While actually eating food is the preferred experience, there is something unusually comforting in watching movies about food, too. Cartoon or live-action, action or comedy — here are WSN’s top picks for the best food movies.

“Ratatouille”

It truly doesn’t get more unrealistic than “Ratatouille,” but maybe that’s what makes this animated movie so fun and amusing to watch. It’s a whirlwind of adventures that starts off with Remy (Patton Oswalt) the rat — a foodie and culinary genius — being found in the kitchen of of a once famed, but now slowly dying, Parisian restaurant. A recently hired janitor, Linguini (Lou Romano), is asked to get rid of him, but he soon discovers that Remy is secretly a gifted chef that can somehow control Linguini’s movements by pulling the hairs on his head. With Remy hiding under Linguini’s chef hat, the two form a team that take over the restaurant and the Parisian food scene.

“BURNT”

“Burnt” is a successful dramedy that’s largely based on food and combines the best of both worlds seamlessly. The film tells a story about how Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper), a once successful chef in Paris, nearly lost his culinary dreams after facing personal hardships. He finally gets the chance to redeem himself in a fast-paced, upscale restaurant as the head chef.

SPS sophomore Maya Lopatynsky said that when it comes to movies about food, “Burnt” takes the cake.

“It’s Bradley Cooper. It’s Sienna Miller. It’s about food,” Lopatnysky said. “Honestly, what more do you want in a movie?”

“Julie & Julia”

Pair Meryl Streep’s acting with food, and it’s a match made in heaven. “Julie & Julia” is based on a true story, and it follows the lives of two women in different eras. Julia Child (Meryl Streep) is an influential chef, famous for her daring, bold personality and feminist attitude, while Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is a New York woman on a mission to cook every recipe in Child’s renowned cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” and creates a blog documenting it. It’s a feel-good movie for food and film fanatics that will make you smile, laugh and maybe even tear up a little.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”

If you say you don’t love chocolate, we highly recommend watching this movie, based off a Roald Dahl classic. The grand and tempting display of the sweet treat will transform you into a professed chocoholic like the rest of us. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” tells the story of Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), an odd man who is also a famous chocolatier and five lucky winners who get the chance to tour his eccentric chocolate factory.

With this short and tasteful list, grab your favorite movie snack to enjoy while watching any of these films about just that: food.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, April 23 print edition. Email Celina Khorma at [email protected].