“Good food is like music—you need to be able to stop and savor it.”

These words of wisdom come from a wonderfully talented cook—one who finds the kitchen a dangerous but addictively satisfying place to be. He’s also a rodent and the main character of Disney/Pixar’s latest offering Ratatouille. And just like good food and music, this movie is best enjoyed in the theater where one can stop and savor it for its technical, artistic, and storytelling excellence.

The storyline is pretty simple: a rat named Remy (voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt) has a desire for good food and is inspired by the television programs of cook Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), who believes that anyone can cook. Remy takes that comment literally, but has one small problem—he lives among a colony of rats who care nothing about the complexities of caramelization, instead choosing to eat garbage in order to stay alive. His talents land him a role as the safety inspector for the clan, making sure all food eaten is free of something that could kill them. But Remy has lofty ambitions, and those land him scurrying through the Paris sewers until he comes across Gusteau’s famous restaurant.

By this time, the restaurant isn’t the culinary destination it used to be. A scathing review of the food by food critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole) drops a star from the restaurant’s five, whereupon Gusteau dies. Per tradition, another star is removed from the restaurant’s rating due to his untimely demise. It is here that Remy, aided by Gusteau’s ghost, drops in on the proceedings and manages to save a less-than-perfect soup destined for another food critic’s lips. Suddenly the “creator” of the soup, the garbage boy Linguini (Lou Romano), is thrust into the limelight, but not before Remy is spotted and removed from the premises. A connection is made between Linguini and Remy, and the two work together to rebuild the restaurant Gusteau made famous.

One of the best things about the film—besides the awe-inspiring views of Paris at night and the food (note: eat before you see the film; it will likely make you hungry)—is that director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles) doesn’t go for the easy way out in the story. Remy doesn’t speak in a voice that Linguini can hear. Collette (Janeane Garafolo) shares her frustrations with being the only woman in a gourmet restaurant. And Remy has to choose between his family and his dream of becoming a chef. Sadly, these types of films are too few and too far between these days, but that makes those that do exist treasures to be relished.

The penultimate scene involves food critic Ego and his scathing order for fresh perspective from Gusteau’s chefs. What may linger more than his reaction to the food is his written review: “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.”

To this end, it’s important to note that God has infused meaning and purpose in every person’s life, regardless of what others might say. It’s simply a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented. Remy could’ve stayed in the attic of Grandma’s house with the family and just lived life as a rat. But when the time came, he grabbed ahold of two tufts of hair and changed the lives of many people in the process. So the next time you’re wondering, “There’s got to be more to life,” consider that God’s plans and purposes are better than any you might be able to think of—able to change situations, lives, and souls.

Make it a point to see Ratatouille at your earliest convenience. If there’s any movie in 2007 worth viewing, this is it—and for more reasons than you might think.