Ratatouille Blu-ray

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One key point: if you can get over the natural gag reflex of seeing hundreds of rodents swarming over a restaurant kitchen you will be free to enjoy the glory of Ratatouille a delectable Pixar hit. Our hero is Remy a French rat voiced by Patton Oswalt with a cultivated palate who rises from his humble beginnings to become head chef at a Paris restaurant. How this happens is the stuff of Pixar magic that ineffable blend

 

Ratatouille (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) List Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $20.00 Used From: $13.99

From the creators of Cars and The Incredibles comes a breakthough comedy with something for everyone. With delightful characters, experience Paris from a new perspective, and savor a gourmet high-definition experience on Blu-ray(TM) Disc. In one of Paris' finest restaurants, Remy, a determined young rat, dreams of becoming a renowned French chef. Torn between his family's wishes and his true calling, Remy and his pal Linguini set in motion a hilarious chain of events that turns the City of Light upside down. Experience Ratatouille with revolutionary clarity and spectacular audio enhancement. It's a rare treat you'll enjoy again and again

Ratatouille [Blu-ray] List Price: $34.99 Sale Price: $20.70 Used From: $10.00

From Disney & Pixar, the creators of 'Cars and 'The Incredibles' comes Ratatouille. In one of Paris' finest restaurants, Remy, a determined young rat, aspires to become a renowned French Chef. With the help of his friend Linguini, they set off on a fun-filled adventure, setting in motion a hilarious chain of events that turns the City Of Lights upside-down. One key point: if you can get over the natural gag reflex of seeing hundreds of rodents swarming over a restaurant kitchen, you will be free to enjoy the glory of Ratatouille, a delectable Pixar hit. Our hero is Remy, a French rat (voiced by Patton Oswalt) with a cultivated palate, who rises from his humble beginnings to become head chef at a Paris restaurant. How this happens is the stuff of Pixar magic, that ineffable blend of headlong comedy, seamless technology, and wonder (in the latter department, this movie's views of nighttime Paris are on a par with French cinema at its most lyrical). Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) doesn't quite keep all his spinning plates in the air, but the gags are great and the animation amazingly expressive--Remy's shrugs and nods are nimbler than many flesh-and-blood actors can manage. Refreshingly, the movie's characters aren't celebrity-reliant, with the most recognizable voice coming from Peter O'Toole's snide food critic. (This fellow provides the film's sole sour note--an oddly pointed slap at critics, those craven souls who have done nothing but rave about Pixar's movies over the years.) Brad Bird's style is more quick-hit and less resonant than the approach of Pixar honcho John Lasseter, but it's hard to complain about a movie that cooks up such bountiful pleasure. --Robert Horton Stills from Ratatouille (Click for larger image)

Ratatouille List Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $14.99 Used From: $4.11

From Disney & Pixar, the creators of 'Cars and 'The Incredibles' comes Ratatouille. In one of Paris' finest restaurants, Remy, a determined young rat, aspires to become a renowned French Chef. With the help of his friend Linguini, they set off on a fun-filled adventure, setting in motion a hilarious chain of events that turns the City Of Lights upside-down. One key point: if you can get over the natural gag reflex of seeing hundreds of rodents swarming over a restaurant kitchen, you will be free to enjoy the glory of Ratatouille, a delectable Pixar hit. Our hero is Remy, a French rat (voiced by Patton Oswalt) with a cultivated palate, who rises from his humble beginnings to become head chef at a Paris restaurant. How this happens is the stuff of Pixar magic, that ineffable blend of headlong comedy, seamless technology, and wonder (in the latter department, this movie's views of nighttime Paris are on a par with French cinema at its most lyrical). Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) doesn't quite keep all his spinning plates in the air, but the gags are great and the animation amazingly expressive--Remy's shrugs and nods are nimbler than many flesh-and-blood actors can manage. Refreshingly, the movie's characters aren't celebrity-reliant, with the most recognizable voice coming from Peter O'Toole's snide food critic. (This fellow provides the film's sole sour note--an oddly pointed slap at critics, those craven souls who have done nothing but rave about Pixar's movies over the years.) Brad Bird's style is more quick-hit and less resonant than the approach of Pixar honcho John Lasseter, but it's hard to complain about a movie that cooks up such bountiful pleasure. --Robert HortonBeyond Ratatouille on DVD Ratatouille on Blu-ray Ratatouille Toys & More Other Classic Pixar Hits Stills from Ratatouille (Click for larger image)

The Incredibles (Four-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) List Price: $45.99 Sale Price: $27.49 Used From: $23.97

