Ratatouille

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Brad Bird and Pixar recapture the charm and winning imagination of classic Disney animation.

Variety Justin Chang

Ratatouille is delicious. In this satisfying, souffle-light tale of a plucky French rodent with a passion for cooking, the master chefs at Pixar have blended all the right ingredients -- abundant verbal and visual wit, genius slapstick timing, a soupcon of Gallic sophistication -- to produce a warm and irresistible concoction that's sure to appeal to everyone's inner Julia Child.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

Bird clearly knows the great silent clowns: The slapstick he devises is balletic.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Its sense of humor is more sly, more sophisticated and more interesting than most PG-13 or R-rated comedies at the moment. The film may be animated, and largely taken up with rats, but its pulse is gratifyingly human.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

A nearly flawless piece of popular art, as well as one of the most persuasive portraits of an artist ever committed to film. It provides the kind of deep, transporting pleasure, at once simple and sophisticated, that movies at their best have always promised.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The characters are irresistible -- why would anyone want to resist a hero who so gallantly transcends his rattiness? -- the animation is astonishing and the film, a fantasy version of a foodie rhapsody, sustains a level of joyous invention that hasn't been seen in family entertainment since "The Incredibles."

New York Post Lou Lumenick

If there is a genius working in Hollywood today, it's animation director Brad Bird, who tops the delightful "The Incredibles" with arguably the finest 'toon in the Pixar canon, Ratatouille.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Ratatouille is a sublime dish of a movie, and the company's piece de resistance.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Ratatouille is as audacious as they come. It takes risks and goes places other films wouldn't dare, and it ends up putting rival imaginations in the shade.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The most difficult task in Pixar's 20-year history: to make an un-Mickey-like rodent appealing enough to admire.

Chicago Reader Staff (not credited)

Superbly rendered CGI animation.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

A gorgeous, wonderfully inventive computer-animated comedy.

Premiere Glenn Kenny

The slapstick-comic set pieces involving Remy and Linguini's cooking struggles might solicit the admiration of Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Bird is one of the great modern animators -- as well as an astonishingly gifted filmmaker, period -- precisely because he doesn't set out to wow us.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

Ratatouille is a classic.

Newsweek David Ansen

A film as rich as a sauce béarnaise, as refreshing as a raspberry sorbet.

Time Richard Corliss

The subtle colors and textures of the food alone make Ratatouille a three-star Michelin evening.

The New Yorker David Denby

In Ratatouille, the level of moment-by-moment craftsmanship is a wonder.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

This is clearly one of the best of the year's films. Every time an animated film is successful, you have to read all over again about how animation isn't "just for children" but "for the whole family," and "even for adults going on their own." No kidding!

Empire Ian Nathan

That feeling you have as you leave the cinema - that buzzing in the fingers and lightness in the heart - is called joy.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Long for an animated feature and too demanding for very young children, but it's also filled with delights.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

Bird and his co-writers leave room for quiet moments and gentle morals, but for the most part, they send visual gags and verbal punchlines tearing past at an enjoyably demanding speed, whipping up the film's energy at every turn.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Hilarious. And more proof that Pixar is in a class of its own.

Village Voice Scott Foundas

Ratatouille is as much a feast for the senses as it is food for thought.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Observed mostly from Remy's rat's-eye view, Gusteau's kitchen is a memorable world-in-miniature with its vivid old-fashioned stoves, bright, brassy pots and general air of frenzied industry; never did sliced red onions or simmering soup look so fresh and real.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Pixar's animation is simply flawless; colorful, deeply realized, and ably conveying both the chaos of the kitchen, and the sensual allure of food well prepared.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

What makes Ratatouille such a hilarious and heartfelt wonder is the way Bird contrives to let it sneak up on you.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

All the voice work here is excellent, especially Oswalt's. He sounds like Paul Giamatti but with a greater capacity for confidence.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Remy, the little rat who stars in the big, beautiful, funny Ratatouille, isn't gross at all. In fact, he's adorable.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Like the best French cuisine, Ratatouille is ambitious and delightful.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

A French rat as a master chef? Absurd. But a brilliant French chef with an American accent? C'est grotesque!

TV Guide Ken Fox

A clever, ingeniously animated film filled with many shining moments.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

As was also true of Pixar's last movie, "Cars," Ratatouille is better at pleasing the eye than the other senses.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

Stunningly animated, cleverly scripted, and genuinely humorous.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Has the sort of richness and dimension that are the hallmarks of master storytellers at work.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Ratatouille is a blithe concoction, as well as a miraculously textured piece of animated design.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

For parents looking to spend time in a theater with their kids or adults who want something lighter and less testosterone-oriented than the usual summer fare, Ratatouille offers a savory main course.