Development of Ratatouille began in 2001 when Pinkava wrote the original concepts of the film. In 2005, Bird was approached to direct the film and revised the story. Bird and some of the film's crew members also visited Paris for inspiration. To create the food animations used in the film, the crew consulted chefs from both France and the United States. Bird also interned at Thomas Keller's French Laundry restaurant, where Keller developed the confit byaldi, a dish used in the film. Ratatouille premiered on June 22, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and had its general release on June 29, 2007 in the United States. The film grossed $623.7 million at the box office and received critical acclaim. The film later won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, among other