Ratatouille

"I'm a rat, which makes life hard." That's an understatement. Remy (voiced by comic Patton Oswalt) is a budding gourmand who leaves the Dumpster diving to his less picky rodent family and whips up gastronomical delights in the kitchen of a revered Parisian restaurant -- hidden under the cap of a bumbling kitchen boy (Lou Romano). The dynamic animated film from writer/director Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant" and "The Incredibles") and Pixar Studios may not sound like a recipe for success, but it is a treat filled with delights for audiences young and old. Bird adds his own personality to a script that takes unexpected turns and finds its happy ending in personal satisfaction, not public triumph, while creating a visual delight. In this animated Paris of old-world character and new-world color, Remy cooks up a storm by steering his human partner-in-cuisine like a life-sized marionette, in a comic dance full of grace and joy behind elastic slapstick and kinetic physical humor. Peter O'Toole, in his most arrogant and withering tones, marches into the film like death himself as imperious and jaded food critic Anton Ego and reminds us that we can all still have our souls touched. At almost two hours, "Ratatouille" is long for an animated feature and may be too complex for very young children, but lively direction will keep them entertained while the surprisingly sophisticated story reaches the child in the rest of us. Like the French peasant stew for which it is named, "Ratatouille" isn't a fancy dish, but it's hearty and tasty, created from fresh ingredients and cooked up with unexpected flavors and dashes of spice, and it leaves a satisfying and inspiring warmth when it's done. Also features the voices of Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Brad Garrett and Janeane Garofalo.

The 14-minute featurette "Fine Food and Film: A Conversation With Brad Bird and Thomas Keller" compares and contrasts the inspirations and philosophies of the director and acclaimed chef. The three deleted scenes were removed before they were animated and are presented in the sketchy form of an animated storyboard and accompanied by interview segments with the director explaining his reasons for cutting the sequence. Both are family friendly without speaking down to kids. Also features the very funny animated short "Lifted," an Oscar nominated alien abduction spoof that originally played in theaters in front of the film, and the new featurette "Your Friend the Rat," a lively little animated short about the rodent kingdom, hosted by Remy and his brother Emile. Also available in Blu-ray format.