DVD
REVIEW: The Tale of Despereaux
04/02/09
“Bravery,
chivalry and courage” is the code of this little mouse and
warrior at heart.
Three stories intertwined, three unlikely heroes unknowingly
linked. The tale of Despereaux is a fantastic adventure at a
time when castles and warriors ruled the day. How then can
you imagine that a tiny, strange little misfit mouse such as
Despereaux Tilling (Matthew Broderick) would not only save
the day, but a Princess, a lost and lonely rat, the lost
relationship between a father and his beloved daughter but
also a towns love and tradition for great SOUP! Yes, I said
soup. Our story begins in the Kingdom of Dorr where Soup Day
is looked forward to as much if not more than Christmas.
The King, his portly wife and beautiful daughter are adored
by their people and the Castle’s Chef Andre (Kevin Kline) is
looked upon as a genius. Until one fateful day when a simple
mishap changes not only the royal families future but the
entire kingdoms happiness and thus turning all the lands
(and also their souls) dark, dry and sad.
Little Despereaux is born into your typical, cowardly mouse
family but there is nothing typical about him. His
appearance is adorable, as far as my opinion goes, but to
the other mice he is quite strange. Large ears and short
stature (even for a mouse) make him stand out but that is
not where the peculiarities end. Despereaux is fearless and
mice cannot be fearless. His parents do all they can to make
him conform but when he chooses reading a book instead of
eating a book they can no longer protect him from
banishment.
Roscuro the rat (Dustin Hoffman) is not your typical rat
either. He loves the sunlight, good food and is honorable.
That is until a small “misstep” changes not only his path
but that of the kingdom of Dorr . His own banishment of
sorts forces his own tender heart to turn dark and dire
decisions are made.
Miggery Sow (Tracey Ullman) dreamt of being a Princess and
truly in her heart believed that one day she would be. She
was not the prettiest of girls and definitely not the
brightest but her dreams were huge. Her life takes a turn
when she is traded by her uncle to the castle to work as a
maid. There her visions of royalty come closer but her hold
on reality slowly begins to slip.
What do these three have in common? A little mouse with the
heart of a Warrior, a rat with a tender nature thrown into
darkness and a maid with delusions of grandeur but “so much
heart that some of it had to be put on the outside”. Their
stories intertwine in an attempt to save a Princess and a
kingdom.
I have to tell you that the artwork for this film was
breathtaking and at times I thought I was looking at a
painting by Dutch artist Het Meisje met de Parel. Truly a
feast for the eye. Despereaux himself makes you want to run
out and purchase a collectable toy (if any one knows where I
can get one, let me know). I would have to tell you that
this film was not just for your kids, but for adults as
well. Beautifully written, engaging in the way that it told
the separate stories of Despereaux, Roscuro and Miggery and
then wove them together in the end. I can’t believe I
haven’t mentioned who the narrator is yet!!!! None other
than Ms. Sigourney Weaver herself. Can I tell you that it is
easy to know that she is a mother by her gentle telling of
this tale? Ms. Weaver chose to do this narration only after
being told that she would be more of a protective and
guiding, gently voice and not just a cold story teller. Wow,
did she get the job done. Loved her. It is not often that
one brags about a NARRATOR for pete's sake, but she really
did it. One last comment I want to make about the film is
that it is such a great movie that you leave feeling that
you would not mind seeing it again and again. This says a
lot about the film because unlike CineMarcos who purchases
movies based upon his “Can See it Again" factor, I usually
see a movie once and I’m good for all time. Take your kids
to see The Tale of Despereaux but also go for yourself.
Especially if you are in need of a feel good film, this one
will do the job.
Film
Review By Priscilla
priscilla@smartcine.com
DVD: THE TALE OF
DESPEREAUX DVD is presented in
widescreen format (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1
Dolby Digital Sound and Spanish and French Dolby
Surround with English, Spanish and French subtitles.
In terms of special
features Universal Home Entertainment when for the kids.
The DVD includes more games than behind the scenes
featurettes. It includes three games that will keep the
little ones entertain, Also includes a ten minutes sneak
peek of Curios George 2 called Follow the Monkey" and
finally a short behind the scenes featurette called "THE TALE OF THE
TALE OF DESPEREAUX: A (MOSTLY) NON-FICTIONAL MAKING-OF",
which talks really quick from beginning to end on how
the animated film was made.
Overall even though The
Tale of Despereaux DVD includes plenty of games for the
kids, it the actual film that will keep them entertain
making the film a good recommendation if you have kids.
VIDEO:
Widescreen
format (2.35:1 aspect ratio)
AUDIO:
English,
Spanish and French
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English Spanish
French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
THE TALE OF THE
TALE OF DESPEREAUX: A (MOSTLY) NON-FICTIONAL MAKING-OF:
In this behind-the-scenes featurette we see how a modern
animated film is made from beginning to end – starting with
the story’s initial conception and taking us through all the
various animation steps. The piece will showcase all of the
amazing talent behind the creation of this film. (11:42)
TOP TEN USES FOR
OVERSIZED EARS: Our hero and role model for the
child with similar physical anomalies demonstrates with
enthusiasm and creativity the exemplary benefits of having
oversized ears, in a top ten countdown. (1:22)
SNEAK PEEK OF CURIOUS
GEORGE 2: FOLLOW THAT MONKEY: Only on the Tale of
Despereaux DVD, be the first to see an exclusive sneak peek
of the all-new movie, Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!
(10:23)
INTERACTIVE MAP OF THE KINGDOM OF DOR : From
this interactive map, viewers can explore the world of
Despereaux, learning more about The Kingdom of Dor with each
click.
DESPEREAUX’S QUEST
GAME: From fleeing past a crowd of rats to hurtling
through a gauntlet of mousetraps, this multi-level game
stands as the true test for Despereaux’s courage, bravery
and honor as he has to deliver the gold necklace to the
King.
BUILD-A-BOLDO GAME:
After falling into Chef Andre’s delicious soup, Boldo must
be put back together. Viewers can collect the missing parts
and bring him back to life.
DVD-ROM: Card
Creator, Fairy Tale Fantasy, Coloring pages, Wallpapers,
Screensavers, Printable Activities are available to the
viewer.
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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