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Ratatouille is a film which appeals mainly to younger audiences. Heavily hyped, the film attempts to engage adults by presenting themes such as restaurant criticism and romance, but in my opinion, it misses the mark.

Ratatouille is about a young rat named Remy who sets out for Paris to make his fortune as a chef. He is inspired by the writing of Auguste Gusteau, author of Anyone Can Cook. He finds his way to Gusteau's restaurant, where he meets Alfredo Linguine, the restaurant's garbage boy. Linguine has had an accident with the soup, which he tried to fix by randomly adding anything he can find to what remained. Remy saves his job by repairing the soup, but he puts Linguine in an awkward position. Now, everyone thinks he can cook, and he can't.

Linguine strikes a deal with Remy. The rat agrees to show him how to cook. Remy engineers a method of controlling Linguine by hiding under his chef's cap and pulling on his hair. Together, they succeed in reproducing the accidental success with the soup. The restaurant enjoys a temporary and momentary resurge in its success due to Remy's inspirations. Anton Ego, who had caused the death of Gusteau and reduced the restaurant to a mere three stars with his scathing review, apparently likes the fact that his food was cooked by a rat and gives the restaurant a break from his vicious attacks.

I found Ratatouille a little hard to take. There was something repulsive about seeing a rat in a kitchen. I realize that this essential irony is in part responsible for the success of the film, but the disgust factor pushed me past my limit. This was especially true when I saw the entire colony of rats cooking in the kitchen. I was particularly disturbed by the fact that Ego, the restaurant critic, wasn't at all put off when he discovered the truth. It was only after a swarm of rats prepared food for hundreds of people that the restaurant was shut down by the health department. There is an attitude in the film which says, "Of course these rats are not a threat to the health of human beings. Those silly people at the health department are just opposed to progress, I suppose."

Ratatouille shows a great deal of polish. Pixar did an amazing job with the animation and effects. The acting is superlative. Yet, I think Ratatouille takes the concept of "Anyone Can Cook" a little too far. My kids love it, but it concerns me that they may be getting the wrong message from the film. Rats are generally filthy creatures which carry disease. If a child gets the idea that a rat is a friendly and safe creature who is a potential pet, then they might not take the precautions which are necessary to protect themselves from vermin.

I think the issues in this film are just as serious as those of violence and adult themes. Children can be affected by what they see. So if you watch this film with your kids, be sure to discuss it with them afterwards. Let them know that it's just a fantasy film, and that real rats are not safe to handle or touch.

Overall, I would say this is a fine film to watch with your children as long as the proper precautions are taken.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Claerr.
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