Ratatouille tells the story of wannabe-chef Remy The Rat, who becomes drawn into the mantra of legendary cook Gusteau, that anyone can cook. The deceased Gusteaus ghostly image appears to Remy, and guides him to his restaurant, whose standards have been slipping since his death. Remy, through the manipulation of a lowly restaurant worker called Linguini, soon starts secretly cooking the food, and this unusual set up proves to be a trove of treasures that Pixar carefully picks through.

Ratatouilles trick is to tie its cutting edge animation techniques to old-school essentials. At times harking back to the frenetic style youd expect of Chuck Jones, it threads an original narrative through its story, which itself is packed with memorable characters (none more so than Peter OTooles superbly-voiced restaurant critic). It perhaps runs a little too long, but its so well-written and so lavishly entertaining that its a churlish complaint to have.

For in an era of cynically-produced family movies, Ratatouille is really something special. With an appeal that spreads across generations, and a quality that puts it right up there with Pixars finest, its an outstanding piece of cinema, and one set to be enjoyed for many, many years. Unmissable. --Simon Brew

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