By now, audiences largely know what to expect heading into a Pixar film: cute characters, stunning rich visuals, and a heartfelt story. Ratatouille delivers in spades in all these respects, but the movie manages to separate itself from previous Pixar efforts by offering a level of sophistication and maturity not usually found in these types of films. With recent family fare like Shrek the Third and Surf’s Up bombarding us with pop culture references and scatological humor in a desperate attempt to prove their clever comic zaniness, Ratatouille is refreshingly restrained and unassuming. Much like he did with The Incredibles, director Brad Bird has again focused first and foremost on telling a sincere and affecting story that will actually leave a lasting impression on audiences of all ages.

With Ratatouille, Pixar has solidified its rightful place in cinematic history. It would be easy for the studio to simply churn out uninspired sequels of their previous films (DreamWorks’ relentless milking of Shrek is particularly guilty of this), but thankfully, they continue to creatively challenge themselves, and thus far, the results have been absolutely spectacular. Ratatouille is not only the best family film of the summer, it may very well be one of the best films of the year.