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| The Tale of Desperaux | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster | |
| Directed by | Sam Fell Robert Stevenhagen |
| Produced by | Gary Ross Allison Thomas |
| Written by | Novel: Kate DiCamillo Screenplay: Will McRobb Gary Ross Chris Viscardi |
| Narrated by | Sigourney Weaver |
| Starring | Matthew Broderick Emma Watson Dustin Hoffman Robbie Coltrane Christopher Lloyd Kevin Kline Tracey Ullman |
| Music by | William Ross |
| Cinematography | Brad Blackbourn |
| Editing by | Mark Solomon |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 19, 2008 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country |  United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Official website • IMDb • Allmovie | |
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The Tale of Despereaux is a 2008 computer-animated film directed by Sam Fell and Rob Stevenhagen. Based on the 2003 fantasy book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, the movie is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and stars Matthew Broderick and Emma Watson. Released on December 19, 2008 by Universal Studios, the film is rated G by the MPAA and was sent by Universal Pictures as a contender for the possibility of being nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.[1]
Contents |
Plot
The film opens with a ship sailing into the kingdom of Dor's dock. Roscuro (a rat) (Dustin Hoffman), is aboard a ship with his human friend Pietro, sailing to the kingdom known for its soup on "Royal Soup Day". "Royal Soup Day" in this area is held in higher regard than Christmas.
As they are taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the festivities, Roscuro is mesmerized by the smell of the huge pot soup being prepared in the castle. He leaves his human companion in search of the aroma. Meanwhile, André (the royal head chef) (Kevin Kline), pressured into finishing the soup minutes before its presentation, sends out his staff, and argues with a sentient anthropomorphic "Soup Genie", named Boldo, over the ingredients of the soup to be presented to the royal family. Roscuro's search for the soup's smell takes him to a chandelier directly over the royal soup bowl. Upon presentation of the soup to the queen and her subsequent first taste, Roscuro is overcome by the aroma, loses his grip, and falls into the queen's soup bowl, causing her to have a fatal heart attack.
Roscuro is horrified to see what he has done and tries to apologize but is chased through the castle, during which his heart sinks when he sees Pietro leaving Dor sadly on his ship. Roscuro falls down a drain into the dungeon, where he meets Botticelli (Ciarán Hinds), the leader of the dungeon rats. Botticelli dislikes Roscuro's gentle ways and tries to force him to conform to the brutal nature of the other rats.
Following the funeral of the queen, the king in his grief orders soup to be forbidden and rats banished. The town falls into darkness and famine because of dark clouds that will not release their rain.
A few years later, Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a tiny mouse with huge ears is born with his eyes open. It is eventually learned that he has no real fear. But in this mouse society, fear is taught in school as a mouse necessity, and those that cannot learn to fear are considered outcasts. Despereaux's parents attempt to teach him fear by having him explore the castle's library with his older brother “showing him the ropes”. But rather then being fearful he is fascinated with books, and instead of eating them, decides to read them despite his brother's orders. He develops a fascination toward fairy tales and learns from them ideas such as chivalry and courage.
Despereaux is drawn towards the lonely Princess Pea (Emma Watson), who at first is afraid, but soon sees Despereaux as a gracious creature. She even expresses her desire for soup, rain, and even rats to return to the kingdom. Despereaux tells the princess a story about a happy princess but is unable to finish because he has not finished reading it yet. Before leaving he promises to finish reading the story and tell the princess how it ends; he makes this his quest.
Upon finding out that Despereaux has broken the law by speaking with a human, the high council immediately decide to banish him to the dungeons. He is led to the Threadmaster, Hovis, (Christopher Lloyd), a compassionate, blind mouse tasked with sending outlaw mice to the dungeon. Desperaux, after a failed appeal to Gregory the jailer (Robbie Coltrane), is soon discovered by Botticelli's henchmen and is sent to be eaten by a chained cat as entertainment for the rat population. Before he can be eaten, Roscuro's soft side gives way and he asks that the small mouse be given to him as his own, and expresses the intention to eat him himself, to Botticelli's delight. However, rather than eating Despereaux, he takes him into his home as a guest. Despereaux tells Roscuro that during his conversation with the princess she revealed to him that she wishes the sun and the rain and the soup would come back, and that she even misses the rats. This touches Roscuro, and his guilt eventually provokes him to set out and apologize to the princess.
