I wrote some info on the Japanese Ratatouille DVD in the Foreign Dub section, but thought I should post it here in a separate topic now since I’m talking about the DVD now and not the foreign websites. Some people interested might miss it if they think it’s only about the websites, and also I have some additional information to write on.
First what I wrote before in various posts. Then below that is the new information. If you’ve read this already, scroll down a bit.
This concerns the normal (not BluRay) Japanese DVD release. There was a normal DVD and a collector’s set, but the collector’s set has the same DVD, it just adds things like teacups and books.
I just got my Japanese Ratatouille DVD (normal version). It’s pretty disappointing. In a nutshell, it’s almost exactly the same as the US Region 1 DVD, so if you were expecting any more extras here, forget it. In fact, some extras were even taken away.
It’s a 1-disc set. White case instead of black. The DVD itself has a nicer picture on it (Linguini holding Remi in his hand). When you pop it in, it starts the same way (almost the same advertisements). Pretty much the same main menu screen (both the easter eggs on the pots work; I didn’t bother yet seeing if the easter egg in the Scene Select screen is there, but the two on the main screen are there). The only thing different is you can select between English (one choice, unspecified) or Japanese (2.0 or 5.1) audio, and subtitle (off, English, or Japanese). You can change subtitle option while watching the movie, but language selection must be done from the menu (not on-the-fly as you’re watching). One addition to the main menu is a “For your information” selection that shows an advertisement for a non-Pixar CGI film soon to be released on DVD called “Azul and Asmal” (my spelling from the Japanese, haven’t heard of this one before). As far as bonus features, at first glance it’s the same as the R1 DVD, but for the “Deleted Scenes” catagory, there are only two instead of three (the Japanese disc has “Chef Gusteau” and “Meet Gusteau” – but NOT “First Day”. So just 2 deleted scenes instead of 3 like the US disc). The movie has the changes made to it for video release (adding a chef’s hat onto Remi at the end).
Even worse – I forgot to mention this earlier.
The Japanese version doesn’t even have “Your Friend the Rat”!!!
(And has only 2 deleted scenes instead of 3)
So there is quite a bit less extras on the Japanese DVD (not that there were all that many on the R1 DVD to begin with).
I forgot to mention that the papers inside the DVD were just as sparse as on the R1 DVD as well. Just a thin 1-sheet piece of paper for the actual movie (along with other papers which are just ads, including one for Movie Points, which it seems they’re doing in Japan as well).
Still, the Japanese dub was very well-done, and it’s pretty enjoyable. They did a good job at matching the voices to the characters this time (not always the case).
On the dub itself:
I saw the Japanese dubbing of Ratatouille while I was back in Japan over the summer and it’s pretty good. They did a good job of re-doing some of the puns (for instance, where Linguini tries to tell Collette that he has “a ra… a rat” and she answers “you have a rash?” they found a good equivalent. In Japanese rat is “nezumi” and fever is “netsu” and Linguini says he has a “nezu… nezumi” and Collete answers “you have a netsu? (fever?)” Some (but interestingly not all) of the important signs and newspaper articles were changed into Japanese, but again, not all. Most Disney and animation screenings in Japan are normal English with subtitles, but for the kids, they do make a dub print which shows usually earlier in the day. This is what I saw. The kids in the audience seemed to like it. There were other places too. Like in the beginning where Remi is forced to smell all the food to make sure it’s safe, in the original after he gets tired of saying “clean” all the time and once says “close to Godliness” (referring to the English expression of “cleanliness being close to Godliness”). In the Japanese, he makes reference to paradise instead. There were a few more I remembered at the time but forget now, but they did a good job dubbing it. It came out in Japan almost exactly a month later than the US release (though I hear Okinawa didn’t get it until the end of August). If I’m not mistaken, the Japanese voice of Collete was KAIDA Yuko (a popular “seiyuu” [voice actor] who among other roles was Inspector Ayaka in an anime called “Kurau”) but I didn’t recognize any of the others offhand.
**** Now some of the NEW Information/trivia
At the end of the Japanese DVD, if “Japanese” is selected, you’ll see a short credit list of the names of the Japanese voice actors (BGM is the French National Anthem, from the beginning of the movie as the names roll up).
Some trivia. You can change the subtitle on-the-fly, but language selection MUST be made from the main menu (not on-the-fly). This is because what you select also changes the picture on-screen (if you have English seleted, you’ll see the movie title and signs and newspaper headlines in English, if you have Japanese selected, you’ll see certain scenes in Japanese instead, like newspaper headlines).
With “Japanese” selected, the “Anyone Can Cook” book is always shown with its title in FRENCH not English (nice!) And many newspaper headlines are in Japanese (like the “New Owner, New Gusteaus” headline). The very last sign at the end (where the worker puts up a sign presumably saying the restaurant it closed due to rat infestation) remains unchanged and in French, just as it is in the English version.
On the disc are subtitles in Japanese or in English. The English subtitles are exactly what’s said in English, and the Japanese subtitles are a good translation of the English, NOT a “dubtitle” (not what’s being said in the Japanese dub, but rather a good translation of the original English).
Because the Japanese dub makes some changes of course (for timing, for mouth sync, and for things that flow better in Japanese).
You know the line “Listen, we hate to be rude, but… we’re French”? This is translated correctly in the Japanese subtitles, but changed for the Japanese language dub. In the Japanese dub, it just says “We’re French, It’s dinnertime.”
In my opinion, the Japanese voice cast was quite good, and matched well – all except for Ego. Ego’s Japanese seiyuu was good, but the voice just didn’t match (it couldn’t compete with that low, snide voice of the original).
More useless trivia: at the very, very end of the movie, as Remi is telling the story, and says something like “You don’t have to worry about Ego, he’s a happy businessman now” there’s another rat that asks “How do you know?” In the English version, this rat has a female voice. In the Japanese, the rat is given a male voice. 
At least “Lifted” is included on the disc.
In the past, the various international divisions were responsible for the video releases (ie, Buena Vista Japan made the Japanese releases) but from this disc, it seems now that Disney (USA) makes all the discs for the various countries (or sets the template). Because other than a few extras missing and a trailer or two added, it’s exactly like the USA version, down to the designs and animations of the main menu, easter eggs, etc.
It seems that France is the only country slated to get a 2-disc (normal) Ratatouille DVD set. I wonder what extras will be in that one. I will have to stay tuned.
It’s good that they have a SUBtitle and not a DUBtitle (I prefer subs to dubs, myself, otherwise you don’t get the true story).