Ratatouille [ rat-aa-too-ee] - review

First toys, then monsters, fishes, cars, bugs and now it is a rat. Pixar’s love for uncanny things talking on the screen continues with its latest animation flick - Ratatouille.
Produced under the Disney banner and directed by Brad Bird, Ratatouille is pure delight to watch.
A rat who cooks! Whoa, what could be more unlikely than that? But the brilliantly written screenplay and excellent animation makes you doubt your own surprise. By the end of the movie, you, like all others in the theatre, are convinced that some rats can cook and that they all live in organized colonies, and speak English. This is the beauty of animation: it does stretch your imagination, but not to the extent of disbelief.

Enter Remy, the gourmet rat. He hates eating out from the garbage can, loves watching cookery shows, is a big fan of Gusteau- the famous cook and can tell the difference between saffron and coriander. A bit of a rebel who wants to make his mark, Remy lands in Paris, the world’s food capital and from there starts the story of the rat, the loser and food.
The movie does not just make the audience laugh and cry with it, but drives some important lessons home as well, like the importance of the freedom of choice and loving what you do.
The animation is flawless and the characterization amazing. The loser boy is lanky and disoriented, the villain, squat and cunning dripping from his eyes; and then there is the rat, performing unbelievable antics, but not once does his body defy any physical laws nor does any of his actions look out of place.
The dialogue is implicitly humorous, the screenplay more so. And if the viewer makes a conscious effort, he will be able to understand the nuances of expressions and appreciate how well they have been executed in the movie.
Pixar hence adds another feather to its cap and shows that perfection can actually be improved upon. Though the movie has a completely different storyline and setting from any of the previous pixar movie, it strikes a similar chord as it’s predecessors did. It’s an uncanny emotion, and you feel it just as you did after the father finds nemo, or the car finally wins the race of life. And if I may not be wrong, this subconscious similarity might be intended. Just another example of how movie making is evolving. It’s not just about what is apparent, but also what is not.
A must watch for all. It’s a 110 minutes well spent.