You would be forgiven for thinking that the order Rodentia had received more than its fair level of animated exposure. Well, despite a few Tom & Jerry moments, Ratatouille is quite clearly in a different league - Pixar’s latest is a five-course banquet of filmic joy that left me sated, smiling, and faintly teary-eyed.
Ratatouille is the tale of Rémy, a rat with an unusually refined palate - and this proves to be a curse as well as a blessing, for the only place he can find the tastes and smells he craves is a high-class Parisian restaurant, where his kind are definitely Rodentia non grata.
Along the way, Rémy befriends Alfredo, a hapless kitchen-boy, and together they attempt to set the culinary world ablaze, but before doing so, they must face Anton Ego, a sepulchral restaurant critic (voiced by Peter O’Toole).
With inventive animation and delectably rendered food, the star of the show is Pixar’s Paris, a creation of such detail, texture and beauty it feels as if the animators had distilled every filmic representation of La Ville-lumière into a bottle, and then drunk the lot.
Whether you are a gourmand or a cinephile, Ratatouille should be at the top of your menu - it’s easily one of the best films you’ll see all year.
Ratatouille is the tale of Rémy, a rat with an unusually refined palate - and this proves to be a curse as well as a blessing, for the only place he can find the tastes and smells he craves is a high-class Parisian restaurant, where his kind are definitely Rodentia non grata.
Along the way, Rémy befriends Alfredo, a hapless kitchen-boy, and together they attempt to set the culinary world ablaze, but before doing so, they must face Anton Ego, a sepulchral restaurant critic (voiced by Peter O’Toole).
With inventive animation and delectably rendered digital dishes, the star of the show is Pixar’s Paris, a creation of such detail, texture and beauty it feels as if the animators had distilled every filmic representation of La Ville-lumière into a bottle, and then drunk the lot.