Known to the world as superheroes, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, Bob Parr and his wife Helen were among the world's greatest crime fighters, saving lives and battling evil on a daily basis. Fifteen years later, they have been forced to adopt civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs to live "normal" lives with their three kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family effort to rescue the world from total destruction. Exploding with fun and all-new bonus features available only on Blu-ray, this spectacular 4-disc combo pack is edge-of-your-seat entertainment for everyone. Animation studio Pixar (creators of Finding Nemo and Toy Story) reigns supreme: The Incredibles is another stunning example of their inspired storytelling and technical prowess. In a world where superheroes have been outlawed, the former Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) struggle to raise a family (with a teenager daughter who turns invisible and a super-speedy boy) while keeping their powers under wraps--but into their lives comes a supervillain with a particular grudge against Mr. Incredible. The Incredibles mixes comic book battles with middle-age crisis to daffy, delightful effect. Not only is the movie a dazzling visual experience, but the same care Pixar and writer/director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) pay to visual details gets applied to the narrative as well. It's deeply satifying to see a movie where every turn of plot has been given as much attention as the blazing explosions. --Bret Fetzer

Up (Four-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + BD Live) [Blu-ray] List Price: $45.99 Sale Price: $22.99 Used From: $12.73

This film from the wizards at Pixar centers on Carl Fredericksen, a character far different from any of the animation company's previous heroes. Carl isn't a fish, or a toy, or a monster. Instead, Carl is simply a 78-year-old man, but his age doesn't keep him from having a rollicking adventure in this film featuring the voices of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, and Pixar favorite John Ratzenberger. At a time when too many animated films consist of anthropomorphized animals cracking sitcom one-liners and flatulence jokes, the warmth, originality, humor, and unflagging imagination of Up feel as welcome as rain in a desert. Carl Fredericksen (voice by Ed Asner) ranks among the most unlikely heroes in recent animation history. A 78- year-old curmudgeon, he enjoyed his modest life as a balloon seller because he shared it with his adventurous wife Ellie (Ellie Docter). But she died, leaving him with memories and the awareness that they never made their dream journey to Paradise Falls in South America. When well-meaning officials consign Carl to Shady Oaks Retirement Home, he rigs thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats to South America. The journey's scarcely begun when he discovers a stowaway: Russell (Jordan Nagai), a chubby, maladroit Wilderness Explorer Scout who's out to earn his Elderly Assistance Badge. In the tropical jungle, Carl and Russell find more than they bargained for: Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), a crazed explorer whose newsreels once inspired Carl and Ellie; Kevin, an exotic bird with a weakness for chocolate; and Dug (Bob Peterson), an endearingly dim golden retriever fitted with a voice box. More importantly, the travelers discover they need each other: Russell needs a (grand)father figure; Carl needs someone to enliven his life without Ellie. Together, they learn that sharing ice-cream cones and counting the passing cars can be more meaningful than feats of daring-do and distant horizons. Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc. ) and Bob Peterson direct the film with consummate skill and taste, allowing the poignant moments to unfold without dialogue to Michael Giacchnio's vibrant score. Building on their work in The Incredibles and Ratatouille, the Pixar crew offers nuanced animation of the stylized characters. Even by Pixar's elevated standards, Up is an exceptional film that will appeal of audiences of all ages. Rated PG for some peril and action. --Charles SolomonStills from Up (Click for larger image)

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 [Blu-ray] List Price: $34.99 Sale Price: $19.48 Used From: $9.00

Disney and Pixar invite you to discover these masterpieces of storytelling from the creative minds that brought you Toy Story, Monster’s Inc., Finding Nemo, and many more on Blu-ray Disc for the ultimate high definition experience! With revolutionary animation, unforgettable music and characters you love, these dazzling short films have changed the face of animation and entertainment and are sure to delight people of all ages for years to come. Pixar's unprecedented string of hit animated features was built on the short films in this collection. John Lasseter and Ed Catmull used these cartoons the way Walt Disney used the "Silly Symphonies" during the 1930s: as a training ground for artists and a way to explore the potential of a new medium. Although it's only 90 seconds long, "Luxo, Jr." (1986) ranks as the "Steamboat Willie" of computer animation: For the first time, audiences believed CG characters could think and feel. (It was also the first CG film to make audiences laugh.) When the artists began work on Toy Story, they had learned so much from the shorts, they were ready to undertake that landmark creation. In the later shorts, the viewer can see the artists continuing to experiment: with a more realistic human figure in "Geri's Game" and with new ways of suggesting atmospheric effects in "Boundin'." Some of the more recent shorts continue the adventures of the characters from the features. "Jack-Jack Attack" reveals what happened to the hapless baby-sitter while the Incredibles were off fighting Syndrome, while "Mater and the Ghost Light" shows that life goes on for the inhabitants of Radiator Springs. When Sully from Monsters, Inc. tries to adjust his seat in "Mike's New Car," the animators prolong the moment to wring every drop of humor from the situation--just as an earlier generation of animators milked Wile E. Coyote's antics for all they were worth. The long-unseen films for Sesame Street are an unexpected bonus. A delightful collection of entertaining shorts, and a significant chronicle of the growth of computer animation. (Rated G: suitable for all ages: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon