With Ratatouille hitting No. 1 on the box-office charts this past weekend — though its $47 million take notably fell short of the openings of past Pixar hits Cars and Monsters, Inc. — animator and comics artist Michael Gagné sheds light on one tiny but delightful aspect of the film. Gagné designed and animated those nifty little taste explosions, the vibrant representations of flavor that surround Remy and Emilie, for director Brad Bird. On his own blog, Gagné breaks down the process in great detail, from the first phone call to the final product — complete with QuickTime video!

Taste Visualization FX Designs and Animation for Pixar's Ratatouille [Gagné International via Flight]