The Tale Of Despereaux (2008) 7/10

Starring : Matthew Broderick, Robbie Coltrane, Frances Conroy, Tony Hale, Ciaran Hinds, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Christopher Lloyd, William H Macy, Charles Shaughnessy, Stanley Tucci, Tracey Ullman, Emma Watson, Sigourney Weaver
Director : Sam Fell & Robert Stevenhagen
Running Time : 94 mins

Following the death of the queen of Door, the king decides to make both soup and rats illegal throughout the kingdom. This leads to the rats having to live in a darkened dungeon where one rat, Roscuro (Hoffman), dreams of leaving the darkness of the dungeon and venturing back out to sea. He soon meets a brave mouse named Despereaux (Broderick), who having read a fairytale about the kingdom of Door wants nothing more than to rescue Princess Pea (Watson) from her imprisonment.

In spite of there being plenty of animated movies around that might be funnier or cuter, this really does have a solid plot which manages to make the most of the vocal talents involved to deliver a very good story that should appeal to all ages. There are a few problems with the story, and Sigourney Weaver's narrator isn't perfect for the tale, but this is still an enjoyable little romp that may actually appeal more to grown ups than to children.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shrek 2