The Tale of Despereaux

"Small Mouse. Big Dreams."

2008 1h 33m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 1,051

AdventureAnimationFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Once upon a time... in the far away kingdom of Dor... lived a brave and virtuous mouse with comically oversized ears who dreamt of becoming a knight. Banished from his home for having such lofty ambitions, Despereaux sets off on an amazing adventure with his good-hearted rat friend Roscuro, who leads him, at long last, on a very noble quest to rescue an endangered princess and save an entire kingdom from darkness.

“Small Mouse. Big Dreams.”

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Cast

Matthew Broderick
Despereaux (voice)
Dustin Hoffman
Roscuro (voice)
Emma Watson
Princess Pea (voice)
Tracey Ullman
Miggery Sow (voice)
Kevin Kline
Chef Andre (voice)
Sigourney Weaver
The Narrator (voice)
William H. Macy
Lester (voice)
Stanley Tucci
Boldo (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sam Fell
Writers: Gary Ross, Will McRobb, Chris Viscardi
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sam Fell, shot by Brad Blackbourn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Ross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Solomon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Matthew Broderick and Dustin Hoffman and Emma Watson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Small Mouse. Big Dreams.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sam Fell directs. Brad Blackbourn behind the camera. William Ross scores. Mark Solomon cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 18 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Sam Fell, shot by Brad Blackbourn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by William Ross. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mark Solomon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Matthew Broderick and Dustin Hoffman and Emma Watson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Small Mouse. Big Dreams.".
9IMDB entry: tt0420238 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "based on novel or book", "forgiveness", "loyalty", "totalitarian regime".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.