The Tale of Despereaux
The Tale of Despereaux is an upcoming computer-animated film directed by Sam Fell and Rob Stevenhagen. Based on the 2003 fantasy book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, the movie is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and stars Matthew Broderick and Emma Watson. Slated for a December 19, 2008 release by Universal Studios, the film is rated G by the MPAA and was sent by Universal Pictures as a contender for the possibility of being nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
- Directors : Sam Fell , Robert Stevenhagen
- Release Date : 19 December 2008
- Genre : Adventure | Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy
- Tagline : Small Hero. Big Heart.
Cast
- Matthew Broderick : Despereaux
- Dustin Hoffman : Roscuro
- Emma Watson : Princess Pea
- Tracey Ullman : Miggery Sow
- Kevin Kline : Andre
Official Sites : -
The tale of three unlikely heroes – a misfit mouse (Matthew Broderick) who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat(Dustin Hoffman) who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl (Tracey Ullman) with cauliflower ears – whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle’s princess (Emma Watson).
Roscuro (a rat) come into port aboard a ship with his human friend to a community known for its soup on “Royal Soup Day”. “Royal Soup Day” in this area is held in higher regard than Christmas. As they are taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the festivities, Roscuro is mesmerized by the smell of the huge pot soup being prepared in the castle. He leaves his human companion in search of the aroma. Meanwhile, Andre (the royal head chef) argues with a sentient anthropomorphic “vegetable man”, named Boldo, over the ingredients of the soup to be presented to the royal family. Roscuro’s search for the soup’s smell takes him to a chandelier directly over the royal family. Upon presentation of the soup to the queen and her subsequent first taste, Roscuro is overcome by the aroma and loses his grip and falls into the queen’s soup bowl. The queen, not realizing the rat has fallen into her soup, assumes she has eaten soup with a rat already in it. She is so distraught over the thought of eating soup with a filthy rat in it that she has a fatal heart attack. The king in his grief orders soup and rats forbidden. The town falls into darkness because of dark clouds that will not release their rain. Roscuro is chased thru the castle until he falls down a drain to the dungeon. He is soon taken away by a seemingly kindly rat. Read more
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The Tale of Despereaux Trivia
- Justin Long was originally slated to play the title character, Despereaux. Ultimately, the role went to Matthew Broderick.
- The man made out of fruit and vegetables is a tribute to the artworks of Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
