Ratatouille is a wonderful new computer animated comedy from the amazing team at Pixar. Are these guys even capable of making a mediocre movie? I think not.

Ratatouille tells the story of a rat named Remy. Remy has big dreams, but these particular dreams may be well - beyond his reach. You see, Remy wants to be a chef and since he's rat, well – you get the idea. Lady luck might just be on Remy's side, however. After escaping near death at the hands of an elderly woman with a shot gun, Remy finds himself separated from his family, and washed ashore in the most unlikely of places; Paris. Soon, he finds himself smack dab in the middle of Gusteau's, one of the most famed restaurants in all of the city. While there, Remy strikes up an odd bond with Gusteau's dish boy, a lanky, sweet natured fellow named Linguini, and before long this unlikely duo manage a unique form of comunication and find themselves the toast of Paris after dazzling the social elite with their delectable cuisine.

Ratatouille is not only sweet, charming and funny. It's also unique and original - most notably in the way that it showcases a near impossible situation. How do Remy and Linguini partner up without sending the restaurant patrons into an absolute frenzy? That's one of the many clever devices director Brad Bird and his visual wizards have cooked up for your viewing pleasure.

Ratatouille emerges as the most comical of the recent Pixar movies. There is a tender and familiar side to the proceedings, but this effort has an uproarious slapstick side to it, particularly when Linguni is taking center stage. It's just a riot, and the broad, physical approach would make even Jerry Lewis and Buster Keaton proud. An interesting aside is how Ratatouille is also quite the expose on the culinary arts.

Ratatouille is also a message movie, but it presents it's lessons in a subtle way. This is a film about acceptance and a tale of ordinary characters doing extraordinary things. It also offers up a little hope for all the critics of the world, by means of a stirring speech delivered by the legendary Peter O' Toole.

Not surprisingly, Ratatouille is a gourmet pallette of visual splendor. Pixar has always lead the charge in CG animation, and this film is no exception. The human and rat character designs are picture perfect, and the animated landscapes are positively breathtaking. Quite frankly, the overall visual style simply defies description.

The vocal work is astonishing. There are some recognizable names here that are so convincing that I didn't even realize it was them doing the talking. Janeane Garofalo is terrific as feisty chef and potential love interest Colette, while Ian Holm is perfectly over the top as the bigger than life villain Skinner. Comedian Patton Oswalt is absolutely charming as lead Remy.

Ratatouille is a tad long, and it does drag a bit in the final act (even my kids got a little restless), but it's compensated by a spectacular finish, and overall, it's yet another bit of computer animated magic from the wonderful folks at Pixar.

Grade: B+