Ratatouille (2007).

The Scoop:
Food lovers will find a lot to like in "Ratatouille," Brad Bird's second feature for Pixar.

The film takes us inside the gourmet kitchens of Paris as Remy (Patton Oswalt), a culinarily gifted rat, helps nervous apprentice chef Linguini (Lou Romano) move up in the world of high cuisine, woo fellow chef Colette (Janeane Garofalo), please the notorious food critic Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole) and stay one step ahead of his conniving boss Skinner (Ian Holm).

The world of the busy kitchen is lovingly recreated, with plenty of attention paid to the preparation of the ingredients, culinary aesthetics and the simple joys of cooking. This is a top-notch Pixar production in other ways too, particularly in the character design, the excellent voice performances and a couple of bravura chase sequences.

Where "Ratatouille" stumbles, however, is in its predictable, cliched story. The plot doesn't offer any surprises. This may not be entirely the fault of Bird, who took over the project from original writer/director Jan Pinkava midway through. But it still amounts to possibly the weakest story in the Pixar repertoire.

That's not a reason to avoid "Ratatouille" but unless you're enamored with the world of gourmet cuisine, you might not be revisiting it very often.

Best Line:
"I defrauded a major corporation. I robbed the second largest bank in France using only a ballpoint pen. I created a hole in the ozone layer over Avignon. I killed a man -- with this thumb."

Side Note:
The shop with the dead rats in the window is an actual exterminator's shop in Paris called Destruction des Animaux Nuisibles, which has been in business since 1872.

Companion Viewing:
"The Tale of Despereaux" (2008).

Links:
IMDb.
Official site.
Fan site.
A recipe for ratatouille from Cooking for Engineers.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Anton Ego will eat you alive. But he won't swallow.

Up (2009).

The Scoop:
Pixar has been around long enough now, and it's aesthetic has become firmly established enough, that the easy approach to evaluating each new film is to compare it Pixar's earlier releases. "Up," however, changes the expectations just a bit.

When we first meet Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner) he is a child in the Great Depression watching newsreel footage of his idol, explorer Charles Muntz, sharing his discoveries in Paradise Falls, somewhere in South America. The oddball Carl soon finds his match in fellow Muntz lover Ellie (Elie Docter). A montage quickly shows their life together -- fixing up their dream house; trying to save money to visit Paradise Falls, but never quite having enough; losing a baby and living childless; and finally Ellie's death, which leaves Carl alone and bitter.

This sets the stage for the main action, in which Carl not only escapes from the greedy developers who want to take his house, but also from the prison of his later years, by using balloons to fly his house away to Paradise Falls. Accidentally hitching along for the ride is overeager Nature Explorer scout Russell (Jordan Nagai). When they finally reach South America, they find a talking dog (Bob Peterson), a legendary bird and a few secrets about Muntz himself (Christopher Plummer). And, of course, it wouldn't be a Pixar movie without some lessons about the nature of family and cherishing the adventures of life.

The technical quality of Pixar's animation continues to evolve. While the characters are highly stylized takes on familiar animated "types," and the look of the scenery and camera work is the studio's most naturalistic yet. The aerial scenes are especially breathtaking.

Although there are some significant plot holes in the script by writer/directors Peterson and Pete Docter, they shouldn't be any concern for the young viewers who are ostensibly the main audience for "Up." But with the usual mix of comedy and action that are Pixar's hallmarks, Peterson and Docter have mixed in liberal doses of pathos, too. The many small compromises that get in the way of Carl and Ellie's dreams are vividly presented, as is the narrowness of Carl's later years. It's handled with a light enough touch to pass over the heads of younger kids, the message is unmistakable for the adult viewer.

It's this mix of humor and heavy subject matter that helps easily supplant "The Incredibles" as the most "adult" of Pixar's offerings so far. And it is also what makes "Up" so difficult to compare with Pixar's earlier efforts. Perhaps it is simply heralding the maturation of Pixar's vision, as the studio's earliest kiddie audiences are now moving into adulthood.

