Ratatouille

The Plot: A young rat living within the walls of a famous Paris bistro wishes to become a chef, but is hindered by his family's skepticism and the rat-despising staff and patrons.

The Pros: Pixar is back at the top of their game with this film. The writing is superb, the humor is warm and genuinely funny, and the characters are fleshed out. As if that weren't enough, the animation is the best it has ever been. Ratatouille is also just as rewarding for kids as it is for adults.

The Cons: The French accents were disappointingly inauthentic; for the first hour or so it was very bothersome. Secondly and finally, the one thing this film really lacks is Pixar's oh-so-famous supporting characters. I was bewildered to find that there weren't nearly as many memorable or personable supporting characters as there were in, say, Monsters Inc..

The Bottom Line: Ratatouille marks Pixar's glorious return to the very top of their field. After the slightly disappointing Cars and the action-rather-than-story oriented Incredibles, this film arrives as a fresh and delightful reminder of the genius of the Pixar animation studio. I can even comfortably say, furthermore, that Ratatouille is as good a film as the stuido's acclaimed classic, Toy Story. Through a few minor faults and slight mistakes, Ratatouille shines as one of Pixar's greatest achievements. You owe it to yourself to see this movie.

The Score: 9.5 / 10