The Tale of Despereaux (2008)

Directors: Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen

An unusually brave mouse helps to restore happiness to a forlorn kingdom after making friends with a gentleman rat.

The ‘Royal Soup Day’ is the biggest event on the calendar for the citizens of the Kingdom of Dor. Every year thousands gather to taste a ‘masterpiece’ from the Royal chef Andre, who prepares his soups with the help of a genie made of vegetables.

Arriving in town for the festivities, is a sailor and his rat-friend Roscuro. Following the smell of the soup, Roscuro sneaks into the castle. Just as the Queen tastes her soup, Roscuro accidentally falls into her soup, causing the Queen to have a heart attack and die.

A distraught King bans rats from the Kingdom. When the sailor leaves town without Roscuro, he is so sad that he falls into the dungeons below the village, where he is taken in by Botticelli Remorso, the leader of the rats and the film’s main antagonist.

But its not his story being told. It is Despereaux’s. Despereaux is an unusual rat with big eyes and big ears, and smaller than the rest of the mouse population. He has no fear. The Rat World is a clean world with order (quite the opposite of the Rat World). When Despereaux sees the Princess, Pea, and the sad King, he decides to help – since he is a gentleman. (Oh, my, I so sympathized with the King!) On his quest, he befriends Roscuro, and together they try to make amends.

I loved the characters, the animation, and the good voicing by seasoned actors like Matthew Broderick, Sigourney Weaver, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, Stanley Tucci, William H. Macey, Kevin Kline, and Robbie Coltrane among other big names. This movie had me transfixed from beginning to end. It is an absolutely beautiful story with a powerful message. I actually enjoyd Roscuro more than Despereaux. The animators so effectively conveyed his emotions with the look in his eyes. He was a wonderful character and I rooted for him all the way!

‘The Tale of Despereaux’ received award nominations for Best Directing in an Animated Feature, Best Music in an Animated Feature, Best Production Design in an Animated Feature, Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature, Outstanding Achievement in Casting, Best Sound Mixing in an Animated Feature, and Best Animated Feature Film. At the box office, the film earned nearly $87 million on a $60 million budget.

Would I watch it again? Yes!!