The Tale of Despereaux
Universal Pictures | Release Date: December 19, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
10
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
30
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The lesson learned from The Tale of Despereaux is that an overabundance of vocal talent does not a good cartoon make. Read full review
25
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Kids will get antsy, wondering why their favorite characters disappear for long stretches of the film, while adults will wonder just when this scattershot approach to storytelling will congeal into something resembling coherence. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A skillfully managed fairy tale about a mouse, a rat, and fairy tales in general. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Many of the charms of Kate DiCamillo's best-selling children's book are lost in this British animation by Dreamworks alumni Sam Fell (Flushed Away) and Rob Stevenhagen. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It is a joy to look at frame by frame, and it would be worth getting the Blu-ray to do that. I am not quite so thrilled by the story, which at times threatens to make "Gormenghast" seem straightforward. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
I admired the craft more than I loved the results. But The Tales of Despereaux is still better-than-average animation. Read full review
60
EmpireStaff (Not credited)
While it meanders on its way to the requisite happy ending, the lush, stylised animation and courtly flourishes would win over anyone. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyAdam Markovitz
Too bad the story's such a mess. Read full review
40
Film ThreatStina Chyn
As easy as it is to pass down mantras of fear and hate from parent to child or society to community (and individual), so is the imprinting of courage and compassion through conversation, emulation, books, plays, films, and the like. The Tale of Despereaux, aims to share such a message. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesSheri Linden
A rare creature, not only for the handmade look and subtlety of its computer-generated imagery but also for its irony-free embrace of once-upon-a-time storytelling. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
More like Disney's "Sleeping Beauty," somber, slow and elegant instead of frantic and dazzling. Read full review
50
NPRBob Mondello
A little slow for the very youngest kids -- though the messages it imparts are certainly ones you'll want them to hear. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
The tiny, intrepid rodent is so cute it's impossible not to ooh and aww, just looking at him. Which is a good thing, because you'll need something to get you through the long stretches of fairytale pastiche that make up this overwrought yarn. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
While the voice acting is fine and the story is nicely paced, the visuals are disappointing. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
May not be a classic, but it still has a lot of class. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Unfortunately, the life has been sucked out of DiCamillo's story about a brave, unusual little mouse. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
Despereaux at least has too much ambition rather than too little, but its curiously intellectual pleasures suggest a quaint puzzle rather than a passionately loved fairy tale. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The movie is a freakish creature, with lush, painterly animation inspired by Dutch and Flemish masters, attached to a convoluted, gloomy narrative punctuated with scenes of sadism that rival "The Dark Knight." Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
The flatly generic results certainly appear at odds with the picture's stirring visual style, which pays homage to the great Flemish artists. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
A pleasantly immersive, beautifully animated, occasionally sleepy tale. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineTracie Cooper
A perfect fairytale, adhering to The Princess Bride's standards of fighting, fencing, torture, and true love, without the ham-fisted moral element of so many of its fairy-tale predecessors. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
While the story does not quite come to magical life, the themes of courage, hope and decency are sweetly inspiring. Read full review
50
VarietyJustin Chang
This graphically well-rendered kidpic is less crass and mouthy than many recent feature-length toons, but also more sluggish and ungainly as it tries to approximate DiCamillo's singularly delicate tone. Read full review
30
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Clumsily wedged in like a TV commercial between deafening stunts, the emotional storytelling sinks without trace, leaving you with only one flawed character to cling to. Read full review
50
Washington PostJohn Anderson
As usual with these animated epics, much depends on the vocal performances, and it's a mixed bag. Read full review
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