Emma Watson Movie:

		List Price: $39.98		Label: Universal Studios Home Entertainment Salesrank: 10858 Released: April 7, 2009
		Our Price: $12.89
		Used Price: $12.46
		MPAA Rating: G (General Audience) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
20th Century The Tale of Despereaux (Blu-ray)A diminutive mouse strives to make a mammoth change in his troubled kingdom in this adaptation of author Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning children's book. A long time ago, in the distant kingdom of Dor, a horrible accident broke the heart of the king, left abeautiful princess crestfallen, and filled the townspeople with despair. As the sun disappeared from the sky and the flowers were drained of color, the laughter slowly ceased in this once-magical land. It was into this darkened world that a tiny mouse named Despereaux Tilling was born, and while this virtuous little rodent may have been short in stature, his bravery was ultimately too big for such a small world to contain. An unlikely hero with oversized ears and a discernible wheeze, Despereaux was taken with tales of chivalry, and longed to one day become a noble figure among his people. Sometimes in order to realize their true destiny, heroes must first experience great hardship, however, and when Despereaux fails to adhere to the rigidrules of his society, he is banished from Dor.Later, while exploring the outer realms, the lonely Despereaux is joined by a kindhearted rat named Roscuro. Roscuro, too, has been excommunicated from his homeland, and still cannot stand to look into a mirror lest he be reminded of his painful past. Later, as Despereaux embarks on a treacherous quest to rescue the endangered Princess Pea, Roscurois set down the path of self-destruction after receiving a painful rejection from his highness. Now, on their way to realizing their extraordinary destinies, these two unlikely heroes will face off against the malevolent leader of the sewer rats, who is plotting revenge on humans from his subterranean kingdom; befriend a common serving girl who longs to become princess; and meet a whole host of colorful characters that they will never forget.

Description of The Tale of Despereaux [Blu-ray]:
The Tale of Despereaux looks a little like Shrek. The storytelling and animation draw on everything from Ratatouille and classic fairytales to Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Indiana Jones, and, in its action sequences, even Bourne and Bond. But this movie stands on its own; too dark and violent for very young children, perhaps, but for the most part it’s exciting and funny, and it delivers a message about bravery and forgiveness that is relevant to us all. Voiced by Matthew Broderick, the title character is a little guy, even by mouse standards, with enormous ears and an imagination to match; much to the dismay of his elders, he "never cowers, won’t scurry, and refuses to be taught to be scared" (he’d much rather read a book than eat it, a pursuit that fills his head with visions of valiant knights, damsels in distress, and a life defined by "courage, honor, and decency"). That leads to his being banished from Mouseworld to the realm of the rats, where, it is presumed, he will be eaten. But no. Ratworld--a dark, chaotic, genuinely scary place--happens to be the current residence of one Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), a peaceful sort whose shenanigans in the human world have accidentally led to the death of the Queen, the imprisonment of the Princess (Emma Watson), and, worst of all, the banning of Soup Day (no small deal) and the end of soup itself! Roscuro and Despereaux join forces, inadvertently helped out by a homely but soft-hearted farm girl named Miggery Sow (Tracey Ullman), and, well, you can imagine how it all turns out. Directors Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen and scriptwriter Gary Ross (adapting Kate DiCamillo’s book) have concocted some vivid and interesting worlds for their film; the look is unusual, often washed out, muted, and bathed in hazy light; and the voice acting is excellent (others include William H. Macy, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, and Frank Langella). All in all, despite a conclusion that’s confusing even while it’s predictable, The Tale of Despereaux is a worthy addition to the crowded animation field. --Sam Graham

Coloring Page

Maze

Despereaux Ears

Stills from The Tale of Despereaux (Click for larger image)

The Tale of Despereaux [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Amazing
2009-07-24 - I Just loved this animation. It was fun, smart, and adventurous. I never expected to fall in love with the characters. Despereaux is a mouse that's different and he isn't afraid or ashamed of the fact. He will inspire kids and give them courage. This isn't just a cartoon it's a fun lesson too.

Review from someone who hasn't read the book
2009-06-21 - I loved this movie. The story was engaging and fun. The narration helped move it along and likely was filling in the blanks from the book. I love that it had a lesson or two but done in an entertaining way. I really liked the serendipity of it all at the very end, like those movies that complete a circle. Despereaux is a very cute 'gentleman'. The Blu-ray version is the one I own. The detail of his fur and nose are amazing. A big bowl of stove-popped popcorn, a soda, and this movie make a very happy Saturday evening.

Fun movie with a great story
2009-05-30 - I love computer generated movies and this one looks great. The story line has an excellent message for young and young at heart alike. It is a must see for all families.

Shades of Grey
2009-05-12 - This is a fairy tale that does not insult the adults who may be happening to watch as well. There are lessons to learn all around. Compared to the highly processed fare characteristic of this genre, I can recommend this for all ages.

Never read the book.
2009-05-11 - I for one did not read the book. Actually, I barely heard of the movie, my wife picked this up for us to watch with the kids before we watched our movie. It turned out to be an excellent animated movie with emphasis on movie. What I appreciated about Tale of Despereaux was the fact it had a story to tell and it was done very well. This is not just another animated fluff movie full of one liners and stupidity. It has enough action to keep the young's attention, of course what's an animated movie without a few talking animals and a magical character who goes from assistant chef to....... well I won't let that out of the bag. I also appreciate the fact this movie takes the time to develope the main characters, you understand the reason they do what they do, it makes you feel for the characters, whether you like them or not, your opinion could even change on certain characters as the movie unfolds, and no loose ends are left hanging at the end of the movie. The plot is not predictable as many of the Hollywood carbon copy dribble is today. I found Tale of Despereaux an entertaining movie that kept my attention as a 40 something, my grandson's, who is 4, and feel it can do the same for all ages. I personally hope to see more animation coming out that has this type of depth to the story. As some one already mentioned this is an excellent family movie and done cleverly so. For instance, one place in the movie a character sneaks a knife out of the kitchen, as an adult you know full well what is going on but the knife is never shown again. Another place it is incenuated one character will eat the other but they go through a door which closes behind them. And, whether you understand fully what happens there is really irrelevant because justice was served and a bad guy is out of the movie, which was the point. What I'm trying to say is children will still understand the story as it's done here without graffic deeds being shown.

When you make a movie based on a book it's inevitable that comparisons will be made and people will be interested to know if it follows the book line by line but it should stop there. Try to judge the movie based on it's own stand alone merits. It's entertainment, not a history lesson. So I hope people will enjoy this fine film and not rip on it because they feel the maker violated some sacred writing.