Unsolicited movie review: The Tale of Despereaux

hatfeathers

VFG Member
We went for a matinee today, just for some family time, and saw The Tale of Despereaux. This one probably won't hold the adults in the audience, unless they can appreciate child-like wonder and the most glorious illustrative animation I've seen in ages. The story is not complex, there are not jokes placed in to keep the over 16 crowd interested (such as in Shrek and similar animated tales).
However, with the wee one in tow, at 6 (and 11/12ths, thank you), I found this to be wonderful. He doesn't need complex story lines, just a good hearted hero, an obvious villian, some wonderful and exciting action. I appreciated the calmer pace as compared to some of the recent "for kids" stuff, the nobility of Despereaux, and the imaginative use of everyday objects to create the mouse and rat villiages. It is just a beautiful movie, a pleasure for the eyes.

Mom: :USETHUMBUP:
Kid: :USETHUMBUP:
 
We saw it Friday night. I agree, the movie was wonderful. But my girl, 11, who read the book last year, was cringing throughout and shaking her head. Apparently, the script barely resembles the original book. Since I hadn't read the book, I asked her if she liked the movie anyway and she said yes.
 
I want to see it, not sure about Ava...she's already wandering into 'tween type shows like iCarly & Drake & Josh (which are healthy role models as young teens so I am cool with it). Cartoons in general don't amuse her....well, aside from Chowder, Total Drama Island, the Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and classic Spongebob.

She's obsessed w/ dinosaurs so really into all 3 Jurassic Parks, Dinotopia and the Prehistoric Park & Prehistoric Planet (narrated by Ben Stiller!). She got almost all dino stuff for Xmas, and I caved so Santa brought her that HUGE Triceratops robot toy, Kota.

AVAkoko1.jpg


She got Madagascar (one) for Xmas from my Mom and we watched it last night, she got bored but I loved it!

Ang
 
My MIL reeeally wants to take my son to see it tomorrow afternoon and he's absolutely mortified to go. But she has MS and not a lot of time left to do this kind of thing with him, so I told him to suck it up, smile and enjoy it while he can. (It does look kinda weak for anyone over the age of 7, though.)
 
I'm shocked we hadn't found the books before, since we've spent a lot of time at the library.
My main enjoyment was from the visual imagery. When Despereaux is fantasizing about a story he's reading, the animation style is just wonderful.
 
It sounds like a cute movie, we will have to rent it.
Parts of the family (those with little kids) went the new Ben Stiller movie this weekend. The reaction was "meh" from anyone over 10ish. The littles like it.
The older ones saw The Spirit and were not as impressed as they thought they would be.
I want to know if anyone went to see the new Brad Pitt movie.


Ang, Josh just walked by and said "THAT is one big ass dinosaur". He said he would have loved that when he was 5. I wish we still had his dino stuff, we would send it all to Ava, but sadly they were purged when he was around 13.
 
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