Ratatouille (2007): A-

Director(s): Brad Bird. Screenplay: Brad Bird. Cast: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo and Will Arnett. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures. Runtime: 110 min. Rating: G. Year: 2007.

Given that most of this year's animated films have mostly been pure deceptions, one could easily say that Ratatouille is nothing short of a miracle. It's more fun than any movie about a rat discovering his true obsessions—then almost being killed—has the right to be. An affectionate, blithe and gleeful concoction that marks Pixar's return to form, Ratatouille finds director Brad Bird—whose Incredibles is one the finest animated film I have ever seen—keenly at it again, now picking up the story of Remy (Patton Oswalt), a rat gifted with senses able to cook and read. Clearly, he's infatuated with the art of cooking—an aspect that, unfortunately, sees him perpetually out of place with his family: while he wants to cook, all they care about is survival. As Remy's senses grandly start to flourish, one now finds him ardently idolizing chef Gusteau (Brad Garrett), even enough to sneak into a rural human home to watch the chef’s food show. From its title sequence on, Ratatouille gradually escalates in not only fun, but brilliance, as Remy now—after being separated from his family—finds himself in the hands of Lunguini (Lou Romano), a slim, partly slow garbage-boy, who has, luckily, found himself a job at Gusteau's restaurant. At his first day's job, Lunguini finds himself "accidentally" ruining a soup. Led by Gusteau, whose ghost claims himself to be a figment of his imagination, Remy is able to fix the soup before it goes out the the customer. Some random food critic gets it (and loves it), and from there, the conundrum starts: after the evil, head chef (Ian Holm) orders Lunguini to kill Remy—who was found in the kitchen—Lunguini, with the threat that he will not be able to live up to the mean chef's standards and knowing that Remy is his only chance of survival in the kitchen, opts not to, now letting Remy live with him.

Remy now controls—by grabbing onto the slim garbage-boy's hair—Linguini like a marionette, and from there, plot is induced. Narratively speaking, Ratatouille, is, first and foremost, a prime example in which objectives of characters are masterfully used. Its invigoration proves, undoubtedly, Bird's ability to pick up whatever narrative he chooses and bend it to a work of art. As odd as it may seem, Ratatouille is also a brilliantly sophisticated metaphor: from Gusteau's phrase "Anyone can cook" to Remy's raison d'etre, the film juxtaposes the fact that anyone—even a rodent—can do anything to change the course of history. The fact that Remy's naïveté leads him to believe that humans are forgivable creatures is also figuratively used to aid Ratatouille as a whole.

Pixar's animation is, as usual, flawless: from Remy's humorously big, yet cute eyes to the beautifully framed mise-en-scene of Paris, Ratatouille is, for all intents and purposes, delectable. Indeed, as unfortunate as it may seem, the film does not top The Incredibles, but nevertheless, this droll paean to life is a marvel—definitely one of those films nearly flawless in creation, and profoundly received in the heart.