The Tale of Despereaux
Seen it?2008 | 93 min | Adventure, Animation, Family
Weeknight WatchWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With a lukewarm 6.2 out of 10 from audiences, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for adventure fans and families. If you loved The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse or The Secret of NIMH, start here.
- The mood
- Feel-good.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 33 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated G, but scary moments.
Once upon a time... in the far away kingdom of Dor... lived a brave and virtuous mouse with comically oversized ears who dreamt of becoming a knight. Banished from his home for having such lofty ambitions, Despereaux sets off on an amazing adventure with his good-hearted rat friend Roscuro, who leads him, at long last, on a very noble quest to rescue an endangered princess and save an entire kingdom from darkness.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
57% on Rotten Tomatoes, 53 on Metacritic
- AudiencesBelow par
6.2 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
1 win and 8 nominations from smaller awards and festivals
- Box office & staying powerSolid
$91 million worldwide on a $60 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 123K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen
- Matthew BroderickDespereaux (voice)
- Dustin HoffmanRoscuro (voice)
- Emma WatsonPrincess Pea (voice)
- Tracey UllmanMiggery Sow (voice)
- Kevin KlineChef Andre (voice)
- Sigourney WeaverThe Narrator (voice)
- William H. MacyLester (voice)
- Stanley TucciBoldo (voice)
- Ciarán HindsBotticelli (voice)
- Robbie ColtraneGregory (voice)