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Movies / On DVD / The Tale of Despereaux
The Tale of Despereaux

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The Tale of Despereaux (2008)

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Reviews Counted:11

Fresh:6

Rotten:5

Average Rating:5.2/10

Consensus: Despite its striking visuals, The Tale of Despereaux as a story feels familiar and unimaginative.

Rated: U

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:19-12-2008

Synopsis: 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... 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. --© Universal Pictures [More]

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Robbie Coltrane, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Jenkins

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Robbie Coltrane, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, William H. Macy, James Nesbitt, Tracey Ullman, Sigourney Weaver, Frances Conroy, Tony Hale, Ciaran Hinds, Christopher Lloyd, Stanley Tucci, Emma Watson

Director: Sam Fell, Rob Stevenhagen

Director: Sam Fell, Rob Stevenhagen
Screenwriter: Gary Ross, Will McRobb, Chris Viscardi
Producer: Gary Ross, Allison Thomas
Composer: William Ross
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for The Tale of Despereaux

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1 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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While it meanders on its way to the requisite happy ending, the lush, stylised animation and courtly flourishes would win over anyone.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/19/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While it’s not animated with the breathless pizazz of a Pixar, ‘Despereaux’ is all the more affecting and dramatically successful for its contemplative pace and measured delivery of information. A lovely film.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
12/19/08
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Visually it's special, but while the characters may inhabit a wonderful environment, they just don't inhabit a satisfying narrative.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
12/19/08
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film
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The rodent worlds are painted with flair and invention, but the characters – with the noble exception of Watson’s princess – are as dull as dishwater.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
12/19/08
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is supposed to be a heart-melter, but my heart stayed the temperature of a phial of liquid nitrogen left overnight on the surface of Pluto.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
12/19/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While it meanders on its way to the requisite happy ending, the lush, stylised animation and courtly flourishes would win over anyone.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/18/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despereaux is a rare creature, not only for the handmade look and subtlety of its computer-generated imagery but also for its irony-free embrace of once-upon-a-time storytelling.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/19/08
Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despereaux is a pleasantly immersive, beautifully animated, occasionally sleepy tale.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/19/08
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Tale of Despereaux is one of the most beautifully drawn animated films I've seen, rendered in enchanting detail and painterly colors by an art department headed by Oliver Adam.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 2 Comments
12/18/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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This graphically well-rendered kidpic is less crass and mouthy than many recent feature-length toons, but also more sluggish and ungainly as it tries to approximate DiCamillo's singularly delicate tone.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/15/08
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The magic is minuscule in this handsome-looking but drearily told animated tale.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
12/15/08
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
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1 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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