Pixar redeems themselves: Ratatouille cooks.

Leave it to Brad Bird to save Pixar's reputation after Cars. Ratatouille is going to own. Big time. Bird seems to be the first person to really get the knack of doing cartoony CGI human characters that don't look like crap. And Our Rodentine Hero...c'est magnifique!

I don't like the "deus ex machina" aspect of the deceased chef, Auguste Gusteau, becoming Remy's guardian spirit. Too neat. Too tidy. Oh well, it's a big part of the movie. At least he's not made of stone and fairly crying out to be thrown into a concrete recycling machine like the wacky sidekick gargoyles in the last movie where Disney went a la Francaise.

Brad Bird did sentimental without being sappy in Iron Giant. The Incredibles was action, action, action 98% of the time, with only a little sentimentality. This one you might want to bring your kleenex for, because you needed it with IG.

Interesting that the one animated movie that didn't blow goats last year featured a mouse or rat or whatever he was. Also this IS just a clip. This might be the entirety of what's good in the movie, and I run the risk of having to eat crow (in sauce Bearnaise, mais bien sur!) if this turns out to be crap.

Nine minutes of Ratatouille can be found at http://home.disney.go.com/index for a "limited time." Have at it. Yomigaeru iyaaan RAAAT!