Roscuro approaches the princess and offers his apologies but despite her earlier claims, she is terrified of him and he is again chased by the knights. He is emotionally hurt and in turn becomes bitter and decides to kidnap the princess and give her to the rats in the dungeon. He enlists the help of a hard-of-hearing servant girl, Miggery Sow (Tracey Ullman), and together they manage to bring the princess to the dungeon. But Roscuro then double crosses Mig and becomes an idol in the eyes of the rats. Meanwhile, Despereaux realizes that the princess is in danger and attempts to solicit the help of the king, who, because of his great depression, does not even notice the mouse. Despereaux then goes to the royal chef who, snapping out of his self-loathing, has decided to make a soup with his friend Boldo. Despereaux is able to win over Boldo and the two of them set out to rescue the princess. During their journey, Boldo is fatally wounded, and urges Despereaux to continue alone.
Back in the rat colony, Roscuro sees an apologetic sincerity in Pea's eyes and regrets his actions, but is unable to stop the rats clambering over her. However, before the rats can begin devouring the princess, Desperaux lets loose a cat which chases them all away, except for Botticelli, who is determined to kill Desperaux.
But at this time, a sun-shower has finally begun outside, and all the villagers are happy. The growing light reaches the dungeons, and Roscuro turns a magnifying glass to focus it on Botticelli, causing the villain to fall. Botticelli, chased by the cat, runs into the cat’s cage for a fatal end. The battle finally over, Roscuro finally apologizes, only for the princess to say that there is no need to.
Mig is rescued by the jailer, who is revealed to be her father in an emotional turn of events. Roscuro is reunited with Pietro aboard the ship that brought him. The princess and the king decide to soothe their grief of losing the queen by relying on each other for love and support. And Despereaux is reunited with his family. Despereaux and the princess remain close friends and the little mouse continues his adventure.
Cast
- Matthew Broderick as Despereaux Tilling- Despereaux Tilling is a small mouse with large ears and is the brother to Furlough. He is brave and imaginative and unique for a mouse, since he reads and talks with humans. He also falls in love with the Princess Pea.
- Emma Watson as Princess Pea- the beautiful young Princess who befriends Desperaux. Her mother was the one who Roscuro accidently killed, and it takes her some time to forgive Roscuro, but does in time and feels bad for making him feel guilty.
- Dustin Hoffman as Roscuro (Chiaroscuro)- the rat who is unique, like Despereaux is a unique mouse. He came to the kingdom on a ship and smelled the soup, not being able to stand the smell and dropping into the Queen's soup. He then gives her a fatal heart attack. Roscuro feels guilty and is always sorry, but years later when he goes to apologize to the Princess for everything, she freaks out and breaks Roscuro's gentle, longing heart. But when he tries to hurt her in revenge, he finds himself unable to do it and forgives her, helping her escape from the rats. He later leaves again, after becoming kind once more, and is content.
- Tracey Ullman as Miggery "Mig" Sow- the hard-of-hearing girl who works for the Princess with a little heart-shaped mark on the back of her neck. She is rather dim, but nice, and only dreams to be a princess like Pea. She is tricked by Roscuro into hurting the Princess, but turns good in the end and goes to live with her newfound father, the jailer.
- Sigourney Weaver as The Narrator
- William H. Macy as Lester- Despereaux's patient and wistful father
- Kevin Kline as Andre- the cook
- Stanley Tucci as Boldo- the magical assortment of foods that helps the cook when he needs answers for a recipe.
- Robbie Coltrane as Gregory- the bitter, grumpy jailer who was forced to give his daughter, who turned out to be Mig. When they are reunited, he takes her home and they live happily ever after.
- Ciarán Hinds as Botticelli- the tall and cruel rat leader of Ratworld and villain of the film. He takes Roscuro under his wing but is really just trying to make Roscuro a dark-hearted rat like all the others. He tries to kill Princess Pea and Despereaux, but Despereaux sets the cat on him and it is strongly suggested he gets eaten.
- Christopher Lloyd as Hovis- the kindly old and blind Threadmaster who is forced to send Despereaux down to Ratworld. He is touched by the small mouse's determined courage.
- Tony Hale as Furlough- the timid older brother of Despereaux.
- Frances Conroy as Antoinette- Despereaux's kind and usually worried older mother.
- Frank Langella as The Mayor- has a small role in the film but is generally shown as a trim and no-silly-stuff mouse.
- Richard Jenkins as The Principal- very few scenes in the movie but is shown as being worried about Despereaux's lack of fear and mouse-ness.
