The Tale of Despereaux Release
Date: December 19, 2008 Studio: Universal Pictures Director: Sam Fell, Rob
Stevenhagen Screenwriter: Gary Ross (Screenplay), Will McRobb & Chris Viscardi (Screenstory) Starring: Matthew Broderick, Robbie Coltrane, Frances Conroy, Tony Hale,
Ciaran Hinds, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Christopher Lloyd,
William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Tracey Ullman, Emma Watson, Sigourney Weaver Genre: Adventure, Animation,
Comedy, Family, Fantasy MPAA Rating: G Official Website:
TheTaleofDespereauxmovie.com
Plot Summary: Once upon a time, in the faraway kingdom of Dor, there was
magic in the air, raucous laughter aplenty and gallons of mouth-watering soup.
But a terrible accident left the king broken-hearted, the princess filled with
longing and the townsfolk despondent. All hope was lost in a land where sunlight
disappeared and the world became dreary gray. Until Despereaux Tilling was
born...
A brave and virtuous mouse, Despereaux is simply too big for his small world.
Though tiny, wheezy and saddled with comically oversized ears, Despereaux
refuses to live a life of weakness and fear...believing he was destined to be
celebrated in the tales of chivalry he so adores.
When he's banished from his home for not following the rules that society
expects of a mouse, Despereaux befriends fellow outcast Roscuro, a good-hearted
rat who can't bear to look in the mirror and hopes to live far from the grim
underground of his kind. While Despereaux begins his noble quest to rescue
Pea--a princess who can't see beyond her distorted view of the world--his pal
Roscuro receives a painful rejection from her highness that sets him on a course
of self-destruction.
Along their parallel adventures, the two encounter colorful characters from a
serving girl who wishes to be a princess to the evil leader of the sewer rats,
who plots revenge on humans from his fiefdom in the subterranean shadows he
relishes but Roscuro can't abide.
From the highest turrets of the glittering castle to the dankest dark of Dor's
sewers, friendships will be tested as Despereaux and Roscuro embark upon a
journey that will change the way they look at their world--and
themselves--forever. In this tale of bravery, forgiveness and redemption, one
tiny creature will teach a kingdom that it takes only a little light to show
that what you look like doesn't equal what you are
EN 5 Second Review:
Just a sweet movie for the kids, too young wont get the
message, but everyone will love the beautiful animation.
An
old-fashioned animated fable that teaches kids about the importance of
courage, loyalty and soup Kyle Smith: NY Post
Somber, slow and elegant instead of frantic and dazzling. It
works like a beloved fairy tale...more
A
Grim Fairy Tale Colin Covert: Minneapolis
Star-Tribune
Flat-footed when it should be fleet, scary when it means to
be exciting, and only intermittently emotionally effective,
"The Tale of Despereaux" does a disservice to Kate
DiCamillo's well-regarded children's book...more
EN 5 Second Review:
Just a sweet movie for the kids, too young wont get the
message, but everyone will love the beautiful animation.
A
Grim Fairy Tale