Review of The Tale of Despereaux (2008) by Yeleysa C — 22 Aug 2010

The Tale of Despereaux is the kind of movie where you realize you should have read the book. That's not necessarily a negative comment, but it shows the central frustrating kernal at the core of the movie.

It's wildly ambitious. There are multiple characters, several plot threads, and character arcs that are rarely attempted in children's films. But, to little surprise, the movie comes across as crowded and too busy (I'm still not sure how the spirit made of vegetables fits into this world). I just wanted scenes to breathe a little, and in the end I appreciated the ambition of the storytelling more than I appreciated watching the story unfold.

But the characters here are interesting, and the movie isn't afraid to take them to dark places (I particularly liked where Hoffman's rat character goes). If anything Despereaux, the main character, is perhaps the weakest, because he's so one dimensionally heroic.

So, The Tale of Despereaux is better than a lot of kids' films out there, but it just never finds the right rhythm.