Remy the rat is blessed — and cursed — with a refined palate in the latest from Pixar animation. Not content to eat garbage with his fellow rodents, he sneaks into the best restaurants each night for un petit dégustation. "He doesn't want to lick the stuff off wrappers or pizza box lids. Instead, he's like, 'Look at this chanterelle that I picked, and I would like to combine it with this.' And the other rats are like, 'What are you doing?' " says Oswalt (TV's The King of Queens), who voices the verminous gourmand. Misunderstood by his father (Dennehy) and his peers, Remy is further thwarted in his life's ambition: to become a master chef in his own right. "It's all about trying to express yourself in an incredibly hostile environment," says director Bird (The Incredibles). Adds Oswalt, "The thing Remy wants to do the most he ruins just by showing up to do it. 'Cause everyone knows you can't have a rat in the kitchen."