The Movie Buff begins our newest thematic addition – Animated April – and my first jump into the field is the 2008 computer animated fantasy adventure “The Tale of Despereaux.”The genre of animation has made incredible strides over the decades since its first introduction in 1937 with the Disney classic “Snow White.” No longer limited to the generic Saturday morning cartoons I grew up watching, animated features now infuse elements of computer graphics, voice overs from major Hollywood stars, and compete for Oscar’s.
Typically geared towards children, an animated piece with a well written story and intriguing plot can be pleasant for audiences of all ages, and so is the case with “The Tale of Despereaux.”
Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Emma Watson, Ciaran Hinds, Christopher Lloyd, Stanley Tucci, Sigourney Weaver – the cast alone reads like a fantasy league all star roster.
While farfetched and steeped in the roots of nursery rhymes and a blend of popular action movies such as “Star Wars” and “Gladiator,” the movie movies quick and keeps the viewer laughing and tuned in from start to finish.
“Despereaux” follows the story of two anthropomorphic rodents; carefree and content rat Roscuro (voiced by Hoffman) and a fearless daredevil mouse Despereaux (voiced by Broderick) who is described as small, even for a mouse.
The Kingdom of Dor is the happy kind of place you’ll find yourself pining to be a resident of. Royal Soup Day – a once a year festival in which the royal chef Andre introduces a new and delicious soup, is here. The entire kingdom eagerly waits for Soup Day, described as bigger in Dor than Christmas.
An accidental mishap results in tragedy and as an eternal darkness falls over Dor, the King orders the outlawing of all rats. “How do you make something illegal that is a natural part of the world?” Narrator Sigourney Weaver asks, with the kind of voce that’s perfect for the role.
While kiddish on the outside, “Despereaux” presents themes often applied to everyday life. The mice in the film (who reside in the upper levels of the castle) are pleasant enough and coexist with humans and each other in a jovial way. The rats however are segregated to the dungeon and sewers and are looked upon as nothing more than evil pests.
“Despereaux” touches on themes of revenge, jealousy, and forgiveness, with underlying elements of segregation, prejudice, and manic depression included for the true movie analyst.
“A hero doesn’t appear until the world really needs one.” The narrator states as the titular Despereaux is introduced to save the day. The fearless mouse befriends the Dor princess (Emma Watson) and learns to work with Roscuro to stop the sinister rat leader Botticelli.
Ridiculous sounding right? Maybe. But nevertheless, it’s a fun movie, offering numerous storylines and characters in its tight 90 minute run time. Not just for children, “The Tale of Despereaux” is a movie fit and fun for anyone.
by – Matt Christopher
