The Tale of Despereaux (DVD, 2009) Detailed item info Based on the book by Kate Dicamillo, this animated film is set in the magical kingdom of Dor. Once an enchanted place, Dor has since been put under a dark grey spell. But with the birth of a small mouse named Despereaux, hope is restored to all the land, and the real adventures begin., Universal Pictures crafts a whimsical tale of courage using some truly stunning CGI animation in THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX. Based on the award-winning book of the same name, the film features some all-star voice work from the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Dustin Hoffman, and Matthew Broderick. The story begins in the European city of Dor, a picturesque town know for its amazing soup. When the soup-obsessed rat Roscuro (Hoffman) accidentally brings about a tragedy in the royal kingdom, the Dor King falls into mourning, both soup and rats are banned, and the skies turn to gray. Roscuro soon finds himself living in the dank darkness of a place called Rat World. Nearby, in Mouse World, we finally meet our hero, Despereaux (Broderick). Despereaux is an unusually small mouse with some rather over-sized dreams. Despite his small stature, he longs to live a bold and exciting life, and he chafes at the dictums of Mouse World--where mice are taught to live quietly in fear. When Despereaux goes so far as to befriend the human Princess Pea (Emma Watson), he is booted from Mouse World down into the miseries of Rat World. There he meets Roscuro, and together the two decide to carry out their own individual quests and right what has been wronged. While Roscuro soon finds himself going astray, Despereaux sticks to his guns--or rather, his sewing-needle sword--and he fights to bring joy and freedom back to the city of Dor.The film remains pretty faithful to the book, although it does trim down some of the quirkier aspects of the novel. Yet the story is still refreshingly dark in places, and is reminiscent of such classic tales as THE SECRET OF NIMH and WATERSHIP DOWN--smart cartoons that were always about much more than mere cuddly talking animals. Product Details Number of Discs: 1 Rating: G (MPAA) Film Country: USA UPC: 025193229427 Additional Details Genre: Action/Adventure Format: DVD "It begins as all fairy tales should, with a narrator recounting the story of the pastel-hued Kingdom of Dor....Pleasantly immersive, beautifully animated..." New York Times - Manohla Dargis (12/19/2008) 3 stars out of 5 -- "[B]eautifully drawn...rendered in enchanting detail and painterly colors....It is a joy to look at frame by frame..." Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (12/17/2008) "[T]his CG adventure looks like an illuminated manuscript brought to life. The screen glows with Renaissance golds..." Entertainment Weekly - Entertainment Weekly Staff (01/01/2009) 3 stars out of 5 -- "A heartwarming tale of a little mouse that could, DESPEREAUX is a cross between DUMBO and THE PRINCESS BRIDE." Empire - Helen O'Hara (02/01/2009) "[T]he artfully rendered CG animation is quite lovely..." Hollywood Reporter - Michael Rechtshaffen (12/15/2009) Product Details Language: English Subtitles: English, Arabic Dubbed: None Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English Audio Description: None Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD Formats) Number of discs: 1 Editorial Reviews 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! Customer Reviews 3.6 out of 5 stars 3.6 out of 5 stars 5 star 654 star 293 star 242 star 161 star 25 Fun movie really a great story for children and adults. ” Barb Dickson | 38 reviewers made a similar statement “ I encourage anyone who wants to know the TRUE Tale of Desparaux to read the book, not watch this movie. ” choofy | 31 reviewers made a similar statement “ On the other hand, it has a few too many characters, grown-up themes, and requires the viewer's rapt attention. ” Karen Joan | 21 reviewers made a similar statement Most Helpful Customer Reviews 37 of 46 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Was a fun film December 20, 2008 By Mathew A. Shember VINE VOICE Format:Theatrical Release *Spoiler Alert. A request was made to add this for people who don't like to see storyline* My daughter wanted to see this film. Probably because the ads showed a cute mouse. We had never heard of this book so I can't judge the story. The qualities of the stories are simple. Mistakes, redemption, pure of heart, honor, etc. The movie opens with a ship heading to a city. On it is Roscuro the rat. Wearing cloths and an ear ring he looks forward for the famous Soup of the day of the kingdom of Dor. Wandering through the city he accidentally finds himself in the royal hall as the royal family are first to try the soup. Too entranced with the smell; Roscuro falls into the Queens soup and she is shocked to see a Rat, suffers a heart attack and dies. The guards chase him and he eventally falls into a drainage where he lands in Ratworld. There he is discovered by Botticelli who befriends him and decides to teach him the proper ways of being a Rat. The grieving king then declares no more soup and rats are outlawed and any who harbor them will be punished. Despereaux is born in mouseworld. He is not a typical mouse. Smaller then normal and he has over-sized ears. What's worst is that he doesn't cower, run, and he likes to take the cheese from mouse traps. His parents are called into school and told he is about to fail since he does not cower from knives and he draws pictures of cats. Even names one fluffy. The school master suggests that Despereaux follow his brother who graduated and was a proper mouse and could teach by example. They head off to the library where Despereaux is supposed to eat books but instead he starts reading them and learns about knights, honor and questing to save the fair princess.

12 USD LimitedAvailability