The animated short that preceded the movie, as is traditional with Pixar films, is also a gem; dubbed Lifted, it is the fanciful depiction of an alien undergoing a road-test style abduction examination. Pure physical comedy, it evoked sidesplitting laughter from the whole audience, setting the stage for a fun-filled two hours to come.

The feature story revolves around Remy the rat (voiced by Patton Oswald), who has developed a taste for food that’s sophisticated for a human, much less a rodent expected to scavenge in the trash barrels and waste piles. He finds himself in Paris, of all places, and at the restaurant of the late world-class chef Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), and it is there that his path intersects with that of Linguini (Lou Romano), an awkward young man and the garbage boy at Gusteau’s. The pair team up to form one of the greatest chefs of all time, however improbable that may be.

In true Pixar fashion, the movie took an inane, whimsical plotline and built upon it to create a rather convincing tale. Certainly, it wasn’t particularly hard to guess what was going to happen next at most points in the film; the story relied upon creativity, wit, and attention to detail to make it compelling. In those three categories, Ratatouille receives top marks.

The basic storyline is, of course, original. The writers took that solid foundation, however, and designed wildly contrasting characters that played off each other’s weaknesses (and the actors’ strengths). Remy’s brother, Emile (Peter Sohn), was a lovable, loyal, and extremely well-fed companion who always questioned, but never failed to follow, the protagonist in his exploits: “It’s like you’re involving me in crime, and I let you. Why do I let you?” Or, the sous chef, Hoarst (Will Arnett), in a montage of his exploits: “I defrauded a major corporation ... I killed a man with this thumb.”

The film will appeal to both the young and old; the animals are cute, the characters are comical, and the storyline is well-written. The more mature members of the audience, however, will appreciate the subtle wit woven throughout. Sly references to French culture and humorous commentary on the commercialization of artistry are among the many things the adult eye will pick up on throughout the movie.

The feature that truly makes this masterpiece, however, isn’t the cast (which is amazing) or the script (which is superb), but the animation. Anybody who has ever seen a cartoon involving hair or water should recall it being static and simplistic. Ratatouille has both, and makes them seem astonishingly realistic and dynamic. And then there’s the food—oh, the food. Every dish that made it to the screen was first actually cooked and prepared; and then reproduced in exacting detail on-screen, resulting in a mouth-watering experience for the viewers.