[quote name='Tybee']I loved it. I'd put it above "Cars," "A Bug's Life," "Monsters, Inc.," and maybe even the first "Toy Story," but not quite as high as "Finding Nemo," "Toy Story 2," or "The Incredibles." I thought Anton Ego (voiced perfectly by the immortal Peter O'Toole) was one of the best characters ever in a Pixar (or any) animated film.
I do agree it dragged a bit in the middle, but I think this was meant to be a relatively simple, heartfelt story, told without a lot of loud noise and complicated set pieces. I think it succeeded most in its two goals of illustrating the transformative power of good food, and in showing that when you find that one thing in the world that you love, be true to it and everything else will work itself out.[/QUOTE]
I think, also, that part of the reason it dragged was because it was tinkered with and changed quite a bit; it started out as a project for Pixar as a free-lance agent with the director of the Pixar short "Geri's Game" writing and directing it, but then Disney signed the contract with Pixar and they brought it back over there, Disney wanted it to be more marketable, so they fired the director and hired Brad Bird to give it a complete rehaul and change a lot of stuff (similar to how they did on Superman 2).
At least that's what I've read, not sure how much of that is true