THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX — *** — Animated feature starring the voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson and others; rated G (violence, mild profanity)
"The Tale of Despereaux" has a few elements of the classic Disney cartoons of old, not the least of which is a reluctant hero who sports oversized ears. ("Dumbo," anyone?)
He's also a mouse, which might remind some of yet another, very familiar Disney character. (Hmmm… )
As for the merits of this animated adventure tale, it isn't the classic of those aforementioned Mouse House features. But it's the best one we've seen in a while — at least since this summer's duo of "WALL*E" and "Kung Fu Panda." It definitely has some charms and enough action and intrigue to keep the kids interested — and enough of both to ensure that their parents aren't completely bored.
The handsomely animated piece is an adaptation of the Kate DiCamillo's bestselling kids book about a big-eared rodent with even bigger dreams. Despite being small, even for a mouse, Despereaux (voiced by Matthew Broderick) is surprisingly brave. In fact, he's a bit of an outcast, because even mousetraps and cats don't scare him.
However, Despereaux gets into trouble when he wanders through the castle and befriends Princess Pea (the voice of Emma Watson). She's bored by life in her perpetually grim and gray kingdom, but perks up once she hears her new friend recite tales of grand adventures. (Yes, she can understand him.)
Unfortunately, word of his exploits leak out, and the frightened mouse leaders decide to banish our tiny hero to Ratworld, which is where he encounters Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman). A fellow explorer, the rat says he's trying to redeem himself and promises to find a way for Despereaux to return to the princess. What he hasn't told his new friend is that he may be to blame for the current state of the kingdom.
Co-directors Sam Fell ("Flushed Away") and Robert Stevenhagen and their animators have given the whole thing a lush look, though occasionally some of the human characters are inexpressive. They and screenwriter Gary Ross ("Seabiscuit") also rush too quickly through the material — it would have been nice to get an explanation as to the apparently magical origins of the vegetable chef character (voiced by Stanley Tucci).
Still, this is one of the best ensemble voice casts for such a movie. In addition to Broderick and company, other characters are voiced by Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Ciaran Hinds, Frances Conroy, Frank Langella and Christopher Lloyd. And if that wasn't enough, Sigourney Weaver narrates.
"The Tale of Despereaux" is rated G but does feature some animated violent content (sword play and battles, animal attacks, some peril and slapstick), as well as some scattered mild profanity (religiously based). Running time: 93 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com