Ratatouille

Ratatouille | |
| Rated: | None |
| Director: | Brad Bird |
| Cast: | Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Janeane Garofalo |
| Release Date: | 2007 |
| Genre: | Animation |
Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) is a rat living on a farm in provincial France, where his overactive sense of smell has inspired a passion for flavors and cuisine. When a storm hits and Remy is separated from his family, the underground sewer labyrinth spits him out in the middle of Paris, the previously explained world capital of food. Making his way to the renowned restaurant Gusteau’s, Remy demonstrates his cooking skills by using the human body of Gusteau’s heir, Linguini (Lou Romano), to execute his recipes in the kitchen. But since the passing of Chef Gusteau a few years prior, the restaurant has experienced a fall to three stars from soulless critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole), and Remy has to act fast to save the gastronomical landmark. The animation in this newest addition to the Disney/Pixar catalog is remarkable; the fur on each mouse looks like a photograph of the real thing, and the Parisian back alleys contain textured brick and cobblestones, carbon copies right down to the cigarette butts. Ratatouille serves a great purpose as a celebration of food, with emphasis on fresh ingredients, bold recipes, and the inventive and intelligent minds responsible. With good cooking a dying art form in fast-food America, this funny and salient children’s movie resurrects the importance of a well-cooked meal.