Before I saw The Incredibles all I knew about Brad Bird was that he was a character designer and animator for The Simpsons and he made the very underrated The Iron Giant. After I saw what he could do with CGI animation I became a Brad Bird believer. You can guess that I was excited to see Ratatouille. Bird is a writer/director that doesn't dumb down animation. For some reason it's believed that animation is for kids only. Television has proved that there is an audience in the key 18-49 demographic for animation. Brad Bird makes movies that can be viewed by anyone, and Ratatouille is no exception.

Ratatouille is the story of a rat named Remy who lives with his father and brother and their colony. Remy enjoys good food while his family enjoys eating trash. He wishes one day that he could leave the gutters and go out in the world to cook and create different flavors. After a near-death incident he is separated from his family. While he is alone he conjures up in his imagination the spirit of Chef Gusteau, his idol. Gusteau basically acts as Remy's conscience for the duration of the movie. When Remy discovers he actually lives in Paris he accidentally gets trapped in Gusteau's former restaurant. Linguini is our human protagonist and was just hired as a trash boy for the kitchen. When Remy creates a brilliant soup it is Linguini who gets credit for it and now the two team up to become the best thing to hit Paris. The film is full of colorful characters that are not empty or dull. Every character is developed and completes some journey in this film, which you don't usually see. Usually only your hero goes through the journey, but we come to terms with every fantastic character in the film.

The great thing about Ratatouille is that Brad Bird does not dumb the story down just because it's animation. He plays everything for real even though his main character is a talking rat. You see other movies like Meet The Robinsons which have clichéd characters and humor dumbed down for kids because it's much easier that way. What Brad Bird does is he crafts a story that is simple enough for children to follow and enjoy but he delevopes it in a mature way that an older audience can watch and relate to. During my screening I heard countless of kids asking their parents "what is going on"? So, there are things here that may fly over a child's head. Things like flashbacks to the childhood of an evil food critic that awakens the life inside of him, blossoming love between two co-workers, or Gusteau's replacement hiding from Linguini that he is the biological heir to the restaurant. The way I saw it is that Remy's story was for the kids. He is a rat who wants to cook and has to overcome society's view of him in order to make it. Linguini's story is for the older audiences as it deals with more real life things kids can't relate to yet. Overall this is a brilliant animated film that makes me love Brad Bird as a filmmaker even more.

Another aspect that has to be admired is that the animators have done a wonderful job creating a believable environment. Character design is one thing in animation, but it's the stuff that you don't notice that is the most important. The design of the interiors, the walls, the doors, the floor tiles, the clothing on the characters, the streets, the way the light falls and everything else. I was just amazed at how much detail went into this film. I tried to imagine this as a small budget romantic comedy and felt like the sets were real. The majority of the film takes place in the one restaurant, but the restaurant feels like a world in itself. The film was just simply amazing to watch.

One thing that I still remember about The Incredibles is Michael Giacchino's incredible (no pun intended) score. Giacchino has come a long way from scoring video games and thanks to his work on the show Lost he is finally getting some recognition. The role Giacchino's score plays in this movie is indescribable, and it should be since its music and music needs to be heard. It completes the atmosphere that Brad Bird has created. It gives it that French flare that makes you believe you are in France. The score is quiet at times but will kick it up in a jazzy way from time to time. Giacchino composed a song with singer Camille that plays halfway through the film and during the end. It is a perfect incorporation of the themes and gives the film that perfect flavor. I don't speak French so I don't know the vocals, but it's a beautiful piece.

We also get some great voice acting. Patton Oswalt was a delight as Remy. Ian Holm played the evil cook, Skinner and you would never know it was him hiding his British accent with a French one. Brad Garret plays the spirit of Chef Gusteau while Janeane Garofalo plays the voice of Linguini's love interest. Linguini himself is played by voice actor Lou Romano. Rounding out the great cast is Peter O' Toole as Anton Ego the evil food critic.

The film was a delight. It was beautiful and heartwarming featuring a brilliant story about finding one's self, but most importantly it was original. It wasn't like the rehashed crud you usually find in theaters, and I'm speaking on behalf of both animation and live-action. Brad Bird is a grand talent in the world of animation.