Ratatouille is the latest but not the greatest film from the Pixar studios, nevertheless well worth viewing.

Entertaining and fast paced, director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles) keeps the action as thick as an Aberdeen Angus steak but the jokes are served more like a light broth.

Remy, a gifted rat with a passion for cooking, gets his extended family into a spot of trouble and they have to flee their home and cosy way of life. Their hasty escape leads them to the sewers of Paris, were split from the clan, Remy is befriended by the apparition of the recently deceased and famous chef Gusteau. His restaurant is in trouble and he needs Remy to help return it to its former glory.

The aspiring rodent chef befriends Gusteau’s incredibly incompetent but likeable son Linguini (Rommano) and creates mouth watering dishes that bowl over customers and win back the food critics.

The movie has some good performances most notably from a malevolent food critic Anton Ego (O’Toole) while Linguini provides the comedic content. Action sequences are exciting, particularly when Remy has to escape from the restaurant kitchen and Paris provides a worthy backdrop to the tale.

More entertaining than the dreary ‘Cars’ and just a nose behind ‘Finding Nemo’ which is by far the most entertaining Pixar release to date. Ratatouille is a good watch and would appeal to all but is probably more suitable for younger audiences.