It wasn't crap, but it wasn't brilliant.

Rating: 5/10 (7 July 2008)

A fairly likable film, but I feel that Ratatouille is undeserving of the high praise heaped upon it. Number 129 in the IMDb Top 250? Are you kidding me? Above Toy Story 2? Above Finding Nemo? Above The Incredibles (arguably the finest animated movie ever)? And, I'm not the world's biggest fan of it, but above The Lion King?
The only area that Ratatouille is superior to any of the afore-mentioned films is the excellent, realistic animation and the innovative 'action' sequences. Character development? Minimal. Laugh-out-loud moments? Reserved for the last twenty minutes...the biggest redeeming feature of the film (well done Mr O'Toole). Silly plot twists? Check. Overkill of a premise? Check. Speaking English with newspapers in French? Check. Overdone physical 'comedy'? Check. Pointless violence? Check.
I think a little more time needed to be spent on the script and not how well it was presented. I didn't feel much of a connection to any of the characters, and did not become emotionally involved with Remy until the end of the film.
However, this isn't a BAD film, it's just disappointing. Brad Bird's Incredibles saga was a hugely engaging, entertaining and funny film, and this is not. I know a lot of people may disagree with me (129th??), but I felt this fell way short of the bar. Bring on The Incredibles 2 and let's give thanks that Hayao Miyazaki is still churning them out. At least Spirited Away is in a fitting place on the Top 250.