"Two for the rat movie please ..."

... said the middle-aged guy to the teenager behind the ticket counter at the quaint (read: old, dilapidated) movie theater in Logan Square. Yep, I finally saw the rat movie! Shame on me for waiting so long to see this animated Pixar masterpiece! Seriously, you can't officially call yourself a foodie until you've seen "Ratatouile"!

I must admit that I wasn't too enthusiastic at the premise of a rat (a disease/plague carrier) hanging out in a restaurant kitchen, let alone cooking in it! But Pixar managed to do so with flair, humor and heart (as usual). For the benefit of those who've been residing in a cave for the last few months, "Ratatouille" is an animated film about Remy, a rat who loves to cook , create and enjoy delicious food. The movie is about Remy's culinary adventures in the Parisian kitchen of a former 5-star restaurant, Gusteau. He was fatefully led there by the ghost of the deceased Gusteau to help restore the restaurant to its former glory.


Besides facing the challenge of pursuing his passion for cooking despite being a rat, Remy also encounters the dilemmas that the average rat faces such as the long-standing battle of human vs. rat, the quandary of pursuing a seemingly selfish passion vs. conforming to community wishes, etc. In addition to a charmingly-illustrated cast, a wonderful story and the unbeatable background of Paris, there's the beautiful food that I've heard so much about.

Pixar animators definitely did French cuisine justice by lovingly creating CGI dishes that look good enough to salivate over. I simply adore the way the various cheeses look so luscious and creamy; I love the vibrancy of the green asparagus and flaming tomatoes; and most of all, I was just floored by the beauty and simplicity of the movie's namesake dish, ratatouille. This movie is a definite must-watch in my book. As a matter of fact, you can count on me being in line to get the DVD of this cute film when it's released! But before then, I just might watch it one more time so I can concentrate on the food this time!