In New York City rats outnumber people 12 to 1, but why is there currently a growing demand for them in pet stores worldwide? The answer is Disney/Pixar’s film Ratatouille, which grossed nearly 600 million dollars in domestic and foreign markets, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, elevating rats into animal headliners. The film follows a stereotype-defying Rat named Remy who dreams of being a professional Chef and features the celebrity voice work of Peter O’Toole, Will Arnett, Brian Dennehy, and Janeane Garofalo.
After the film’s release, rat sales in Britain grew by 50%, 40% in France and the “United States reported a surge in demand for pet rats during the summer, [while] pet groups in Germany and Sweden have also said rat sales have surged thanks to the film,” Reuters reports. But activists fear this will result in a dying fad similar to the surges following Finding Nemo, 101 Dalmatians, and Easter’s annual bunny demand. Fad or not, the rats that look the most like the leading character in Ratatouille go for as high as 50 Euros, that’s almost 75 dollars! All the press and economic appreciation make rats huge Animal Headliners of 2007!
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