Ratatouille

Critics smell the coffee and Michelin chefs eat humble pie in this latest Disney-Pixar venture where a rat shows that, given a chance, 8220;Anyone Can Cook8221;.

It8217;s an interesting idea to put perhaps the one animal universally banished from kitchens at the centre of it. Remy is a rat who loves good food and, more importantly, wants to try cooking it. But, in a world where Remy8217;s other compatriots scrounge for food in garbage dumps and stay away from human contact for fear of death, getting his paws anywhere near a cooking device is a near impossibility.

That opportunity comes to Remy when he somehow finds himself in a restaurant he has always dreamt about and befriends newly hired garbage boy Linguini, who wants to eventually do more than take out rubbish. With Remy hiding in his chef hat and controlling him through yanks at his hair, together the two make a team that has the restaurant patrons licking their fingers.

Brad Bird and Pixar 8212; also behind Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, A Bug8217;s Life, Monster8217;s Inc 8212; put in quite a bit of research creating a world of high cuisine. Apparently, even the way different types of food rot was extensively studied. The effort shows, and the animation, script and characters are quite excellent.

But the filmmakers make no bones about the fact that, once the secret is out, no one is going to come rushing out and hug the little pests. Neat, white Stuart Little may be fine as even a family member but trusting a greyish blue sewer rat with your pots and pans would be hard to swallow for anyone.

The film8217;s message is simple: it8217;s easy to criticise and be judgmental, more difficult to actually create something. There are two great lines from a food critic, named Anton Ego, looking like a ghost that ever walked and working from a room shaped like a coffin, who writes 8220;killer8221; reviews. As the garbage boy succinctly tells him: 8220;For someone who likes food, you are too thin.8221;

Having just had a dish of ratatouille a kind of stew prepared by Remy, Ego admits: 8220;Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.8221;

But it8217;s his other remark that gives you pause: 8220;In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. But the bitter truth is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.8221;

So, maybe not every piece of junk, but enjoy your food.