IMDb > The Tale of Despereaux (2008)
The Tale of Despereaux
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The Tale of Despereaux (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 65 | slideshow) Videos (see all 33)
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) -- The Tale of Despereaux - Theatrical Trailer
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) -- Clip: Despereaux tries to tell Chef Andre about the Princess' capture
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) -- Behind the scenes: Tracey Ullman makes noises in the studio
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) -- Interview: Sigourney Weaver "On the what the film has to offer"
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) -- Trailer: Despereaux, a tiny mouse with huge ears, is determined to rescue his beloved princess.

Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   5,949 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Kate DiCamillo (book)
Will McRobb (screen story)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Tale of Despereaux on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 December 2008 (USA) more
Tagline:
Small Hero. Big Heart. more
Plot:
The tale of three unlikely heroes - a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears - whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle's princess. | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
7 nominations more
User Comments:
Qualities and flaws more (81 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Runtime:
93 min | 90 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Sylvain Chomet was originally set to direct before being dismissed by the production company, to be replaced with Sam Fell. Chomet stated his ideas were too dark for them, and that marketing would question his character designs with future merchandising in mind. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Despereux is about to be dropped into the rat dungeon, he has red string wrapped around his waist. The camera cuts away to show the dungeon, and when it comes back to see Despereux, the red string is missing. more
Quotes:
Narrator: Once upon a time, there was a brave, little mouse who loved honor and justice and always told the truth.
[Camera zooms in and we see a rat named Roscuro]
Narrator: No, that's not him. That's a rat. And anyone who knows anything, knows there is a big difference between a mouse and a rat. First of all, rats hate the light.
[Roscuro climbs on a barrel and looks at the sun]
Narrator: They spend their lives in the darkness. Also terrify the people which is why they're slinking and cover all the time.
[Roscuro goes to near of a sailor]
Narrator: And as far as telling the truth as concerned, well, that is impossible, because as everyone knows a rat can't talk.
[Roscuro starts to talk]
Roscuro: Tell me that thing again, please.
Pietro: Come on!
[...]
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Movie Connections:
Featured in "This Morning: (2009-04-09)" (2009) more

FAQ

Which character is Despereaux?
What was that vegetable thingie in the kitchen?
Is there an official website?
more
39 out of 62 people found the following comment useful.
Qualities and flaws, 19 January 2009
4/10
Author: Mihnea the Pitbull from Romania

The qualities:

- Superb graphics, expressive, beautiful and stylish;

- Solid characters, both intrinsically and visually;

- A compelling atmosphere, and mood in general.

The flaws:

- A chaotic script, confusing and unprofessional. They were too ambitious to keep as much as possible of the novel's sub-plots and secondary characters, but didn't know how to organize them according to the screen-writing rules.

- A linear direction: everything flows on too uniformly, the important scenes are not accented and developed enough. As such, it gradually becomes boring, and during the culminating moments it's positively anticlimactic.

- The disadvantageous comparison with "Oblio". That one had spark! This one is also smart, but less inspired.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Tale of Despereaux (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
My poor daughter toughed it out as long as she could... Brooke123
It happened with Ratatouille and now Despereaux... mizpriz29
this film considered too dark for kids? xerxerxex
Dustin Hoffman as a Rat cerchiamusic
Well... I liked it renardazur
The book is an easy AWESOME read, not like this movie. Topphotomom
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