I’ve been on a bit of a fairy-tale kick recently, so tonight’s choice for family movie night was The Tale of Despereaux, based on Kate DiCamillo’s children’s novel of the same name. Now that I’ve seen it, I wonder why on earth I waited so long. The Tale of Despereaux is delightful. Everything in it is done well, from the story to the animation and artwork to the voices. (The voice actors form an impressive list of British and American actors, from Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, and Sigourney Weaver, to Robbie Coltrane, and Emma Watson, and Tracey Ullman.
If you haven’t yet seen it, I won’t spoil your fun. Suffice it to say that in this tale you will find all the necessary fairy tale elements: a princess in a tower, a king in mourning, a land under a curse (of sorts), a dastardly villain and his assorted henchmen, and of course a courageous, noble, and unlikely hero. There are bravery, honesty, treachery, suspense, and danger; reunions, rescues, and redemption; mice, rats, and — soup!
If you’re in the mood for a a charming and slightly whimsical animated tale, Watch The Tale of Despereaux. You’ll be glad you did.
Note: The reviews on Amazon and Netflix include a few complaints regarding differences between the book and the movie. Since I haven’t read the original book (most unusually for me) I can’t address those complaints, but our family thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