While "Up" may not be as flat-out fun as other Pixar films, the same message of living adventurously is still there, although it is delivered with some of the bitter pills of growing up.

Best Line:
"My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you. "

Side Note:
Of course, helium-filled balloons can't really pick up a house like that. And certainly not as many as shown in the movie. It would take a factor of more than 600 times more balloons to lift that much weight.

Companion Viewing:
"The Wizard of Oz" (1939).

Links:
IMDb.
Official site.

Take a Look:
The trailer:

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009).

The Scoop:
Dreamworks scores again with this fun, energetic throwback to 1950s-era creature features.

After a Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is hit by a meteor on her wedding day, she grows to 50 feet tall. She is captured and sent to a secret government facilty where she meets a misfit group of monsters straight out of your favorite B-movies -- Dr. Cockroach, a half man/half cockroach mad scientist (Hugh Laurie); The Missing Link, a prehistoric amphibious creature (Will Arnett); B.O.B., a gelatinous blob (Seth Rogen); and a giant insect named Insectosaurus. They are quickly called upon to fight an invasion by the crackpot alien Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson).

Also in the cast are Paul Rudd, Keifer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert and Amy Poehler.

The plot is simple and fast-moving, and directors Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman (plus a small army of co-screenwriters) keep the gags coming at a breakneck pace. While this is enough to entertain the kids, the adults will enjoy spoofs and allusions to films from "The Amazing Colossal Man" and "The Blob" to "Vertigo" and "Dr. Strangelove." It is also refreshing to see a lead female character who is not a girlfriend or a princess, but a real woman who gets to be heroic in her own right.

The animation is excellent, except for Susan's absurdly large eyes and a few gratuitous shots designed for the 3-D audience (the first, a clever nod to the 3-D "House of Wax"). A few of the jokes fall flat, but they are more than outweighed by the ones that work. Throw in a couple of well choreographed battle scenes (particularly the one the rages across the streets of San Francisco and onto the Golden Gate Bridge) and you've got yourself a winner.

Best Line:
"I am brave. I'm a brave president!"

Side Note:
Keep your ears peeled for the Wilhem scream during the fight with the Gallaxhar clones.

Companion Viewing:
"Mars Attacks!" (1995).

Links:
IMDb.
Official Site.

Take a Look:
The trailer:

The Tale of Despereaux (2008).

The Scoop:
"The Tale of Despereaux" is filled with the kind of high-minded earnestness that you just don't see much in children's entertainment anymore -- and for good reason.

The story, from Kate DiCamillo's book, concerns a brave, bookish mouse who doesn't fit in with the other mice; a kind-hearted sailing rat who gets stuck in a dungeon with his conniving brethren; a palace servant girl who will do anything to be princess; a grimy jailer who pines for the infant daughter he had to give up years ago; a king who withdraws from the world after his wife's death; a princess who wishes the joy would return to her world; a genius chef who draws inspiration from a magical vegetable spirt; and a kingdom that really, REALLY loves its soup.

The voice cast features a ton of recognizable names, including Matthew Broderick (as Despereaux the mouse), Dustin Hoffman, Sigourney Weaver, Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, Stanley Tucci, Robbie Coltrane, William H. Macy, Frank Langella, Christopher Lloyd and Bronson Pinchot.

Whew.

As you might guess, the plot gets a little convoluted. Four main storylines eventually get resolved together at the end, But not without a few liberties to cram it all into less than 100 minutes. Many of the plot turns seem arbitrary rather than organic, and the climax depends an out-of-character change of heart by Roscuro the rat that (of course) turns out to be only temporary.

On the other hand, the animation and production design are particularly lavish and painterly, and that, along with the sight of talking rodents and some mild swashbuckling adventure, should be enough to satisfy many kids. But the rest of the family would be better served by something with a little more humor and bit, like the work of Pixar or even some of the Dreamworks animated features.

Best Bit:
The absurdity of Boldo the vegetable man leading the charge into the dungeon.

Side Note:
The design for Boldo is based on the work of 16th century painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

Companion Viewing:
"Angelina Ballerina."

