[Screen It]

 

"THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX"
(2008) (voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman) (G)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Minor Minor Extreme *Moderate Heavy
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild Minor Heavy None None
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
None None Heavy Moderate Mild


QUICK TAKE:
Computer Animated Adventure: A small but courageous mouse bucks tradition by not being afraid and instead sets out to rescue a human princess trapped in a land of gloom and doom that's accidentally become that way due to the actions of a sea traveling rat.
PLOT:
In the land of Dor, everyone is happy, especially when Soup Day rolls around and chef Andre (voice of KEVIN KLINE), with the help of his vegetable and fruit-based friend Boldo (voice of STANLEY TUCCI), reveals his latest savory creation for the royal family. This time, however, epicurean rat Roscuro (voice of DUSTIN HOFFMAN) has arrived via a sailing ship and accidentally falls in the Queen's soup, leading to her shock and untimely demise.

As a result, the grieving King not only outlaws soup, but also makes rats illegal. That results in Roscuro and the rest of his kind being banished in Ratworld deep down inside the castle's dungeon where Gregory (voice of ROBBIE COLTRANE) guards over no one in particular and grouses about the slop brought to him by servant girl Miggory Sow (voice of TRACEY ULLMAN).

Back up top, Princess Pea (voice of EMMA WATSON) is despondent over her father's grief, the joy vanishing from the land and its people, and a perpetual cloudiness that yields no rain, leaving everyone miserable. That is, except for Despereaux (voice of MATTHEW BRODERICK), a tiny mousy with huge ears. His lack of fear worries his parents, Lester (voice of WILLIAM H. MACY) and Antoinette (voice of FRANCES CONROY), who think he should cower like his older brother, Furlough (voice of TONY HALE), and the rest of the Mouseworld population, and eat books rather than read them.

But that's exactly what he does -- entranced by a tale of a knight battling to save an unhappy princess -- but that and his overall nature end up getting him banished down to Ratworld where the sadistic rat leader, Botticelli (voice of CIARAN HINDS), entertains the masses by offering Despereaux to a huge cat.

Sensing a kindred spirit, Roscuro saves the plucky mouse, but when the rat goes to apologize to the Princess, she freaks out and tries to have him killed. That results in him aligning with Miggory, a farm girl turned servant with delusions of being the princess. From that point on, and like his literary hero and inspiration, Despereaux sets out to save the day and Princess Pea from her misery.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Younger kids might be enticed by the animated talking animals and fairy tale sort of story.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G
Apparently for not containing material to warrant a higher rating (although some parents may think the violence and peril should have warranted a PG rating).
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
It's debatable whether kids view animated characters, particularly non-human ones, as role models, but here's a quick look at the major characteristics:
  • DESPEREAUX is a small mouse with a big heart and lots of courage who doesn't behave like a normal such rodent. Inspired by tales of knights, he sets out to help and then rescue the Princess.
  • ROSCURO is a traveling rat with a nose and appetite for fine food, all of which accidentally leads to the Queen's death, the banishment of soup in Dor, and rats being made illegal. Accordingly, he feels guilty over what's transpired and has a hard time fitting in with the other rats and their lifestyle. When the Queen rebukes his apology, he turns on her and assists in her kidnapping.
  • PRINCESS PEA is the King's daughter who must not only contend with her father's grief over her mother's death, but also her longing for the way life in Dor used to be, filled with happy citizens and cheery weather.
  • MIGGORY SOW is one of the servants in the castle who's long been obsessed with the idea that she should be the princess, and that eventually leads to her kidnapping Princess Pea.
  • THE KING is the ruler of Dor who outlaws soup and rats following his wife's death, and then is beset by never-ending grief.
  • ANDRE is the official royal chef known for his legendary and quite tasty soups. He's put out of work once soup is outlawed in Dor.
  • LESTER is Despereaux's nebbish father who's worried that his youngest son isn't acting the way a rat should, while ANTOINETTE is his wife who shares the same worries.
  • BOTTICELLI is the ruler of Ratworld who enjoys staging sadistic arena shows (where mice and others are put in direct harm's way) for the enjoyment of the masses of rats.
  • GREGORY is a castle dungeon guard who isn't happy with his lot in life, especially that he gave up his young daughter long ago.
  • FURLOUGH is Despereaux's older brother who tries to show him how to be a proper mouse, such as eating rather than reading books.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a brief summary of the content found in this computer animated adventure flick that's been rated G. There's no profanity, but a handful of colorful phrases are present. Various characters try to strike others (including with medieval type weapons), but usually miss, with most of the contact being accidental on other attackers, and much of that's done more in an adventurous fashion than anything resembling graphic realism.

