Excellent article Jim!  You’ve really been redeeming yourself lately.  

I have a feeling that this could be one of the most exciting things this summer.  Lets keep out fingers crossed.

I am going to be working at a table at the con, but I am sure there will be a buzz on Saturday for all the big movie panels. I am just happy that the hall clears out some and I can walk with out tripping on someone.

Last year when Wondercon was at a smaller space. the hall had to be closed for an hour during the middle of Saturday due to crowds.  This year they are in a bigger space, but it could still happen if there are enough fan boys and girls who show up. These big Hollywood premiers are a good reason for it to happen.

Sounds awesome! I'm just a bit angry with myself for reading the intro now, although since I have to wait til October there's always the chance I'll forget it. Unlikley but you never know.

Sounds really exciting. I'm curious to see how the two actually "communicate," 'cause they have to have some problems with that.. But still, coooll!!

Thanks, Jim. Too bad I don't live anywhere near the Bay Area...

Sounds like fun.  But, spoiler alert, anyone?  I know that some people, like my husband, don't like spoilers, so I'll have to warn him not to read JHM today I guess.  Unless you post a (Spoilers Below! and Spoilers Done)...

Love Patton Oswalt!

I have to say, I've been just a bit worried as to whether or not Pixar might have finally hit a wall with this film. Not for any particular reason, mind you ... more what Jim said before. Would anyone really want to watch a film where the main character is a rat? I mean rats are normally relegated to "bad guy" status, right?

But after reading this and after listening to Jim review the scene (the same Jim who is normally pretty tough on Pixar) and give it rave reviews, I'm actually getting really excited for this picture.

In short, Jim has discovered the most successful movie production company of the last decade does, in fact, know what it's doing. I love happy endings! And thanks for the nice article.

"...he most successful movie production company of the last decade..."

Euh, that's highly debatable.. Since they don't release that many movies..

The trailer shown in theaters a few months ago was terrific. After seeing other animal-based CGI flicks (Ice Age, Over The Hedge), it was so clear to me, after seeing the trailer, just how and why Pixar blows its competition out of the water. The level of craft is simply unsurpassed. And now Jim's description of this fragment to be shown at the Con has me really excited for this film. It sounds like Ratatouille has a great story, and that's the part of any film I care the most about. Thanks for the info, Jim. No way I'd get to attend the Con (though someday, someday...)

Where's the title come from?

I am wondering if either Remy or the garbage boy washed their hands(or is it paws?) before they started on the soup.

To answer orljustin,

Ratatouille is a French dish of stewed vegetables. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatouille_

Since the film is about Rats and French cooking... well, you get it.

It it took place in San Fransisco, they would've called it "Rats-a-Roni".

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice-A-Roni)

If you do get to Moscone Center, don't forget to take at least one ride on the old carousel from Playland at the Beach. The carousel turned 100 years old last April and is one of the most beautiful carousels in the country. OK so my relatives owned it for over 50 years thus I'm a bit prejudiced. It's on the upper level by the Zeum.

Now, this is one Pixar pic I acutally want to see. Why for? (Sorry Jim, I just had to use it) Patton Oswalt. As established in the Monday Mousewatch, I am a geek. I also happen to love other geeks in the popular culture spotlight. mc chris, the "Nerdcore" rapper who greatly helped Cartoon Network's [adult swim] programming block as the voice of a number of characters on a number of shows, is one of my favorite artists and Brian Posehn, the token slow-talking stand-up comic in glasses and comic book writer ("The Last Christmas") and Patton are two of my favoite stand-ups. Now I know Patton is on "The King of Queens," which I have not seen due to when I work at UPS (isn't it ironic...don't 'cha think?), but I mostly know him from his stand-up albums ("Feelin' Kinda Patton" is available on iTunes, go on, get it!) and a few times he was on The Adam Carolla Show (morning radio show). See, Adam had a little "Celebrity Nerd-Off" between Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, and Dana Gould. Patton won and has since reappeared on the show to give, not kidding, updates on the Dungeons and Drangons campaigns he and his buddies play. If you've seen Reno 911! the television series, Patton was the D&D geek constantly in trouble with the law, trying to explain that his actions were legal according to the most recent D&D rules.

Yeah, I am a huge geek (Goin' to San Diego Comic-Con this year to get my 'Comic-On'!), and I want to see Patton take on a children's movie, like how Larry the Cable Guy did in Cars.

As an unabashed Pixar geek, I'll quickly note -- for my fellow Pixar geeks in the audience -- that Jim Hill Media has two articles with spoiler-ish teasers for the computer-animated film studio's next movies, Ratatouille and WALL-E.

Wow. Amazingly awesome. Now that I know it has a good storyline its up there on my must see list with Pirates 3 and Spidey.

Why bother, this movie will probably just horribly underperform at the box office.  There, I beat Jim to it!

"most successful movie production company of the last decade"

It's certainly the most consistent movie production company of the last decade.  They've had no flops, and I'd bet their box office average beats anyone else.

i am not looking forwards to this film

I am counting the days! The teaser that was attached to "Cars" caught my attention - but it had nothing to do with the vivid action sequence (although I did enjoy that) or the level of visual sophistication (the Paris skyline evoking the look of Parisian paintings from bygone eras). It was the dialogue scene between Remy and his brother and father. When Remy asks his brother "How can you eat that?", the response is something akin to "It gets easier once you get past the gag reflex" - I nearly spit soda through my nose and I was hooked!  Then, Remy's father chimes in with the age-old "Why can't you just eat garbage like all the other rats?", and the family relationships are established. Hasn't your Mom or Dad ever said THAT to you? Well...not that exactly, but you know what I'm getting at. THAT's what Pixar does better than anyone else. They develop great, believeable relationships between their characters. I love the "Shrek" movies, but I'd trade 100 pop-culture references for one moment of genuine sentimentality.

Jim Hill talks about the numerous problems that this new animated feature currently faces. Chief among these is John Lasseter's allegedly desire to assign a co-director to work with first time helmer Keane and/or replace Keane entirely in order to get

Jim Hill talks about the numerous problems that this new animated feature currently faces. Chief among these is John Lasseter's allegedly desire to assign a co-director to work with first time helmer Keane and/or replace Keane entirely in order to get