Ratatouille

Release date: June 29, 2007
Directed by: Brad Bird
Starring (voices of): Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Brad Garrett, Peter O'Toole, Ian Holm, Janeane Garofalo

Rats seem to serve no purpose other than making our lives a living hell. They rummage for food in places where they're not wanted and are, overall, disgusting. But the magic of animation is its ability to turn the despised into the absolutely loveable. From start to finish, Ratatouille makes you fall in love with those pesky rats.

The story revolves around Remy (Oswalt), a rat with an astute sense of taste, smell and a palette for fine cuisine. Upon venturing into a house in the French countryside to watch his favourite cook, Gusteau (Garrett), Remy is forced to run for his life (along with dozens of other rats) after he's discovered by the home's owner. Separated from his brother and father, he finds himself in Paris and at the footsteps of Gusteau's restaurant. The master cook has recently passed away and the restaurant is now under the control of head chef Skinner (Holm), a short little man who's more interested in merchandising all he can out of Gusteau's recipes than preparing new dishes.

While eavesdropping through a crack in the wall, Remy witnesses Linguini (Romano), a bright-eyed unassuming newbie, accidentally ruin the night's soup dish. Inspired by the image of Gusteau, Remy sneaks into the kitchen to save the day, but all credit is given to Linguini. In order to keep up appearances as a cook, Linguini strikes a deal with Remy to hide his presence in the kitchen in exchange for his savory skills. From thereon, Remy lives his dream as a chef, amidst several attempts on his life and unexpected plot twists involving Linguini that make him question whether humans and rats can live together harmoniously.

In addition to Remy and Linguini, who are both endearing, there's the kitchen's only female chef, Colette (Garofalo), and the food critic, Anton Ego (O'Toole), who are both sharp and witty characters. When Linguini is paired up with Colette to learn the intricacies of the kitchen, her grrrl power rants are edgy enough to keep the adults interested, but not too sharp as to go over the heads of younger viewers.

While it's unlikely that after seeing Ratatouille you'll cease to be repulsed at the sight of a rat, but you may have a feeling of empathy the next time you see a trap. Ratatouille is a well-written and delightfully entertaining movie and the best animated film of the year.