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Ratatouille Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: G Genre: Animated, Comedy, Family Theater release: June 29, 2007 by Disney/Pixar Directed by: Brad Bird Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes Cast: Patton Oswalt (Remy), Ian Holm (Skinner), Lou Romano (Linguini), Brian Dennehy (Django), Peter Sohn (Emile), Peter O'Toole (Anton Ego), Brad Garrett (Auguste Gusteau), Janeane Garofalo (Colette), Will Arnett (Horst) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

Attention, parents, kids, anybody who appreciates good movies and great food! Ratatouille is a feast so fantastic you'll go running back for seconds. And if you pay close attention, you'll also see that it's a film that tells two great stories at the same time.

The first story is what you'll see on the big screen. And the second—at least the way I see it—is a more subtle, almost allegorical re-telling of what really happened to one of the 20th century's most-loved and enduring pop culture icons …. Walt Disney himself.

Once upon a time, there was an adventurous French chef named Auguste Gusteau (think Walt Disney) whose Paris kitchen (think Disney studios) was famous for awe-inspiring cuisine (Disney's classic animated features, like Pinocchio).

Gusteau knew his strengths and focused on them, serving up heaping plates of excellence to the delight of the customers at his self-titled restaurant. Gusteau's and its namesake became legendary worldwide.

The ghost of Gusteau gives Remy some culinary pointers

But then, for one reason or another, the quality of his work began to falter. He died, and his successors (think …. Michael Eisner?) sold out, stamping the Gusteau (Disney) name on all manner of mediocrity. The master's face and name eventually flew like a banner over mediocre microwave meals (frivolous features like Pocahontas, and disposable straight-to-video sequels to Disney classics). And eventually his name represented fare that seemed completely unrelated to his legacy (The Muppets?).

And while the masses seemed content to choke down anything contained in a Gusteau can (or released on a Disney label), it looked like Gusteau's name would become synonymous with trash.

Enter Remy, a little rat with a nose for excellence and a passion for cooking. (Enter director Brad Bird, the brilliant storyteller and filmmaker behind The Iron Giant and The Incredibles.)

Remy would never, in normal circumstances, be allowed into the great Gusteau's kitchen. He's a rat after all, likely to be exterminated before his extraordinary talent wins the attention it deserves. (Bird's Iron Giant was badly botched by Warner Brothers, who didn't know that they had a classic on their hands. Thus it never got the box office it deserved.)

But then, Remy meets Linguini (voiced by Lou Romano), a gawky, insecure fellow who works as the kitchen garbage boy. He couldn't cook a microwave dinner if he tried. And yet, when Remy climbs beneath Linguini's chef hat and begins to direct Linguini around the kitchen by pulling on his hair—presto! Or should I say, Pesto?

Can a little guy with a big imagination step into that famous kitchen and restore it to its former glory? Yes. (And yes!)

Linguini meets Remy for the first time

With Remy's creative genius and Linguini's access to the pots, pans, and ingredients, a new Gusteau masterpiece is just a matter of time. (In the same way, Pixar's powerful chemistry has produced a string of masterpieces …. delivered with the Disney label: A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Cars.)

The story then begins to resemble the Coen Brothers' Hudsucker Proxy. By underestimating a simpleton who works at the lowest level, Skinner the wicked franchise-master (voiced brilliantly by Ian "Bilbo Baggins" Holm) unwittingly jeopardizes his moneymaking empire.

When the simpleton serves up a super soup, it seems that the Paris spotlight just might shine on Gusteau's again. It all depends on the reaction of the city's most demanding food critic, Anton Ego, who looks down his nose at almost everything. And with his nose, that's a very long way indeed.

While it seems inappropriate to equate Brad Bird with a rat, Ratatouille clearly reflects what has happened since Pixar arrived in the Disney kitchen (for more details, see this book and/or this). It isn't just the audience that has responded with enthusiasm. The critics—snobs, crowdpleasers, egomaniacs, and experts of all stripes—have lavished Pixar's productions with rave reviews.

But whatever you make of the subtext, you're likely to agree with the hard-to-please critics who embrace this dazzling—dare I say profound?—motion picture. No matter your age, you'll probably find Ratatouille both satisfying and nourishing. In fact, it may be the first Pixar production more likely to win fans among adults than children. (At 111 minutes, it may test some toddlers' patience.)

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