10. "Ratatouille" (Disney)

"Ratatouille" is, quite simply, the perfect family film ... and so much more. It tells the charming story of a rat who wants to be a chef but can't because, well, he's a health-code violation. And they say originality is dead in Hollywood. No, this is just the latest computer-generated masterpiece from Pixar Animation Studios, and more specifically, writer/director/oh, what the heck, Living Genius Brad Bird. When Disney said no one could make a family movie about creatures as disgusting as rats (let alone one involving cooking), with a difficult to pronounce French title no less, he did it anyway. Bless him. Bird also directed the criminally unsuccessful "The Iron Giant" as well as Pixar's "The Incredibles," and with "Ratatouille," we can call him the new auteur of animation.

The film connects on many levels. For kids, it teaches an important lesson of acceptance through cute and appealing characters. For adults, it wrestles with far deeper concerns: Is the act of creating a privilege held only by a few? What is the role of food in forming our personal histories? Are mice simply misunderstood? The movie's title comes from a stewed vegetable dish, one of many deliciously well-rendered meals animated with stunning clarity and energy by the Pixar team, who studied in French culinary schools to prepare for the film. You leave hungry, wishing you had a taste of the on-screen delights. And when curmudgeon food critic Anton Ego (perfectly voiced by Peter O'Toole) has his first taste of the title dish, it's perhaps the most fulfilling moment from any movie this year. -- Frank Paiva

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