Pixar has never given viewers a bad movie and “Ratatouille” continues their streak of providing incredible animation with solid storytelling. It remains to be seen whether this film will be a hit though and I really wonder if it will connect with kids the same way that “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo” and “Cars” did.

“Ratatouille” is about a rat named Remy who has an appreciation for fine food. When he gets separated from his family, he finds himself in Paris right across the street from Gusteau’s, a formerly famous restaurant. Remy soon teams up with Linguini, a garbage boy who is trying (and failing) to cook a soup. Remy saves the soup and their concoction proves popular. Soon, Linguini is a rising star in the Parisian culinary world and Remy gets caught up in the glamour as well. The lessons of the film, being yourself and doing right by your friends and family, are fairly standard in films aimed at children, but gourmet cooking and the use of a popular name to sell mass produced food products are not your typical plot points.

Pixar has always held themselves to a higher standard of film. They offer their audiences more than broad, toilet based humor for the kids and pop culture references for the adults that bring them along. “Ratatouille” continues that tradition. There is very little to laugh out loud at in the film, but the story is engaging and it is easy to care for the characters very quickly. Remy is as adorable as any Pixar character and both Linguini and his love interest, Colette, are charming as well.

The real star of the film though is the animation. It seems to improve with each Pixar release and the settings of a home in rural France and the streets of Paris are wonderful. If kids dream of visiting the city of lights after seeing this movie, so much the better.

But I wonder. Will kids really identify with a movie that features a major scene where the characters must perfect an old sweetbread recipe? Can they hang with a film that offers little broad comedy whatsoever?

I hope so.

****

login to post comments