The Tale of Despereaux
Matthew Broderick voices an unlikely hero in The Tale of Despereaux
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Monday, 15, Dec 2008 10:19
Directed by Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen, out December 19th, in cinemas, starring Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, William H Macy, Tracey Ullman, Ciaran Hinds (voices), running time 93 mins.
In a nutshell.
Sparkling scenery but slight storytelling.
What's it all about?
The fairytale kingdom of Dor is plunged into gloom when a lunchtime mishap leaves the King a widower, his daughter (Watson) trapped and unfulfilled and the animals of the land forced into a struggle for survival.
Until the birth of big-hearted, big-eared Despereaux Tilling (Broderick), that is. A young mouse with the bravery of a lion and more than enough curiosity to kill his natural enemy, Despereaux's inability to conform eventually sees him banished from the sanctuary of Mouseworld to the terrifying depths of Ratworld. But when he is rescued by worldly rat Roscuro (Hoffman), the pair find themselves entwined with the fate of the poor princess and the entire kingdom.
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Who's in it?
Having already voiced the adult Simba in Disney classic The Lion King, Matthew Broderick lends his boyish tones to Despereaux while two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman follows his successful Kung Fu Panda voice acting with a gruff role as Roscuro.
Emma Watson, one of the richest 18-year-old girls in the world lends her cut-glass tones to the part of Princess Pea while others in a hugely accomplished cast include - deep breath - William H Macy, Frances Conroy, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, Ciaran Hinds, Frank Langella, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Lloyds, Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman and Sigourney Weaver.
As an example.
"If you know anything about fairytales, you know that a hero doesn't appear until the world really needs one." - Narrator
"When your heart breaks, it can grow back crooked. It grows back twisted and gnarled and hard." - Narrator.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?
The CGI work of directors Fell and Stevenhagen is tremendous, with the film shying away from the gloss of recent animations in favour of an earthy, absorbing world straight out of the works of Vermeer and Brueghel. But up against the heartwarming majesty of Wall-E and the thought-provoking Waltz with Bashir, Despereaux is just that bit too small to compete.
What the others say
"While it meanders on its way to the requisite happy ending, the lush, stylised animation and courtly flourishes would win over anyone." - Empire
"This graphically well-rendered kidpic is less crass and mouthy than many recent feature-length toons, but also more sluggish and ungainly as it tries to approximate DiCamillo's singularly delicate tone." - Justin Chang, Variety
So is it any good?
Kate DiCamillo's book of the same name has sold nearly two million copies and in Despereaux, she's created an undeniably winning hero - and a movie rodent as amiable as Ratatouille's Remy. There's also a pleasantly old-fashioned tone to the entire piece, much helped by the fantastic work of Framestore Animation, whose rough and ready Middle Ages hews give The Tale of Despereaux a timeless feel. And having hit box office gold with 'triumph over adversity' tales in the shape of Big, Dave and Seabiscuit, screenwriter Gary Ross is on comfortable ground here, with little Despereaux an unlikely but loveable hero.
The familiarity - and simplicity - of the story is probably its biggest failing, unfortunately. There's just not a great deal to the story - as one would expect from a fable or morality tale - but it's paced bizarrely and an unnecessarily lengthy introduction sees Despereaux shows up at a criminally late hour for a film that bears his name. Sigourney Weaver has a crack at some self-referential narration in an attempt to enchant the adult audience members, but it's too syrupy to manage that and with characters forced into illogical corners, we're left with a rushed, underwhelming climax.
Despereaux is a fine character and deserves a more exciting plot than DiCamillo's while the outstanding array of talent in the voice cast is misused thanks to a mediocre script.
Having stumbled with his debut feature Flushed Away, Sam Fell's partnership with Oscar-winner Rob Stevenhagen has yielded a visually stunning but slight tale.
6/10
Lewis Bazley