Movie

The Tale of Despereaux

2008 · 93 min

A gentle, storybook-like animated adventure that balances whimsy with melancholy, offering a cozy but occasionally somber watch.

Tagline: Small Mouse. Big Dreams.
Overview: 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.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
grief
friendship
redemption
family
Places: fantasy world
single country house
Era: timeless
Audience: family
Form: animated
Content intensity: Gore none
Language none
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	4
Horror	2
Humour	5
Realism	2
Romance	2
Tension	4
Darkness	4
Complexity	4
Emotional weight	5

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Where to watch in the UK

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Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: adventure, animation, family
Directed by: Robert Stevenhagen, Sam Fell
Written by: Gary Ross
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci
Music: William Ross
Cinematography: Brad Blackbourn
Runtime: 93 min
Country: United Kingdom, United States of America
Languages: English

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The Tale of Despereaux

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