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| RATATOUILLE |
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| Actors: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter O'Toole, Janeane Garofalo |
| Directors: Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava |
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Studio: Walt Disney Video |
| DVD release: 06 November 2007 |
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Feature runtime: 111 minutes (1 disc) |
| Format: Anamorphic, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Widescreen |
| DVD Features: Audio tracks (English, Dolby Digital 5.1; English, Dolby Digital 2.0), Subtitles (English), Short animated films "Lifted", "Your Friend the Rat," "Fine Food and Film," Deleted scenes, Trailers, Easter eggs |
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Released the same day as the delightful first volume of Pixar Short Films, Brad Bird and Co.'s Ratatouille proves afresh the ability of Pixar to produce the ultimate in feature-length animated eye candy.
The perfect subtlety of a rat's shrug in the trailer was already blowing people away pre-release; despite (yet in perfect concert with) cartoonish, caricature-style character faces in the film, every motion may as well have been captured in the real world - on high-def.
The film's premise is as simple as it is unlikely: a Norway rat with gourmet tastes (Remy, voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt) in the French countryside ends up in the City of Lights, ultimately joining forces with a bumbling but lovable young man (Linguini, voiced by Lou Romano) who handles garbage duties in a fine but fading restaurant. Together they overcome the ill intent of a greedy, pint-sized, Gordon Ramsay-esque head chef determined to get rich parlaying his former boss's name into microwaveable corn-puppy cash; together they thaw the heart of a ruthlessly cold food critic (voiced in brilliantly dry fashion by Peter O'Toole). Oh, and Linguini falls in love with a tough-as-nails meat and poultry chef (Colette, the only female in the kitchen at Gusteau's and voiced by Janeane Garofalo). The message: anyone can accomplish anything with the help and support of friends.
Stunning panoramic shots of Paris at night, crazy rat-vantage scenes of a working restaurant kitchen, and inspired physicality (Remy cooks by proxy through Linguini, perched under his toque and controlling his movements with precision hair-pulling) make Ratatouille a visual feast. The story is warm, the laughs abundant, and the food fantastic. Just don't let your imagination drift off to thoughts of a real kitchen swarming with real rats riding chunks of cheese down graters on their real furry rat bellies. That could be a deal-killer (and cookie-tosser).
The end credits are rendered in a roughly stylized with the appearance of multiple flat layers made apparent by motion, and in manner a surprising complement to the feature's rounded 3-D style. The all-new animated short "Your Friend the Rat" includes long sections of more traditionally cartoonish 2-D renderings. The short's subject, essentially an abridged history of rats and their relationship to humans, is fascinating in and of itself, but the goofy illustrations of various points make it a tasty sorbet following the movie meal (watch the spots of Black Death pop out all over a rat, then a person - shouldn't be funny, but it is).
The hilarious dialogue-free short "Lifted", featuring a little green frog-like creature undergoing alien abduction training, is included as well, and the last step's a doozy. A half-hour feature, "Fine Food and Film," brings together director Brad Bird and acclaimed chef Thomas Keller for some behind-the-scenes kitchen action, and a couple of short Easter eggs (found with a bit of quick-timed arrowing and selecting on the main menu) serve as after-dinner mints. Ratatouille is the equivalent of sugar, flour and salt: you've got to have it on your shelf - and in your player. Bon Appétit!
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