Today is a special day in the Pixar universe, because it marks the anniversary of when one of its best movies came into the world.
But what Pixar movie are we talking about, exactly? The romantic science fiction movie WALL-E? The art deco superhero movie The Incredibles? Well, it could have just as easily been any of those, but for today, we’re talking about the gorgeous Ratatouille.
That’s right, we think the Parisian-inspired family movie — which came out 16 years ago today — that follows the story of Remy (AKA: Little Chef) takes the top spot in the best animated movies to come out of the studio. It’s charming, hilarious, and always leaves us feeling hungry for some delicious food.
Ratatouille follows the story of a rat, Remy, who loves to cook. When he gets swept away in a storm and finds himself among the glimmering streets of Paris, he winds up in the restaurant founded by his favorite chef. When he inadvertently winds up letting the whole kitchen thinking the clumsy porter Linguini is a cooking genius, he and the human work together to create culinary gold.
This Pixar movie is beloved by many, and was even parodied in the Oscar-winning movie Everything Everywhere All At Once. Though it’s one of the newer Pixar features, it stands out against even its oldest and most nostalgic of creations.
And we’re not the only ones who love Ratatouille as much as we do. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, including a win for Best Animated Feature. At the time of writing, it’s sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Let’s be honest — there’s never been a time in pop culture when we were as obsessed with fictional chefs as we are now. With The Bear season 2 whetting our appetite (literally) for more kitchen adventures, there’s never been a time to revisit our favorite animated cook.
If you feel like taking a shot at making the titular dish (which we highly recommend you try!), then you can find out exactly how to do so with the below video.
For some kitchen nightmares, check out our guide to The Bear cast and characters, and find out when you can catch The Bear season 2 out in the UK. We’ve also got the recipe for Barry Allen’s sandwich, and you can find out what happened when our Tom Percival ate it and went for a run.
You can also take a look at our lists of the best Disney movies, best movies of all time, and all the new movies coming out this year!