Ratatouille (Blu-ray)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

Video:
The DVD was superb in its quality, but the Blu-ray is even more pristine. Compare frames and you'll see that while the colors are comparable there's a slightly greater level of detail in the HD version. It's especially noticeable in some of the more breathtaking shots, like the one which has Remy falling into that kitchen sink. The film is presented in 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and it looks fantastic.

Audio:
The audio is a booming English PCM 5.1 uncompressed (48 kHz/24-bit) soundtrack with additional options in English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and subtitles in English SDH, French, and Spanish. It's a rich sound that picks up every subtle note of the background music with all the sensitivity of a spaniel's ears.

Extras:
"Cars" and "Ratatouille" were released on the same day, and interestingly enough they reflect two different ways of looking at Blu-ray bonus features. "Cars" was all about the slick pop-up menu, with a dashboard on the bottom that allowed you to select something while the movie kept playing. The upside is that you can still watch the movie; the downside is that you're not paying much attention to the movie while you're scrolling through the extras, and if you don't act quickly, the menu screen disappears and you have to start all over again. "Ratatouille," with it's quaint tale of Paris cookery, has menu screens that are more antique-looking and operate in a more conventional way. You click on the pop-up and the movie pauses while you peruse the menu screen, watch whatever, and then return to the film.

This disc has a decent amount of bonus features. All of the DVD features are here, some of them fly-on-the-wall stuff and some of them quite polished. If you've ever wondered what it's like to sit in on an animation briefing, where the director addresses his staff, there are 13 such meetings to choose from. There are also three fairly long deleted scenes and five deleted shots to watch, a tribute to Dan Lee (one of the creative talents who passed away mid-way through production), a humorous short film ("Lifted"), an animated short feature that has Remy and his brother providing a brief positive history of rats, and my favorite, a featurette called "Fine Food and Film: A Conversation with Brad Bird and Thomas Keller." This cleverly edited segment focuses on the creative similarities between cooking (Keller is the chef and owner of The French Laundry, the only American eatery to receive three Michelin stars) and filmmaking. Both Bird and Keller are shown as talking heads and in their element, and it's quite a thoughtful and eye-opening extra.

Exclusive to Blu-ray is "Gusteau's Gourmet Game," which is difficult at first, but once you figure out what you're supposed to do it's not bad. Basically you have to click on the right buttons to find the recipe for an order that's posted, then scroll and click on the ingredients in order and press enter to finally "serve" the dish. It's kind of like that Lucy episode where the chocolates on a conveyor belt start popping out with greater speed. Little children will be frustrated by it, but game-savvy kids and those ages 7 and older ought to be able to handle it fine.

Bottom Line:
"Ratatouille" is a delightful entrée from the new combined Disney-Pixar studio, so much so that you have to wonder if, like the dead chef who shows Remy the way, the ghosts of Disney's legendary Grand Old Men might not have been hovering about.

---

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---