    Even so, those scenes and some moments of potential peril might be unsettling, suspenseful, and/or scary to younger viewers, but probably few if any others. Some behavior might be enticing for kids to try to imitate. There's some possible alcohol content, while bad attitudes are present, as is tense family and some thematic material.

    Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

    For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from lightning late in the film.

    For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some camera movement from time to time in the film.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Andre and Boldo get into a food fight of sorts, throwing items at each other. During this, a bottle with unknown content (but looking like a wine bottle) falls and empties into Andre's soup, with everyone liking the resultant taste.
  • After reading part of a fairy tale book about a knight and princess, Despereaux imagines a scene of knights with goblets (but we don't know the content of them).
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • A rat picks up a grub to eat, but we don't see the actual act.
  • Roscuro eats a grub.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Some other mice kids make fun of Despereaux, with one saying, "He is so weird."
  • Botticelli stages sadistic arena shows (where mice and others are put in direct harm's way) for the enjoyment of the masses of rats.
  • In a flashback, Miggory's uncle yells at her to stop daydreaming and feed the pigs. We then later see that he sold her, along with the pigs, to someone else.
  • Miggory "borrows" Princess Pea's crown, and we later see she's stolen other things as well (in a delusional way of seeing herself as the princess).
  • Upset over the bland swill that Miggory has been ordered to bring him, Gregory knocks her tray and that food aside.
  • Upset that Princess Pea spurned his attempts to apologize to her, Roscuro conspires with Miggory to kidnap the princess, and we see her tied up in ropes regarding the latter.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Scenes listed under "Violence" might also be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers but probably few others.
  • During the opening credits, we see a human skull and ribs.
  • While ultimately not scary, an ethereal cloud forms in Andre's kitchen, collects various vegetables and fruits and transforms into the food human Boldo (who helps Andre make his soup).
  • Despite his friends' fears, Despereaux slowly walks out onto a broken grate atop a vertical shaft leading down into Ratworld. The others are worried, saying he'll be eaten if he falls in, but Despereaux shows no fear as he drops a piece of cheese down the dark shaft.
  • In Ratworld, a rat is carried in a carriage of sorts fashioned from a human skull.
  • An old rat, that's to prepare Despereaux for his banishment down into Ratworld, has milky eyes that might be a little unsettling or scary to younger kids. Despereaux then falls, seemingly out of control, down the vertical shaft, but comes to a stop before hitting the bottom. He then cautiously makes his way through the dimly lit environs, coming face to face with a huge human skull in a knight's helmet. He's then captured by Gregory who, after hearing Despereaux's fairy tale story, tosses him aside, sending him hard against a wall. Moments later, a large array of rats rushes toward Despereaux, but we don't the contact.
  • Despereaux finds himself in a large arena where his interaction with a large and hungry/angry cat will entertain the rat masses, courtesy of Botticelli. The cat races at Despereaux, but is stopped short by its chain, yet it still swipes at him. Despereaux then tries to hide behind a ball of yarn, but the cat swipes at that, knocking it and Despereaux aside. More swipes follow, with Botticelli about to give the "thumbs down" gesture, but Roscuro asks that he get Despereaux (to eat him, but he's faking that to save the mouse).
  • To get help, Despereaux scales a sheer and very tall shaft wall and must then make his way across a board covered in mousetraps (he jumps over the latter without being hit).
  • We see that the rats have Princess Pea lying bound in their arena, and various rats crawl onto her body. That is, until Despereaux lets a caged cat loose, and the rats flee. Various rat guards then come at Despereaux who defends himself using a straight pin like a sword. During that, one guard accidentally whacks another, while Botticelli grabs Despereaux by the scruff of the neck and holds him dangling above the cat. Roscuro, however, uses a spotlight to blind Botticelli, causing him to fall down into the arena. He flees into the cat's cage followed by the feline, with Princess Pea kicking its door shut. We then hear cat attack sounds and see the cage move about, but don't know Botticelli's fate.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Swords/Spears/Spiked balls/Battle Axes/Other medieval style weapons: Carried and/or used to threaten and try to attack others. See "Violence" for details.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Blimey," "He is so weird," "You deaf little urchin," "You are crazy," "Let the games begin," and an incomplete "You worthless little..."
  • The action and other stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate.
  • Andre and Boldo get into a food fight of sorts, throwing items at each other.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • Despereaux suddenly comes face-to-face with a huge human skull in a knight's helmet.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A heavy amount of suspenseful as well as action-adventure based music plays in the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • None.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • None.
