by Isabella Jordan Ratatouille Directed by Brad Bird. Starring the voices of Patton Oswald, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Janeane Garofalo, and more. I'll be upfront and say that I absolutely love the Pixar films and was particularly excited about this one because it's from the same folks who brough us The Incredibles. Was this tale of a rat who would be a chef going to be a tasty morsel or hit a sour note? Mostly it was a very tasty morsel.

First we meet Remy, a rat with an extraordinary sense of smell who believs that if you are what you eat, then you should eat the good stuff. While his father, brother, and his other rat brethren go out to steal garbage and eat even things they can't exactly identify, Remy dreams of creating food as they do in the human world. When he saves his father from eating rat poison, his father appoints him the colony's official food checker. Sure, it's a worthy post, but Remy can't give up his dreams.

Seems Remy has been watching TV and reading the cookbook of one Auguste Gusteau in the home of an older woman who clearly remembers WWII. The good news is that he learns a lot about cooking. The bad news is, when the older gal catches him and his brother in her humble abode, she gets the shotgun.

The colony has to flee her home and in the process, Remy becomes separated from his family. He starts talking to the ghost/figment of his imagination, Auguste Gusteau who once owned one of the finest five star restaurants in Paris but died of a broken heart because of a bad review from Anton Ego. He inspires Remy to go above ground instead of dwelling in the sewers and see what he can find.

The good news is that he finds Paris and food. The bad news is that the ghostly chef keeps popping up through the entire movie and it's a little annoying.

Remy finds his way to Gusteau's restaurant where a scummy little chef named Skinner now rules supreme. He befriends the bungling garbage boy recently hired by the restaurant. The tall, gangly young man is believed to have made a soup that customers love. The truth was Remy was the one who made the soup and the boy, Linguini, saw him do it. They strike up a deal. Remy agrees to guide Linguini as a cook so he can keep his job. Customers like the exciting new dishes and the story develops from there.

How long can they pull off the charade? Will Skinner learn that there really is a rat in the kitchen? Is there more to Linguini than meets the eye? Will the tough food critic Anton Ego dog Gusteau's once again?

There's a lot going on in this film and it was a little hard for my little ones, aged 5 and 7 to follow all of the time. Mostly they got it. The adult crowd can see what's coming a mile away in the storyline. Except perhaps for the ending which wasn't exactly handled the way I thought it would be, but it pleasantly wrapped up the end in happy Disney style anyway.

The animation is nothing short of gorgeous. I would have sworn I was in Paris the entire time I watched. Breathtaking!

The characterization left a little to be desired. Linguini was one of the major characters and he was a tepid version of Garfield's John Arbuckle at best. Remy himself wasn't bad but he could have used a little more sparkle. Kudos to Janeane Garofalo as the French chef, Colette. Very nice performance. I'd never have known it was her.

And I'd like to say I enjoyed Peter O'Toole as Anton Ego. Best performance in the movie in this reviewer's opinion.

At just under two hours, this was a little long but it mostly holds your interest through it. The concept was brilliant and there are a few laughs. Those combined with the usual Disney message/theme manage to save this film. And the message truly is a great one for everyone. Anyone can do (they use cook but insert whatever you like here). The great ones pursue their dreams fearlessly.

Best lines:

Gusteau: You know what I say. Anyone can cook.
Remy: Yeah, anyone can cook. That doesn't mean anyone should.

Isy