The Tale of Despereaux

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The Tale of Despereaux

G

2008

1h 34m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Fantasy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

110 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Once a thriving place of sunshine and delicious soup, the faraway kingdom of Dor has fallen into sadness. An accident leaves the king brokenhearted; the sunshine fades, and the soup disappears. Into this world is born Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a book-loving mouse and friend to Princess Pea (Emma Watson). When Pea is kidnapped, Despereaux must find a knight's brave heart within his tiny body and rescue his friend.

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Critics Consensus

Despite its striking visuals, The Tale of Despereaux as a story feels familiar and unimaginative.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Jan 9, 2009

1.5/5

Scratch a CGI fairytale and you'll find an allegory about class, particularly if rodents are involved.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Dec 21, 2008

2/4

While the film's heart is certainly in the right place, and while certain moments exude honest warmth and refreshingly direct truth, on the whole there is nothing about this computer animated epic that remotely sets it apart from the crowd.

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Linda Barnard

Toronto Star

Dec 19, 2008

2.5/4

. The plot is too convoluted and there are too many characters to keep track of.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 3, 2024

1.5/4

The film contains a certain storybook quality that is quietly appealing, though the story is ultimately flat and uninvolving.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Nov 28, 2020

3/10

The mediocrity of the story is rivaled only by its terribly indistinctive character designs and video game equivalent animation.

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Jason Best

Movie Talk

Nov 22, 2020

With so many story threads to weave together, the makers of The Tale of Despereaux can't help getting their plot in a tangle, but Sigourney Weaver's delightfully wry narration prevents things from unravelling completely.

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diogo13 T

@Tua_mera Jul 12, 2026

Tem um visual lindíssimo que imita pinturas clássicas, mas a história é uma enorme confusão. O filme tenta contar demasiadas tramas ao mesmo tempo e o ratinho Despereaux acaba por ficar em segundo plano. O ritmo arrasta-se e o resultado é uma animação fria e aborrecida.

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Mateo S

@Moviestar243 Mar 5, 2026

Nah, it seems to be okay, but doesn't capture anything compared to other 2008 movies like Pixar's WALL-E and DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda (2008). Passing...

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Feb 6, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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uu w

@smeeblet Dec 19, 2025

everything is boring and grey. I turned it off after 30 minutes and decided to cry and fall asleep instead

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Adrian E

@AdrianHulkFan Oct 27, 2025

Boriiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

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Tom J

@RT82748570 Feb 26, 2025

I had high expectations for this movie, and it did not live up to them. There were too many characters with too many different plot lines to the point where you end up not caring about any of them. If you're looking for a movie about a courageous mouse, I would recommend "An American Tale" well over this film.

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Rob Stevenhagen

Director

Sam Fell

Director

Matthew Broderick

Despereaux

Dustin Hoffman

Roscuro

Emma Watson

Pea

Tracey Ullman

Mig

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The Tale of Despereaux: Official Clip - Kidnapping the Princess

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Synopsis

Once a thriving place of sunshine and delicious soup, the faraway kingdom of Dor has fallen into sadness. An accident leaves the king brokenhearted; the sunshine fades, and the soup disappears. Into this world is born Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a book-loving mouse and friend to Princess Pea (Emma Watson). When Pea is kidnapped, Despereaux must find a knight's brave heart within his tiny body and rescue his friend.

Director: Rob Stevenhagen, Sam Fell
Producer: Gary Ross, Allison Thomas
Screenwriter: Gary Ross, Will McRobb, Chris Viscardi
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Larger Than Life
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 6, 2016
Runtime: 1h 34m

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