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Let me start out by saying that I went in to see Ratatouille with modest expectations. While I like the good animated feature as much as anyone, I am long past the stage of being a dedicated movie cartoon fan. I knew that critics loved this movie, and were ranting and raving about how good it is. I wanted to see if my reaction would be the same as the rest of these critics. Well, all I will say is that after this movie was over I was ready to move to Paris, France and eat French bread all the time. I wanted to just be around good food. Just like Remy the Rat.

The story revolves around the adventures of a food-loving rat with a highly-developed sense of smell. Not only does Remy (voiced by Patton Oswald) have a nose for food, but he is fascinated by human beings. He learns about the famous Chef Gusteau (Brad Garrett), whose famous catch-phrase was “Anyone can Cook.” Anyone, including rats? Possibly, but Remy is stuck living a rat’s existence with the rest of his family. Instead of using his nose to make good food, he’s stuck sniffing out rat poison! But one day fate intervenes and our hero finds himself hurling down the sewer pipes to Paris, France— right to Gusteau’s restaurant, which unfortunately has fallen on hard times.

Once there, Remy realizes he has an opportunity to achieve his dream of becoming a chef in Paris. He strikes up a partnership with Linguini (Lou Romano), the Gusteau restaurant garbage boy who wants to be a chef in spite of being utterly useless at cooking. Together Linguini and Remy team up to create great dishes at the Gusteau restaurant as they together try and achieve their dreams. Meanwhile they deal with distractions like Linguini’s girlfriend Colette (Janeane Garofalo) and more sinister obstacles like restaurant manager Skinner (Ian Holm), who is trying to exploit Gusteau’s image to sell frozen packaged food. To top it off, Remy has the distinct problem of being a rat in a distinctly unwelcome environment.

If it sounds like there is a lot going on with this movie, there is. This is no simple plot outline here and no really obvious heroes or villains, though some who come close. The characters in this movie are unusually multilayered for cartoon characters, and this is what gives this movie its charm. Every character is memorable, including the rats. There’s an appearance by the imposing restaurant critic Anton Ego (voiced by Peter O’Toole) that is highly memorable. Above all else, we have a very passionate rat who cares deeply about cooking and who, might I add, has a touch of an ego himself. Remy definitely wants his due as a great cook, his moment in the spotlight— but how can he do that by pulling Linguini’s strings all the time? Good question.

This is another success for Disney/Pixar and for Brad Bird, who directed Cars and also The Incredibles. In a way, this movie is a bit of a departure for Bird. Sure, these previous movies were released under the Disney banner, but they seemed inspired more by Saturday morning cartoons than anything else. The Incredibles rings somewhat familiar to fans who watched The Impossibles and other superhero shows on Saturday mornings. Cars was definitely inspired by Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, and to a lesser extent Speed Buggy, two series with talking cars in them.

Hanna and Barbera may have secretly inspired Bird’s previous efforts whether he wants to admit it or not. You clearly get the feeling, though, that Ratatouille is a Disney movie all the way. This movie is similar in look and style to 101 Dalmatians and especially Lady and the Tramp. It’s got the European setting and the restaurant, and characters that look like they could well have hung out alongside Cruella De Vil or these other folks. Skinner and Anton Ego could have shown up in any number of these Disney movies and would have fit right in. I came away from watching this movie recalling the times I had gone to the theater to see these cartoon features from long ago. Walt Disney would have been proud.

Of course, the main difference is that the animation here is all CGI, and sure it was all very impressive as usual. But here’s something to ponder. They could have ditched the 3D computer graphics and gone with a straight 2D animated cartoon like the old days, and this movie would still have been a classic. That says a lot.

This movie does share at least one similarity to previous Pixar pictures. Like Cars, Ratatouille latches onto a fad and doesn’t let go. This movie jumps on the cooking bandwagon at a moment in time when there is a lot of interest in these personalities involved in culinary activities. Ratatouille is the perfect movie for you Food Network fans. You folks who watch Rachael Ray, and Hell’s Kitchen, and all these other cooking shows on TV— this movie is for you. Ratatouille is to food freaks what Cars was for those of us NASCAR fans last year.

There are only two criticisms I have heard about Ratatouille. One concern is whether kids would appreciate this movie. After all, this film seemed a little bit— dare I say it— too intelligent? I think this is a silly criticism. Animators ought to be encouraged to reach for a broad audience and do movies that are multilayered and have a story to them. Kids will follow along just fine to a movie like this one.

The other observation I have heard from people is that Ratatouille isn’t exactly a movie that lends itself easily for merchandising. Heck, these other CGI movies are easy to market; you can sell all these Shrek toys and so on. Who wants to buy a freaking plush toy rat?! What kid wants that?

The way I see it, I think Hollywood really ought to be more concerned about making good movies, and less concerned about making a buck through moving product in stores. Good for Disney and Pixar, then, for making an unconventional feature about a food-loving rat that isn’t just another cookie-cutter Hollywood movie.

Pardon the kitchen references, I still have food on the brain.