I went to see this one with my mom, who teaches fourth grade and loves this book. It's hard to look at a kids' movie objectively, because what engages the young mind and what engages the adult mind are two entirely different things. However, I can say that as kids' movies go, this one was probably up there.The voice talent was definitely great. Ciarán Hinds, Robbie Coltrane, and Emma Watson were all great choices. I would say that Dustin Hoffman was born to be a voice actor. Matthew Broderick (Despereaux, ironically) I could have lived without. I've never been a huge fan of his. Also, it is very strange to have an adult man's voice coming out of a mouse who is supposed to be a kid.
Perhaps I look down on children too much, but it seemed like the plot was fairly complex for the genre, thought I appreciated this aspect. I loved how the lives of three main characters were tied together, how there was a bit of mystery and suspense, how the princess was just a supporting role. One interesting thing was that Despereaux was almost nauseatingly moralistic; I wish the lessons could have been more subtle. Still, they were good lessons—even the smallest person can have the stoutest heart, doing the right thing, the importance of family, being oneself.
Since I clearly don't have a very structured opinion of this movie, I'll just toss in a few more random, un-review-like comments. First, it is incredible to me how many chidlren's stories revolve around soup. Second, what is with this need to animate inanimate objects? When you already have talking mice and rats, do you really need to have a random collection of vegetables and other culinary debris turn into a genie sidekick? But then, what do I know? Maybe kids love that stuff.
Rating: 3.0
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