The Tale of Despereaux

A pleasantly old-fashioned if somewhat overstuffed fable that celebrates such traditional values as courage, loyalty, and generosity, The Tale of Despereaux, based on the Newbery award-winning children's book by Kate DiCamillo, revolves around the animated adventures of the titular tiny mouse with very big ears, voiced by Matthew Broderick. Instructed by his elders to flinch and cower at danger, Despereaux lives in a fairy-tale-like town where the opportunities for derring-do are currently quite limited: namely, because the queen died in an accident caused by a rat (Dustin Hoffman), and the inconsolable king has shut himself up in a room to play sad songs on his lute, leaving the entire kingdom suffering from a severe case of the mopes. But brave little Despereaux eventually gets his chance to play the hero after he learns that a sweet young princess (Emma Watson) is in need of assistance. Also featuring the voice work of Tracey Ullman, Robbie Coltrane, and Frank Langella, filmmakers Sam Fell and Rob Stevenhagen's The Tale of Despereaux eschews the jokey, fast-paced, pop-culture-savvy style of recent Disney, DreamWorks, and Pixar animated films—even becoming too slow and somber in stretches—but will appeal to viewers seeking wholesome entertainment. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Blu-ray extras include six scene progression clips (35 min.), a 12-minute “making-of” featurette, a sneak peek at the upcoming Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! (11 min.), two deleted songs (5 min.), the “Top Ten Uses for Oversized Ears” featurette (2 min.), a “Make Your Own Soup” game, a greeting card creator, a picture-in-picture track (featuring animatics, live-action interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage), the BD-Live function, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven adaptation.] (E. Hulse)