  • SMOKING
  • None.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Roscuro accidentally falls into the Queen's soup bowl, causing her to shriek and apparently faint, with her face landing in the soup. But she turns out to be dead, and the King grieves from that point on.
  • In a flashback, Miggory's uncle yells at her to stop daydreaming and feed the pigs. We then later see that he sold her, along with the pigs, to someone else.
  • Despereaux's parents are heartbroken over him being banished forever down into Ratworld.
  • From afar, Princess Pea looks down on her mother's tomb. She also isn't happy that her father is lost deep in grief.
  • We see a flashback of Gregory in his pre-guard days when he tearily gives up his infant daughter to the girl's uncle.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • The comment that a hero doesn't appear until the world really needs him.
  • The metaphor that a rat is a rat, and that it doesn't matter where he came from.
  • The comment that no one starts out afraid, and that it must be learned.
  • The comment that with hope you're never really anybody's prisoner.
  • Miggory "borrows" Princess Pea's crown, and we later see she's stolen other things as well (in a delusional way of seeing herself as the princess).
  • The question of what if your name was a bad word (referring to Roscuro and others being "rats").
  • What grief does to people.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Knights in shining armor try to capture and/or kill Roscuro (after the later falls into the Queen's soup), including with swords, battle axes, spiked balls, etc., with one guard accidentally hitting another on his helmet and another getting hit on his metal covered foot with a spiked ball. Roscuro ends up on a metal grate, where swords are thrust at him, causing him to fall through it (we don't see the impact far below, but Roscuro is okay).
  • Despereaux flips over a mousetrap to get the cheese and avoids the snapping spring while doing so. He lands on his head, but is okay.
  • After reading part of a fairy tale book about a knight and princess, Despereaux imagines a scene of a knight in shining armor being knocked off his ride by a three-headed dragon that breathes flames at him (he blocks that with his shield), as well as batting other human-type characters with his sword (but nothing graphic, and done in even more of a simplified, cartoonish fashion than how the rest of this computer animated film appears).
  • Despereaux imagines another cartoonish sequence of a knight battling guards with his sword, including a large wooden platform falling on some of them during his escape.
  • Despereaux falls and bounces down some steps in the dungeon, but is okay.
  • After hearing Despereaux's fairy tale story, Gregory tosses him aside, sending him hard against a wall.
  • Despereaux finds himself in a large arena where his interaction with a large and hungry/angry cat will entertain the rat masses, courtesy of Botticelli. The cat races at Despereaux, but is stopped short by its chain, yet it still swipes at him. Despereaux then tries to hide behind a ball of yarn, but the cat swipes at that, knocking it and Despereaux aside. More swipes follow, with Botticelli about to give the "thumbs down" gesture, but Roscuro asks that he get Despereaux (to eat him, but he's faking that to save the mouse).
  • Roscuro shoves Despereaux along while faking taking him off to be eaten (he's actually saving him, but must act tough toward him to fool Botticelli and the others).
  • Upset over the bland swill that Miggory has been ordered to bring him, Gregory knocks her tray and that food aside.
  • Princess Pea uses a rod of some sort to try to hit Roscuro when he tries to apologize to her. Various guards then come after Roscuro, thrusting spears and such at him, with various glass orbs and such falling on or near him. He then falls out the window, grabs a rope/string, and manages to escape.
  • Miggory slashes a painting of Princess Pea with a utensil.
  • Despereaux stabs Andre in the foot with a tiny straight pin to get his attention.
  • As Despereaux and Boldo race to save Princess Pea, various rats chase and then climb onto Boldo, with Despereaux knocking off at least one before the rats pull his "body" (loosely assembled pieces of fruits and vegetables) apart, causing him and Despereaux to fall and tumble down some steps, leaving Despereaux unconscious.
  • We see that the rats have Princess Pea lying bound in their arena, and various rats crawl onto her body. That is, until Despereaux lets a caged cat loose, and the rats flee. Various rat guards then come at Despereaux who defends himself using a straight pin like a sword. During that, one guard accidentally whacks another, while Botticelli grabs Despereaux by the scruff of the neck and holds him dangling above the cat. Roscuro, however, uses a spotlight to blind Botticelli, causing him to fall down into the arena. He flees into the cat's cage followed by the feline, with Princess Pea kicking its door shut. We then hear cat attack sounds and see the cage move about, but don't know Botticelli's fate.



  • Reviewed December 13, 2008 / Posted December 19, 2008

    Other new and recent reviews include:

    [Around the World in 80 Days] [Family Camp] [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

    Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
    By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

    All Rights Reserved,
    ©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.