23. RATATOUILLE. (2007)
Directed by Brad Bird
The highest animated film on this list; RATATOUILLE is also the best Pixar film to date. They’re yet to make a bad film, or, in fact, a film that is less than great, so it’s hard to apply anything more than the most subjective of opinions to their films. So, here’s mine...
Why RATATOUILLE is number one for me, is simple. It’s the Pixar film with the biggest dependency on character. Their success is down to the fact that their scripts are so strong, and this is the best script they’ve written, funny, fantastic and astoundingly moving.
The film focuses on Remy, a rat with a hankering for the finer things in life. He doesn’t want to eat garbage, like the rest of the rats in his family; he wants to eat great, proper food. On being separated from his family, his hankering for fine cuisine leads him to a restaurant, enchanted by the food they make. At the same time, the restaurant is going through some changes; the late Anton Gusteau’s (Remy’s culinary hero) legacy is being threatened.
Remy is discovered in the kitchen by Linguini, the restaurant’s young lackey. After he accidentally ruins the chef’s soup, Remy saves the day, and a new partnership is formed, while Linguini’s career blossoms. The journey the pair make together is transfixing and charming, and the end carries an enormous emotional impact.
The vocal work from the cast is outstanding, with Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett and Peter O’Toole giving sterling support to stand-up comic Patton Oswalt as Remy. As always, Pixar have eschewed the practice of getting star names, focusing on finding voices that just fit the characters they’re portraying.
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