June 30, 2007 -- Quality ebbs and flows in all Hollywood studios. Well, mostly it ebbs. An exception to this rule is Pixar Studios, a subsidiary of Disney Studios (the smartest thing Disney has done in recent years was to buy Pixar). Pixar has established a reputation for dependably entertaining animated features such as Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Cars. The latest in this line of sure-fire hits is “Ratatouille.” Once again, Pixar has crafted a quality story to go with its dazzling visualizations. In the rest of Hollywood, the quality of the screenplay is pretty far down the list of considerations for making a film, but it seems to be at the top for Pixar. How Pixar manages to write one compelling story after another, loaded with humor and heart, appealing to both adults and children without often resorting gross humor is a skill the rest of Hollywood would like to acquire. The story for Ratatouille was lovingly crafted by writer-director Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) with some help from his friends.

The main character of this story is a rat, Remy, who wants to be a great chef after his hero, Auguste Gusteau, who wrote a book claiming anyone can cook. Remy took this to heart. Aided by a great sense of smell and an active imagination, Remy has the tools and the desire to be a chef. Eventually Remy stumbles into Gusteau's own restaurant, where he gets an opportunity to help a young garbage boy, Linguini, become one of the top chefs in Paris. The story also becomes one of Linguini and his love for another chef at the restaurant, Colette. It is also about Linguini's coming to grips with his newfound fame. The story also concerns Remy's troubled relations with his own family and his uneasy existence in a world of humans. Another subplot involves a devious chef, Skinner, who is maneuvering towards ownership of the restaurant and a related line of frozen foods. Yet another character is Gusteau's ghost, a figment of Remy's overactive imagination. As you can see, this is not a simple story. There are a lot of plot elements and a lot of layers to it, but it works. This story even has a food critic who turns out to be a good guy. That ought to win it some critical brownie points (look what the critics did to F. Night Shyamalan when he cinematically killed off a critic in his film “Lady in the Water”).

Pixar animation art has always been a strong part of the company's productions. The computerized animation in “Ratatouille” is beautifully realized with emotionally-charged facial expressions, dizzying escape sequences and dozens of clever visual comic touches. This film also manages to make a rat look cute, no mean feat. The film makes good use of a variety of viewing angles from overhead to point-of-view. Some shots simulate images taken with a hand-held camera. The voice talents are also impressive, headed by such renowned actors as Peter O'Toole, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Janeane Garofalo and Patton Oswalt (a comedian who provides the voice for Remy). Together, they make a film that has the Pixar stamp of quality. The movie is a bit slow-moving, and there are a few too many subplots for its own good. However, its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .