Media meal: Ratatouille makes me like rodents -- sort of

I saw Ratatouille during the weekend and I was so impressed. I love animated flicks to begin with, but this was a great film overall. I thought there was a little bit of violence that may not have been appropriate for children, but I enjoyed it.

The Disney film is about a rat named Remy who enjoys the finer things in life, a trait not appreciated by his rat pack family. After being separated from his clan, he travels to Paris and begins having apparitions from a chef whose motto is "Anyone can cook." Through a turn of events, Remy transforms a kid who cannot cook into the head chef at this place.

The animation was fabulous, even though Pixar enjoyed putting together chase scenes far more than was necessary. There was decent character development for a cartoon, even though only the cooks in this French restaurant had accents, oddly enough.

Even better, the film nailed the food element perfectly. Anthony Bourdain consulted on the food aspect and was quoted as saying this was the best movie ever made about food. After reading his book, Kitchen Confidential, I see many elements of his perspective on the industry, such as how women in the kitchen must fight to be there and how everyone in the kitchen is a social outcast who couldn't fit in elsewhere. I also appreciate the emphasis they placed on working clean and the valid food and cooking tips offered in the movie, such as distinguishing a good bread by the crunchy sound of the crust when slight pressure is applied.

You're not going to be a chef when this movie is over with. But you will be entertained for a few hours and you might learn a little something about food and professional kitchens. Most of all, it will make you smile.