A rat’s tale with heart, plus extras

“Ratatouille” (Disney, $30), which received only six negative notices out of 192 on the website Rotten Tomatoes to rank as one of the year’s best-reviewed films, arrives on DVD today. Filled with beautiful animation, wonderful characters and inventive slapstick comedy, and overflowing with heart and humanity, it is a gem.

Written and directed by Brad Bird, who won an Oscar for 2004’s “The Incredibles,” Disney/Pixar’s “Ratatouille” revolves around a rat (voice of Patton Oswalt) who dreams of becoming a chef at a famous restaurant in Paris. He gets his chance by becoming partners in cuisine with a klutzy young man named Linguini (Lou Romano), who does menial tasks in the kitchen.

Extras on the DVD include the Oscar-nominated Pixar short, “Lifted,” which appeared before “Ratatouille” in theaters; a funny new short, “Your Friend the Rat,” hosted by Remy and his brother Emile, which looks at the history of rats; three deleted scenes and a pleasant conversation with Bird and master chef Thomas Keller, who was the consultant on the film.

Disney is also releasing the “Pixar Short Films Collection -- Vol. 1” (Disney, $30), which traces the history of the company’s acclaimed animated shorts from 1984 to this year. Among the films are “Luxo Jr.,” “Red’s Dream,” “One Man Band” and the Oscar-winning “Tin Toy” and “For the Birds.” The shorts feature commentary with Pixar kingpin John Lasseter, as well as the shorts’ directors and even the children of the directors. There is also a concise retrospective documentary.

Oscar-winning documentarian Michael Moore takes on the health insurance industry in his latest film, “Sicko” (Weinstein, $30). Despite its downbeat subject matter, the film has plenty of humor and irony. The DVD includes extra interviews and Moore’s visit to Norway.

In “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” (Universal, $30), Adam Sandler plays a Brooklyn fireman who agrees to “marry” his friend and co-worker (Kevin James), a widower with two kids, so he can keep his insurance benefits. Extras include gag reels, mini-documentaries and frat boy-style commentary with Sandler, James and director Dennis Dugan.

The holiday comedy “Deck the Halls” (Fox, $30) features a lively cast -- Matthew Broderick, Danny DeVito, Kristen Davis and Kristen Chenoweth -- but this tale of two neighbors trying to outdo each other in their Christmas decorations is witless. Included on the disc are short but sweet documentaries on the lighting, the design of the houses and the problems with shooting a holiday movie in July, along with commentary from director John Whitsell and DeVito.

Also new

“Blame It on Fidel!” (Koch Lorber, $27): Documentarian Julie Gavras, the daughter of Oscar-winning writer/director Costa-Gavras, makes her first foray into the realm of fiction film as the writer/director of this exquisite drama set in Paris in the early 1970s about a young girl whose life is turned upside down when her parents become political activists.

“A Dennis the Menace Christmas” (Warner Bros., $20): Made-for-DVD holiday film will appeal to the kids. Robert Wagner plays Mr. Wilson and Oscar-winner Louise Fletcher is his wife; 6-year-old newcomer Maxwell Perry Cotton plays the rascally Dennis. Extras include a blooper reel, deleted scenes, video commentary with the young star and commentary with director Ron Oliver and Wagner.

And: “Seinfeld -- Season 9” (Sony, $50); “Bob Hope: The Ultimate Collection” (Respond 2, $30); “Here’s Johnny: The Definitive Collection” (Respond 2, $100); “Barry Manilow: The First TV Specials” (Rhino, $40).

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susan.king@latimes.com