When we got home from the show last night, Jason and I decided to finish watching Ratatouile, which we'd started the night before. The stories of fictional, illustrated rodents have become a classic and lucrative Disney prototype for decades (see Mickey Mouse, The Rescuers, Who Framed Roger Rabbit*).
But honestly. How can you not love this movie!? It's beautifully animated, it communicates the sparkle-pop experiences of both eating and cooking in an accessible and entirely un-patronizing way, and simultaneously conveys the lesson that children (indeed adults) need to be who they are as opposed to who their parents want them to be in a neat-as-a-pin subplot—all without a touch of cheeziness. Perhaps it's the Parisian setting, but I found this film to be pretty sophisticated kiddie fare.
And I especially enjoyed watching the special feature on the DVD in which Chef Thomas Keller, who consulted on the film, was interviewed about his passion for food and prepared the same dish as the main character Remy—ratatouile. If you've put off queuing this flick for any reason, wait no longer. It's a rat race out there! Wah wah wah.
* Yes, yes, technically rabbits are not rodents...They are lagomorphs. But there were plenty of rodents in Who Framed...
