For what seems like months, I have been waiting for the much anticipated Ratatouille. My son, in between claims that rock stardom beckons, he has consistently held the slightly unusual childhood career goal of being a chef. He often helps me make dinner and this summer he made his very own apple pie from scratch (He even picked the apples!) so you never know - he might be the Marco Pierre White in a few years time! Because of this burning passion of his, he was understandably keen to see Ratatouille as well. After all, if a rat can do it surely it shouldn't be to difficult for a three year old…

The restaurant, now run by the scheming Skinner hires a new hapless skivvy called Linguini who, although he fancies himself as a Chef, is in fact a nightmare in the kitchen. However, with Remy's help, could Linguini be destined for greatness? Does he hold a secret that could save Gusteau's from the clutches of the nasty Skinner? Will they impress the notoriously difficult food critic Anton Ego? Will Remy ever see his family again and will he ever get the recognition he craves for creating culinary masterpieces?

Bird has trained as an animator since the age of 14 including a stint working for animation legends Disney. He has directed a number of well-known animated features, most notably, The Incredibles, which won him an Oscar as did Gerri's Game, which he not only directed but also wrote. He has also earned critical acclaim from his directing and writing work on the award-winning TV show, The Simpsons.

Remy, played by comedian Patton Oswalt is a lovable rogue of a rat with a passion and drive we all would like to have. As a lead character he was instantly likeable, even for a rat. I loved the human aspects that Remy was given, like washing his hands and walking on his hind legs.

My favourite of all the characters is the wonderful anti-hero Anton Ego the nasty food critic played brilliantly by Peter O'Toole. I could quite easily close my eyes and just listen to Peter's menacing voice and be able to conjeur up a visual image of the bitter, shriveled up little man that he has created.

Both Linguini, played by Lou Romano and his love interest Collette voiced by Janeane Garotalo were also great however, they perhaps didn't stand out quite as much simply because their characters were not as strong as the others - they were quire normal in comparison and people don't go to the cinema for just normal!

Pixar took great care to give this film an ambiance. There was n almost instant feel of being a part of the Paris nights. The set, much like Paris was almost ageless. At times this modern day film appeared to slip back into the 40's or 50's adding a magical edge to it reminiscent of one of the old black and white films.

I was particularly taken by the details, particularly how every time Anton Ego entered a room, the lights dimmed around him casting angry shadows across an already terrifying face as if his very presence may suck the life right out of you.

What about the music?
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I imagine, musical director Michael Giacchino must have had a field day with this soundtrack. With Ratatouille, he had an opportunity to inject some humour and spice into the music, something I doubt he had much freedom to do creating the music for TV hits Lost and Alias.
All the music is quite dramatic to match the mood of some of the characters in the film and much of it is very tongue in cheek. Take for example the over the top cheesy French National Anthem with which the film opens.
The musical score almost tells a story on its own concluding in the most awe-inspiring crescendo of instrumental splendor at the end.

I bet you didn't know…
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-Director Brad Bird was the voice of Edna E Mode in The Invisibles