The Fail of Despereaux

Movie: The Tale of Despereaux (G, DVD Release Date: Apr 7, 2009)
Duration: 94 minutes
Rating: *

This is a movie that you would do well to avoid on all accounts. Featuring a ridiculous cast of big stars including Mathew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Kevin Kline, Tracy Ullman, and Emma Watson, Despereaux is a story about a mouse that refuses to be a mouse. The story is very dry and uninteresting, and keeps skipping around and changing points of view. There is no humor to speak of, which is very important in a kids movie. I lost interest 20 minutes in and never recovered. There are far too many characters so none can be focused on and studied by the viewer. Also despite the fact that this movie is rated G it is very depressing throughout. The only good thing I have to say about this movie is that the animation is very good for the most part. They put all their time and budget into production without creating a good story first. Please just do yourself a favor and watch something else.