One of the most remarkable things about this week’s Ratatouille DVD release is that it marks a change for Pixar. For the first time, Pixar will have a two dimensional animated short on their DVD. While this isn’t the first time they’ve done 2D animation (credit sequences for several of their movies), it is the first time it’ll be a heavy part of an animated short.

The short is called “My Friend the Rat” and features Ratatouille’s Remy and Emile as they present the history of the rat and clear up some misunderstandings about the mysterious rat.

Pixar has sent over a couple of stills from the animated short. Take a look at the stylized flat animation as well as a nice shot of Remy and Emile that reminded me just why Ratatouille was so amazing to watch. The detail on the rats is just amazing. Personally, I can’t wait to pick up Ratatouille on Tuesday, November 6th, available on DVD (and Blu-ray as the high-def offering).

Click on the thumbnails to view larger versions of the pictures.