Ratatouille (2007)
★★★½ — Ratatouille (2007)
There is a particular kind of ambition in setting an animated family film inside the professional kitchens of Paris and asking your audience to care, genuinely care, about a rat who wants to cook. That is the premise Pixar committed to with Ratatouille in 2007, and the fact that it works as well as it does says something about the studio's confidence at that particular moment in its history. The film arrived during what many consider Pixar's richest period, slotting in between Cars and WALL-E, and it carried with it a certain prestige: a love letter to French cuisine, to the idea that creativity cannot be contained by circumstance, and to anyone who has ever wanted something badly that the world told them they had no business wanting. The premise is pleasingly absurd on paper, a rat named Remy forms an unlikely partnership with a clumsy kitchen worker called Linguini, using him as a literal puppet to cook in one of Paris's most celebrated restaurants, all while dodging the suspicions of the scheming head chef Skinner and the terrifying critical eye of food writer Anton Ego. It is the sort of concept that requires real conviction to pull off, and Pixar had that conviction in abundance.
The film was written and directed by Brad Bird, who had already demonstrated with The Incredibles that he had a talent for films that operate on multiple levels at once, offering something genuinely engaging for adults while never losing the thread for younger viewers. Ratatouille is, if anything, even more specific in its obsessions than that earlier film, rooted in the culture and aesthetics of Parisian fine dining in a way that feels researched and respectful rather than postcard-shallow. The production design is rich with detail, the kitchens feel genuinely pressurised, and the city itself is rendered with the kind of affectionate attention that makes it feel like a character in its own right. For those interested in Bird's wider work, his later return to the superhero world is covered in the Incredibles 2 review on this site.
The voice cast is led by Patton Oswalt as Remy, a choice that proved quietly inspired. Oswalt brings a warmth and an intellectual restlessness to the role that keeps the character sympathetic without tipping into saccharine. Lou Romano voices the hapless Linguini with a nicely calibrated mixture of panic and earnestness, while Ian Holm gives the villainous Skinner a petty, paranoid energy that is enormously enjoyable to spend time with. Brian Dennehy and Peter Sohn round out a supporting cast that gives the rat colony and the restaurant world alike a sense of real, lived-in texture. The film runs at 111 minutes, which is on the longer side for an animated family feature, but the pacing rarely drags. It is the kind of film that earns its runtime. For further context on what animated films from this era and beyond can achieve, the reviews of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Josep on this site offer some useful points of comparison.
A film so delicious you can almost smell the garlic and thyme. Pixar at their most imaginative. Turning a rat with a dream into one of the most unexpectedly moving stories in animation history. It’s clever, beautifully animated, and packed with humor that works for both kids and adults. The Parisian setting is lush, the food looks unreal (in the best way), and the bond between Remy and Linguini is oddly sweet. Plus, Anton Ego’s review scene ine of the greatest moments in any Pixar film, quiet, powerful and emotional. Sure, the plot follows a familiar underdog arc, and some of the slapstick stretches believability (even for a talking rat chef). But when a movie makes you care this much about cooking, it’s doing something right. Not quite a 5-star masterpiece… but close enough to taste greatness.
That line about tasting greatness has been rattling around in my head since I watched this one back, and I think it gets at something true. There are films you admire from a polite distance and films that get their hooks into you before you have even noticed, and Ratatouille is firmly in the second camp. The Anton Ego scene in particular stays with you in a way that is hard to explain without sounding slightly daft when you remember you are talking about a Pixar film featuring a rat. But then, that is the whole point. The best of these films do not ask for any less emotional investment than the best live-action work, and this one earns every bit of it. Not perfect, no. But a warm, generous, beautifully made piece of cinema that reminds you why this studio, at its best, is genuinely hard to match. Sometimes nearly enough really is enough.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2007 | Watched: 2025-07-21
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Ratatouille (2007) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus · Hulu
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Brad Bird: Incredibles 2 (2018) · The Incredibles (2004)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