Links:
IMDb.
Official Site.
Kate DiCamillo's novel.

Take a Look:
The trailer:

Surf's Up (2007).

The Scoop:
With just its second full-length feature, Sony Pictures' fledgling animation division scores big-time with "Surf's Up," jumping on the penguin-themed bandwagon of the previous year's "Happy Feet" and outdoing that film. It is the story of aspiring smalltown surfer Cody Maverick (voiced by Shia LaBeouf), who goes to the Big Z Memorial Surfing Championship on Pen Gu Island with dreams of making it big. To go up against reigning champion (and all-around bully) Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader), he'll need the help of his newfound friend Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), lifeguard Lani (Zooey Deschanel) and mysterious guru Geek (Jeff Bridges).

Directors/co-writers/animators Ash Brannon ("Toy Story 2") and Chris Buck ("Tarzan") have crafted a fast-paced and fun little film with a wonderfully hilarious screenplay. But their most interesting creative choice was to tell the story in the form of a mockumentary, which might seem like an alien concept for an animated feature, but winds up working well. It gives a familiar story a fresh spin, and even opens up some new areas for the film to explore.

The animation is superb, at turns mimicking the look of handheld documentary filmmaking, ESPN style sports coverage, archival newsreel footage and in-the-water surfing cinematography, all with great precision.

If there's any drawback to "Surf's Up," it is the clutter of minor characters, especially since some of them (primarily Chicken Joe and the trio of penguin kids) wind up being woefully underused. But really just amounts to a minor quibble. This is one animated feature you won't have to be a kid to fully enjoy.

Best Line:
"Tank's not a winner. He's a big furry trash can full of poop."

Side Note:
Brannon and Buck essentially play themselves in the film by voicing the two documentary filmmakers who are following Cody around. Pro surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado, and X Games host Sal Masekela also cameo as themselves.

Companion Viewing:
"Happy Feet" (2006).

Links:
IMDb.
Official Site.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


A montage of the penguin kids:


Tank shows off his trophies:

Wizards (1977).

The Scoop:
The friend who turned me on to this obscure little film years ago admitted to me that it scared her -- quite a feat for an animated feature. But Ralph Bakshi is a very talented animator, and he pulls out all the stops for this futuristic political fable of warring wizard brothers whose escalating conflict pushes their world over the edge.

He also pulls no punches -- the fantasy fairyland setting is a backdrop for a fairly brutal indictment of facism and violence. This is definitely one cartoon that is not for the kiddies. Bakshi executes the artwork with his usual flair -- a far cry from both Disney and Japanese anime -- and ably incorporates photographs and newsreel footage. The buffoonery of the good wizard character dilutes the power of the message, though, but this is still a noble effort. And certainly the sort of issues-oriented experimentation you're not likely to see made today.

Best Line:
"Fritz! Get up for God's sake, get up! They've killed Fritz, they've killed Fritz! Those lousy stinking yellow fairies, those horrible atrocity filled vermin, those despicable animal warmongers, they've killed Fritz! Take that, take that, take that you green slime! You black hairy short bowlegged..."

Side Note:
Bakshi wrote the "They've killed Fritz" scene as a protest against R. Crumb killing off Fritz the Cat in his comics. Crumb's Fritz-killing, in turn, was prompted by what he was as the bastardization of his work in the "Fritz the Cat" film made by Bakshi.

Companion Viewing:
"The Hobbitt" (1978).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
The trailer:

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004).

The Scoop:
It's notoriously difficult for TV series to make the successful jump to the big screen. So, when they are used to creating tightly structured 10-minute episodes, you'd think the creators of "Spongebob Squarepants" would be seriously in over their heads trying to fill a 90-minutes feature film. Well, you'd be wrong, because the "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie" delivers, big time.

This time around, Plankton sets in motion another complicated plan to steal the Krabby Patty formula (thereby taking over the world) which involves stealing King Neptune's crown. So, it's up to Spongebob and Patrick to retrieve the crown from the dreaded Shell City and save the day. The story is tight and briskly paced, the jokes keep coming, and there's plenty of great music. (While the characters sing most of the songs during the movie, the soundtrack also features nifty tracks by the likes of the Flaming Lips, Ween, Wilco and even Motorhead, most of which can be heard over the end credits.)

