Seaux Good!
Once upon a time, there was a brave, little mouse who loved honor and justice and always told the truth. (Camera zooms in on a rodent.) No, that's not him. That's a rat. And anyone who knows anything, knows there is a big difference between a mouse and a rat. First of all, rats hate the light.
Thus begins the movie version of The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread. The film is adapted from a 2003 Newberry Medal winning children's fantasy book. But don’t let the “kid” part stop you. The teen critic—not to mention the grown-ups—in our home loved this flick.
I first heard about Despereaux from an adult, not a child, who raved about it. A grown woman going on about an animated flick? This I had to see…
Now her behavior makes sense.
In "Despereaux" three unlikely heroes (the best kind) find their fates intertwined with that of a princess. There’s the misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them; the malcontent rat who schemes to leave the dungeon; and a bumbling servant girl with ears as pretty as, well, eggplants. The characters are aided by the vocal talents of Matthew Broderick (Despereaux); Dustin Hoffman (Roscuro); the big draw for our daughter, Emma Watson (Princess Pea); Tracey Ullman (Miggery Sow); and Kevin Kline (Andre).
In addition to a compelling story (trust me, it's good), Despereaux's animation visuals may be the best I've ever seen.
And that’s before the bonus features. These include a cool look at the efforts made to help the actors get more “into character.” Plus, we were already fans of Kate DeCamillo after reading Because of Winn-Dixie, so imagine our delight to find the “bonus” interview with her. Writers, check that out.
This one gets two thumbs up. Ms. DeCamillo has done it again, and the producers have presented her story in a way that emphasizes the moral premise without moralizing. Way to geaux!
(Despereaux is due out in DVD and Blu-ray on April 7. If you’re looking for something besides chocolate bunnies to go in the Easter Basket… )