Ratatouille (Buena Vista Home Entertainment)

Pixar bless us, everyone. If writer-director Brad Bird and writer-director-mogul-with-a-great-day-job John Lasseter didn't already get enough credit for being among the most consistently successful -- creatively, cinematically and financially -- entertainment pioneers going, Ratatouille surely vanquished any last lingering doubts about their solid footing in our pop culture filmmaking pantheon. As part of the Pixar computer-animation studio (now Disney/Pixar thanks to the shrewdest merger since chocolate met peanut butter), together these Academy Award-winning innovators are responsible for some of the best-loved feature films of recent years, such as (inhale): Iron Giant, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., Cars, The Incredibles and more.

Ratatouille continues and furthers Pixar's pleasures and forward-moving creativity in the charming and witty story of a rat, Remy (Patton Oswalt), who strives for nothing less than to be a magnifique chef in (a glitteringly realized) Paris, the city of lights and food. Will family crises, deadly danger, a dunderheaded human and a vulturous food critic cause Remy's dream to fall like a bad souffle'?

Pixar's feature films are renowned for being rich in fine visual details, and that quality really comes across in this splendid-looking DVD. Moreover, Ratatouille is such a stunner in its Blu-ray edition (also released this week) that it could serve as a demo for the Blu-ray high-def spectacle and a no-brainer excuse for a home tech upgrade. The image is perfect -- absolutely knockout perfect -- in anamorphic widescreen 2.39:1. The clean, strong audio makes generous use of the 5.1 surround presence. (A DD 2.0 stereo option is here too.)

Bonus materials are few, but they're good. In lieu of a commentary track, two extra Pixar short films are welcome additions. The first, Lifted is the short that preceded Ratatouille in its theatrical run. The second is new to this release. It's about Remy and his chubby pal Emile returning to give us Your Friend the Rat, an 11-minute history of rodents and men from ancient times to the present. (That Black Death was a bummer, wasn't it?) It's clever, funny and even informative, and it employs a mix of animation styles from 3-D to Tex Avery to the distinctive retro look of UPA animated educational cartoons.

Brad Bird introduces some deleted scenes. Bird appears in the flesh in an interesting 14-minute puff-piece, "Fine Food and Film," that takes us behind the scenes with Bird at Pixar and into the kitchen with chef Thomas Keller. Through intercut segments, Bird and Keller discuss the creative impulses and mindset shared by chefs and animators alike. Finally, a series of interactive Audio/Video Set Up screens walk you through fine-tuning your picture and sound to maximize your home theater experience. And look for a pair of Easter eggs in the main menu screen (click the rat poking his head out from behind a pair of cook pots).

Also out today on DVD and Blu-ray is Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1, which gathers 13 of the studio's pioneering shorts, reaching back to the company's early triumphs in 3-D computer animation: 1984's The Adventures of Andre & Wally B, Luxo Jr., Red's Dream, Tin Toy, Knick Knack (with the breast-reduction alterations added in 2003 after its original theatrical run), Geri's Game, For the Birds, Mike's New Car, Boundin', Jack-Jack Attack, Mater and the Ghost Light, One Man Band and 2007's Lifted. Their total run time is 54 minutes.

The shorts are well preserved with direct digital-to-digital transfers in their original aspect ratios (1.33:1, anamorphic 1.78:1 and 2.39:1), with their original DD 2.0 or 5.1 English audio. (DD 2.0 surround French or Spanish tracks, plus optional subtitles in English; French and Spanish are here too.) Except for Jack-Jack Attack, each film comes with its own audio commentary by director John Lasseter, various co-directors and other creative personnel. Most of these dip into production details, but for Mike's New Car it's the young sons of directors Pete Docter and Roger Gould who offer up their insights on cinema and DVD as a new medium.

We also get "The Pixar Shorts: A Short History" (23 minutes, in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen), an excellent documentary on the studio and its team's milestone work. Additionally, Luxo and Luxo Jr., the Pixar logo lamps, star in four quick Sesame Street educational bits for small children. Finally, click around to find three Easter eggs scattered through the Short Films, Audio and Subtitles menus.

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