I guess I will be in the minority here, but DD 4.5, DH and myself absolutley loved this movie. I actually got teary-eyed at the end.
I think it's a rare and wonderful thing when a Hollywood film comes along and exemplifies everything we cherish and love about cinematic storytelling. Ratatouille is a charismatic, funny and all around creative masterpiece that completely engulfs us in rich and high spirits. By the end, I was hardpressed to remember a time when I left the movies so happy and touched at the same time!
Although Brad Bird also made "The Incredibles", he outdid himself this time. It's clear he sees the limitless possibilites of animation as a storytelling tool, but more importantly, he's written a screenplay, working from a story he developed that's witty, unexpected and completely original. Future screenwriters should watch and take notes.
I think Ratatouille ranks among the best Pixar features, which is saying a lot considering the studio's list includes Toy Story/2 (my personal favorite), Nemo and The Incredibles. I thought 2006's Cars was forgettable and lackluster and DD fell asleep during that.
The story follows a rat named Remy who longs to be a chef. He's seen as a black sheep among his colony because he admires humans and their ability to create. Born with a heightened sense of taste and smell, Remy wants to utilize his gifts and prepare gourmet meals, but his father Django thinks his ability is only good for inspecting food for rat poison.
Remy is tired of scraping by with his father and brother Emile. He yearns to stop feeding on stolen garbage and instead cook fresh food, aspiring to be like his greatest inspiration, a French chef named Gusteau. Gusteau once had a five-star restaurant in Paris until a negative review from the food critic Anton Ego (wonderfully voiced by Peter O'Toole) cost him one of his stars. The restaurant lost another when Gusteau died shortly after.
One day, Remy's colony gets chased off by an old lady with a shotgun (which is a bit scary) and he winds up alone in the sewer. Gusteau's spirit appears and speaks to him as sort of a secondary conscience, urging him to be brave and take chances. So when Remy finds himself in Gusteau's kitchen, he can't help but improve the soup simmering on the stove. Catching him in the act is a squirrely garbage boy named Linguini who indirectly takes credit for Remy's creation. When it turns out the customers love the soup, the head chef, a short little weasel named Skinner demands the lad recreate it to prove he's the real deal.
To save his job and reputation, Linguini makes a deal with Remy (whom he calls "Little Chef"): He'll allow the rat to cook so long as Remy lets Linguini keep up the charade as a great chef. One of the funniest gags is the means by which Remy controls Linguini to make it appear like he's the one actually cooking. I'll not give anything away, but it's quite inspired and pays off handsomely with some hysterical slapstick.
What makes Ratatouille so appealing above all else is the charm of the main character, who's cute, but not too cute. We identify with Remy (yes, we actually identify with a rat) because he has a passion for creating and a dream worth fighting for. He stands up to his father and doesn't believe in nature defining one's ability. Remy says to his father, "Instead of taking things all the time, I want to make things." He adheres to Gusteau's motto that "Anybody can cook." We admire his persistence, even if it does mean leaving the rat colony and his family behind.
It's also refreshing to see the rats in the movie actually behaving like rats. In fact, that's part of the conflict--Remy wants to act more like humans, who wash their hands and walk on two legs. So often in animated films that feature talking animals or inanimate objects, the characters are personified to the point where the jokes rest on the notion of "It's funny because they're [insert animal/object here]."
This time, it's the other way around. Instead of already acting human, this is what Remy strives for. There's no lame or unfunny rat puns or secret underground world where rats take on the personalities of pop culture icons. These rats are rats. They talk, yes, but only to each other. To humans, they're only squeaking and moving their bodies. Who knows, maybe rats do really talk to each other with a language all their own. The film suggests many possibilities.
But there's also something to be said for the human characters, who are drawn and behave according to their specific natures. Linguini is an insecure geek with a good heart and strong morale. He finds himself falling in love with Colette a spicey female chef who has a hard time working with an all-male kitchen staff. And I loved how Skinner believes himself to be going crazy when he sees Linguini supposedly talking to a rat. Skinner knows a secret about Linguini and tries desperately from letting it out.
Still, I think my favorite charcter is the food critic Ego. You could say he's the villain, but the film doesn't make him so easily definable. Ego is more like Remy's challenge and not one-dimensional like many villainous characters. He has an uproarious revelation at the end that's unexpected but perfectly fitting.
A friend of mine recently told me he doesn't go to animated movies because he believes them to be for kids. I would agree that kids are the main demographic for Ratatouille as far as selling tickets is concerned, but this is hardly a kid's movie. Ratatouille is for everyone. It has all the magic, humor and whimsy of the greatest animated classics. Without pandering, patronizing or falling into predictability, Bird's film is ceaselessly inventive and wondrously amusing (watching a rat cook omelettes may be one of funniest things I've ever seen). Ratatoutille is the best treat at the movies so far this year that I have seen. We can't wait to buy it on DVD!
I would recommend seeing it and judging it for yourself. You may be pleasantly suprised
Unless it's Chef Mickey!!! 
My 8 yr old say she enjoyed it.
