?THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX? -- A Mouse shows the Power of No-Cower =
This is the animated story of an unusual little mouse with super big ears named Despereaux (voiced by MATTHEW BRODERICK). The other mice see him as somewhat odd because, rather than ?cower? about things as they?ve been taught to do, he instead has an outgoing, fearless and brave attitude towards the world around him. Rat Roscuro (voiced by DUSTIN HOFFMAN) plays a discontented and role-shifting character as the cause of sadness in the kingdom, and servant girl Miggery Sow (voiced by TRACEY ULLMAN) lives an equally unhappy role in the palace. The human characters have the angularity and bulbousness of Dreamworks-type animation, while the animals have a wonderful, sophisticated sense of movement and character. While I found the story somewhat convoluted and weak in parts (& possibly scary to some very young kids), there?s an infectious enthusiasm of all involved, and thus you?ll be likely to enjoy seeing why the tag line ?Small Hero. Big Heart.? is very appropriate.