Ratatouille

After ten years of making reliably excellent movies it comes as no surprise to me that Pixar's latest movie is a fantastic one. The story is about a rat and a garbage boy, both of whom dream of being chefs, who work together to realize their mutual dream. The animation is top of the line, as is expected, and the story that seems a little unremarkable at first becomes an involving and heartfelt one thanks to the plethora of unique characters and sincerity on the part of the filmmaker. What surprised me most about this one, what set it apart from its fellow Pixar movies, is that for the first time the kids seemed to be the secondary audience. I think that if I'd watched this at five or six years old, besides being a little frightened by a handful of fairly exhilarating scenes, I would have been a little bored. The humor is more often subtle than overt, and the story isn't one that would resonate very well, I think, with younger audiences. It's not that kids won't enjoy it, I just think that there's no way they are getting everything out of it that was put in. Pixar is long past having to prove themselves, but if they needed to this would do the job. It puts movies like Shrek the Third to sad shame, and it reminds us that it's not to much to ask for a few excellent movies during the summer. As far as Pixar movies go, this one is second only to the Toy Story pair and The Incredibles. Their are a couple awkward moments as the always far-fetched idea of humans and animals interacting excessively is forced to join up with the realistic setting of the chefs and their fine French restaurant. However these awkward moments are slight and rare, not to mention completely overshadowed by the film's many other admirable qualities. This gets my vote for Best Animated movie, and having seen most of the others out this year I'd say it has a good chance at winning. I'm not even kidding when I say thank God for movies like this, it's a call to action for the lazy movie makers who give us trash just because a studio will back them and they can get away with it. A movie can be big and extravagant and also excellent and original at the same time. If you don't believe me, go see Ratatouille.

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