Movie Review: "Ratatouille"

   Disney has done it again!  In this fun recent release, Remy is a rat who is tired of stealing garbage to survive.  He has a keen sense of taste and smell, and longs for fresh, tasty food to eat.  His family, especially his no-nonsense dad, doesn't understand his unique gift and he is put to use checking the daily stash of food for rat poisoning with his strong sniffer.

   But soon the owner of their home discovers the rat colony in her attic, and the family has to escape to a new home.  Remy finds himself separated from the group, alone in Paris.  He finds Gusteau's, a restaurant owned by his favorite chef, who Remy watched on the TV at his old house while the homeowner napped in her chair.  He finds that Gusteau has passed away, and a new, snooty chef is in charge.  He also sees that a young man named Linguine has started working as a garbage boy, and while Linguine wishes he could cook, he manages to mess up a pot of soup.  Remy tries to help out, adding ingredients while he thinks no one is looking.  But Linguine spots him!  A local food critic thinks the soup is amazing, and a new partnership is born between Remy and Linguine.

   One of the great things about the film is that it tucks in a few side lessons about the workings behind a restaurant's dining area.  The heirarchy of kitchen staff, including some French terminology and titles, are described along with the animation.  The message that "anyone can cook" is paramount to the story, which both encourages viewers to follow a recipe, while sometimes experimenting and trying different ingredients or techniques to try to make a dish better.  I think it's great to see this brought before kids and it will hopefully encourage families to prepare meals together.

   Who else but Disney imagineers could take a rat and make him at home in the kitchen, without completely grossing out the viewing audience?  It's witty, with enough plot twists to keep Mom and Dad just as entertained as the kids.  It seems the quality and realism of the animation improves with every Disney release, and this is no exception.  We had a great time sharing this film together as a family!