Ratatouille: Food Color Challenge

This NYTimes article about Pixar's new film Ratatouille examines at the research involved in animating the world of French haute cuisine. Particularly interesting is the section about color—"'Lettuce was really challenging,' [Sharon Calahan, the director of photography and lighting] said. The human eye is particularly sensitive to shades of green because there are so many variations in nature. Lettuce can easily appear too minty or a jarring lime green. 'Your brain knows what color lettuce is,' she said." Pictured above: a close-up of some green apples that appear as a small background detail in a larger frame (also shown). This attention to detail is part of what makes Pixar the still relatively unchallenged giant in the computer animation game. Ratatouille opens June 29—visit the official site to watch the trailer.