Ratatouille!

Finally! A summer movie worth seeing! After the disappointing round of third helpings (Shrek 3, Spider-Man 3, Pirates 3), I found a film that actually makes me glad I paid for the ticket. If you haven't seen Pixar's latest film, Ratatouille, then grab your loved ones (and especially your kids!) and rush to your local megaplex this weekend. Brad Bird, the genius behind The Incredibles (the best Pixar film so far!) and The Iron Giant (which was a marvelous "sleeper" animated film), knocks another one out of the park with the story about a sophisticated culinary genius who just happens to be a rat. The story is charming. The characters are delightful. The pacing of the film is perfect. It's a great mix of tender moments, rushing adventure, and laugh-out-loud humor. And the animation! Wow! The scene with our hero rushing down the storm drains under Paris was unbelievable! I fear that Ratatouille will be a bit sluggish in this summer's highly competitive box office charts, and I hope that Disney & Pixar aren't put off. In fact, I hope word-of-mouth gets around about what a great film this is, people eagerly pay their local theater to see it, and little Remy the Rat takes a proud stand against this summer's super-heroes, ogres, pirates, boy wizards, and transforming robots.