Ratatouille

No one makes animated films better than Pixar. They just don't make bad moives, and their newest is actually one of their best. Ratatouille is about a creature caught between two worlds. Remy is a rat, eating trash all day long. But he has a dream, to be a gourmet chef like the great Gousteau. One day a crazed old lady tries to kill all the rats with gas and a shotgun (I tried to find a picture but couldn't, so you'll have to see it for yourself). So Remy runs away, and loses his family in the process. But, as luck would have it, he ends up in Paris, right next to his hero's (Gusteau's) restaurant. Thus, Remy wants to try his hand in the kitchen, so he sneaks in and makes a great soup. Linguine, the trash boy, gets the credit. Eventually, Linguine realizes Remy made the soup and they become the most unlikely pair of chefs in Paris.
As I said before, Ratatouille is about a creature caught between two worlds. He is a rat, so he is supposed to act a certain way/eat a certain way/live a certain way. Yet, he has always had this yearning that usually only appears in humans. He wants to be different, he feels called to a world in which he cannot belong. He is out of place either way. He is having an identity crisis. But Remy does not give up on what he believes is his true calling in life. He will not settle for what those around him tell him to do. In a strange way, it reminded me of when the old testament prophets feel like their tongues are on fire and there is no way to keep it in. We must follow our calling too. Yet, sometimes we are deceived into thinking something is our calling but it is not (see Lady in the Water). We must have discernment and wisdom in finding our calling.
Another theme that my wife pointed out was the clashing of artist and critic. Remy is an artist, and his nemesis is a famous Parisian food critic. Yet in the end, they coexist. They appreciate each other. The critic truly appreciates Remy's greatness in the kitchen, and Remy appreciates the critic's eye for greatness. They seem to need each other to fully realize their potential. And not only do the artist and critic coexist in harmony, but Remy's two worlds end up at peace too. Which, if nothing else, reminds us that shalom is possible, even between the two most opposite worlds imaginable.
Brad Bird (The Incredibles) delivers a marvelous story in the beautiful world of Pixar's computer animation. The film, like it's predecessors, caters more to adults than kids. It even seems to more than the others. This may be Pixar's most adult film yet. And oh yeah, there are many great laughs along the way. The magic is still alive at Pixar.