was taken out. The short Pixar film, Lifted was quite humorous and makes one think more deeply on a comical side about driver's education.

Ratatouille is Delicious-->A MUST BUY!!!

AFTER ALL THE HYPE THAT DISNEYS CARS BROUGHT..HERE WAS THE NEXT HYPE RATATOUILLE..

WELL LET ME TELL YOU FIRST HAND THAT IS WAS WORTH THE WAIT..
The voice talent: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, Julius Callahan, James Remar, John Katzenberger and Teddy Newton. Original story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco and Brad Bird. Screenwriter and director. Brad Bird. Rated: G. Running time: 111 mins.

Though it is a Pixar feature, Ratatouille is not a kids’ film. It is a feature the entire family can enjoy. In fact, adults may get a bigger charge than the youngsters.

In a sense, Ratatouille is a story about fulfilling one’s dreams, about going beyond preconceived boundaries and following your heart.

Making the lead character a rat is a brilliant stroke. Rat and restaurants go as well together as Paris Hilton and jail cells, so the idea of watching Remy choosing herbs, spices and sauces to create various dishes is not only funny — it plays against expectations and raises the humor.

Ratatouille is loads of fun, even at nearly two hours. The time flies and the laughs are constant. This is a feature for which you may want to go back for seconds.

THIS IS A MUST BUY MOVIE TO ADD TO YOUR DISNEY COLLECTION..

COMES OUT NOVERMBER 6, 2007

OVERALL
9.5/10

Ratatouille--AMAZING!

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely - and certainly unwanted - visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy's passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down. Written by Orange

Remy, a provincial rat with a wonderful sense of smell, hates garbage and risks death to enter a human kitchen where he discovers real food and the cooking of five-star chef, Anton Gusteau, author of "Anyone Can Cook." On the day Remy learns his hero has died, he is evicted and ends up alone in Paris. By luck, he discovers Gasteau's restaurant, down to three stars and run by a frozen-food-hawking chef. As Remy enters, so does Linguini, a clumsy youth hired as a garbage boy. To save the soup that Linguini accidentally fouls, Remy throws in some ingredients; the soup is a success and Linguini's career as a chef is born. Can Remy find a way to maintain the fiction and use his gift? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Remy is a rat, constantly risking life in an expensive French restaurant because of his love of good food, as well as a desire to become a chef. Yet, obviously, this is a rather tough dream for a rat. But opportunity knocks when a young boy, who desperately needs to keep his job at the restaurant, despite his lack of cooking abilities, discovers and partners the young Remy. Its up to the two of them to avoid the insane head chef, bring the rest of Remy's family up to his standards, win his partner a girl, and, of course, produce the finest Ratatouille in all of France. Written by swansongang

Rémy is a rat living in Paris who wants to be a chef, but has to overcome the disapproval of his family and the prejudice of humans. Using a somewhat hapless young man as a means through which to practice his art, Rémy meets yet another obstacle in the form of a famous, notoriously hard-to-please food critic named Anton Ego, nicknamed "The Grim Eater". The questions remain: Will Remy achieve his goal? Will he be able to please everyone in his locality?

A Rat Chef Dishes Up Delights...Bon Appetit!

Once again, the creative minds behind Pixar have created enchantment ... possibly their best film in years. Everyone loves Ratatouille...even though he is a rat in the kitchen.

Indeed, the idea of rats in an upscale restaurant would normally have us run for cover. Nevertheless, the movie successfully blends the themes of the Ugly Duckling with Cyrano de Bergerac to come up with a fantastic story. Remy is a simple rat with an extraordinary nose. His idol is a great French chef who lectures on the Food Channel. "Anyone Can Cook" is his mantra. So when Remy and his rat family have to leave their homes, Remy accidentally ends up in the very kitchen of this great Chef. Alas, the great chef has passed away, and the food standards are falling, as well as the Michelin stars. To reverse this trend, Remy - the rat - teams up with a clueless scullery boy in the kitchen to whip up some wonderful recipes. Indeed, the rat's food creations are a hit with the customers. The problem, as in all Cyrano stories, is that no one knows who is really behind those wonderful recipes. And most important, will the most difficult restaurant critic in Paris condemn or praise the food that Remy prepares?

Everything about this film is wonderful...the streets of Paris are recreated in rich colors and exquisite detail. I haven't seen a European city look this good in an animated film since Disney's "Pinocchio." Oh my, even the French copper pots look authentic.

This is among the favorites of our children. I loved it and laughed hysterically throughout the film...particularly the times when the rat conceals himself in a chef hat and rides the garbage boy like a cowboy on a bronco. Please don't miss this treat. Highly recommended.