The regular cast of voice talent turn in their usual good performances, but so do the celebrity guest voices -- Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor and Alec Baldwin.

And as if all that wasn't enough, the film even has The Best David Hasselhoff Cameo Ever. That alone is worth the price of admission.

There aren't many drawbacks to the movie, except that some of the regular characters (particularly Sandy Cheeks and Gary the Snail) have been reduced to little more than walk-on parts. Even Squidward to horribly under-utilized. But in their place we get huge slabs of Plankton (not necessarily a bad thing at all) and we also get to see a lot more of the undersea world outside Bikini Bottom.

"Spongebob" is one of those rare animated series that appeal just as much to adults as to kids, but if you're new to the show and unfamiliar with the characters, you might want to start with some TV episodes just to learn who everyone is. But it's worth it to get the most out of this thoroughly enjoyable movie.

Best Line:
"You may have hoodwinked everyone else in this backwater town, but you can't fool me. I listen to public radio!"

Best Bit:
The “Goofy Goober Rock” number. Raise those devil’s horns!

Side Note:
If "Goofy Goober Rock" sounds familiar, that's because it's simply Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" with new lyrics.

Companion Viewing:
Why, the TV episodes, of course!

Links:
IMDb.
Official Site.
Bright Lights Film Journal: "Bikini Bottom Babylon". (Warning: some spoilers. Beyond that, an excellent critique of the movie.)

Take a Look:
The fine folks at Viacom seem to have scoured the Net clean of all clips from the movie, so you'll have to make do with these trailers from the official site. There do seem to be about 10 gajillion fan-made videos for "Goofy Goober Rock" over on YouTube, so you can check those out as well.

Cars (2006).

The Scoop:
Never mind the marketing blitz, and don't think of "Cars" as a kids' movie so much as a grown-up movie that just happens to be animated. While it's obviously meant to be enjoyed by children, there is plenty here for adults to enjoy as well, without feeling "talked down to."

This is the story of arrogant young race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) who learns a few lessons in maturity after taking a wrong turn on the way to his next big race and winding up stranded in the all-but-forgotten Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. Onto this simple framework, John Lassiter and the rest of the Pixar crew hang a wealth of rich characterizations, satirical jabs and terrific dialogue.

After the thrillingly-staged opening race sequence, which features a host of cameo appearances and pokes plenty of gentle fun at Nascar Nation, the film settles down and spends the bulk of its nearly two hour running time in Radiator Springs. The young ones might find their attention wavering a bit here, but the grown folks will appreciate the tribute to Route 66 and mid-20th century automobile culture, as well as the eccentric characters who populate the town. Foremost among these are Doc (Paul Newman), Sally (Bonnie Hunt), Flo (Jennifer Lewis), Ramon (Cheech Marin), Fillmore (George Carlin) and Luigi (Tony Shaloub). And then it's all capped off with another great final racing sequence, in which McQueen gets to apply all the life lessons he learned in Radiator Springs.

The animation is top-notch, taking several steps ahead of the animation in previous Pixar efforts. Especially breathtaking is the photo-realistic background work.

As great as "Cars" is, it's not without it's flaws, however. Many of the Radiator Springs scenes don't advance the story as efficiently as they could, and then there's the subpar soundtrack. (Do we really need another bland cover of "Route 66"?)

But these are just minor quibbles. "Cars" is a winner.

Best Bit:
There's tons of great stuff here, but as with any Pixar movie, stick around through the entire end credits, where some of the best gags can be found. My favorite is the self-referential tribute to the past Pixar voice work of John Ratzenberger (who plays Mack the truck here).

Side Note:
The voice of the Sheriff is provided by Route 66 historian and author Michael Wallis, who got the gig by serving as a tour guide for the Pixar creative team as they took a pre-production research tour of several towns along the highway.

Companion Viewing:
"Toy Story" (1996).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
Meet the cast!