# Ratatouille - what's the big deal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521 "2007-08-05T17:31:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/1 "2007-08-05T17:31:59Z")
This seemed like a really average cartoon flick to me. Maybe it shows up Shrek 3 or whatever crap is a mediocre hit, but I don’t get the appeal. It’s still got something like 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was pretty formulaic, short on jokes, and the lazy French accents/language made me cringe. The visuals were great, but looks don’t make a masterpiece. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, I just don’t get why it ranked higher than 70. Ideas? ---
**Author:** ![neorxnawange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f4b2a3/32.png) [@neorxnawange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neorxnawange)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/2 "2007-08-05T17:40:34Z")
Well, it was good for it was, a shortish, cuteish, children’s movie. Since Rotten Tomatoes is basically a pass/fail system I can see how it would get such high ratings. I can see how a reviewer or critic could give it a review similar to yours, but its hard to imagine how they would give it a negative review. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/3 "2007-08-05T17:53:34Z")
Since all animated movies tend to be lumped together and judged in comparison to each other, _Ratatouille_ shines when compared to things like _Ice Age 2_ or _Shrek 3_. But then you compare it to _Doogal_, _Happily N’Ever After_, or _Hoodwinked_, and it’s a friggin’ masterpiece. It also helps that it’s neither a sequel or a remake, or a sequel to a remake, or a remake of a sequel, or a movie version of a stage version of a movie, or a live-action movie version of an old cartoon TV show. ---
**Author:** ![Baine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Baine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baine)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/4 "2007-08-05T18:13:51Z")
The movie is more about sensations and atmosphere than plot, which ties into the theme of fine dining. It also has some great physical comedy and doesn’t rely too much on pop culture references or gratuitous celebrity voices. It’s not brilliant, but it seems more well-made and less crass than so much of what is created today. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/5 "2007-08-05T18:30:30Z")
It’s Pixarrific! ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/6 "2007-08-05T18:41:52Z")
You misundertand what the Tamatometer represents. That rating means that 96% of the reviewers gave it thumbs up, not that they said it was a 96% perfect film, or something. Some, perhaps even most, of those reviews may have been marginal or unenthuiastic, but still generally approving. Movies that really inflame the passions seem to piss off some critics as they enthrall others, generate more polarized reviews, and get a lesser tomatometer score. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/7 "2007-08-06T02:24:45Z")
[QUOTE=Menocchio] You misundertand what the Tamatometer represents. That rating means that 96% of the reviewers gave it thumbs up, not that they said it was a 96% perfect film, or something. Some, perhaps even most, of those reviews may have been marginal or unenthuiastic, but still generally approving. [/QUOTE] But it also scored 96 on [Metacritic](http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/ratatouille?q=ratatouille). ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratatouille-whats-the-big-deal/414521/8 "2007-08-06T07:40:24Z")
Saw it over the weekend. The animation is awsome. Perfection. The story…not so much.