Rats! Disney/Pixar's latest animated feature puts a rodent in the kitchen

To say that the concept behind "Ratatouille" is in questionable taste is putting it mildly. The latest animated feature from Disney/Pixar is a comedy about a rat let loose in a Paris kitchen.

"It's not the most appetizing idea for a movie, said producer Brad Lewis. "No one wants to think that a rat has gotten into their food. In fact, I'm getting a little sick just thinking about it."

Yet the challenge of making an entertaining movie from this possibly distasteful subject proved irresistible for Lewis and filmmaker Brad Bird. "I've never been one to back down from a challenge. And this might be the biggest one I've ever taken on," said Bird.

Lewis and Bird, as well as voice actors Patton Oswalt and Janeane Garofalo, were in Salt Lake City, doing interviews in the Grand America Hotel to promote the movie, which opens in theaters today.

"Ratatouille" was, in its initial stages, a troubled production, according to Bird and Lewis.

The concept for the movie came from animator Jan Pinkava, who won an Oscar for his 1997 animated short "Geri's Game." However, after two years of work, Pinkava and his animation/story teams were unable to make any progress and the film was in danger of being scrapped.

Enter Bird, director of "The Incredibles" and "The Iron Giant." He was on vacation, basking in the success of "The Incredibles," when Pixar honchos John Lasseter and Ed Catmull called him to take command of the movie.

"They made me an offer I couldn't refuse ... as if anyone could say no to John and Ed," Bird said with a laugh.

But Bird emphasized that the film was not a "salvage project," saying he was brought aboard to refocus the animators and story team's efforts. (Bird is now listed as the film's screenwriter/director, and Pinkava is credited only as a story contributor.)

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The film follows Remy, a rat with a keen sense of taste, who gets the chance to test his cooking skills when he begins a unique collaboration with a human would-be chef named Linguini (Lou Romano).

Oswalt, from TV's "The King of Queens," provides the voice for Remy, and Garofalo voices Colette, a fellow chef and somewhat unlikely love interest for Linguini.

Garofalo and Oswalt — both talented comedians and comic actors — aren't exactly household names. But their casting follows Pixar's usual strategy of finding appropriate voices rather than "stunt casting."