The Tale of Despereaux(2008)

Universal Pictures

G
1h 33m

Release Date: Dec 19, 2008

B
6.1

An unusually brave mouse helps to restore happiness to a forlorn kingdom after making friends with a gentleman rat.

Releases

Original Release | Dec 19, 2008

View Advanced Data

Box Office Results

Updated as of Mar 27, 2026 07:05 PM ET

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$10,103,675
Total US & Canada:
$50,877,145
Total International
$36,080,135
Total Worldwide:
$86,957,280

Current Showtimes

orround

Mon Aug 17
Tue Aug 18
Wed Aug 19
Thu Aug 20
Fri Aug 21
Sat Aug 22
Sun Aug 23

Director & Top Cast

Sam Fell
Director

Robert Stevenhagen
Director

Matthew Broderick
Despereaux

Emma Watson
Princess Pea

Dustin Hoffman
Roscuro

Tracey Ullman
Miggery Sow

Kevin Kline

Andre

William H. Macy

Lester

Stanley Tucci

Boldo

Ciarán Hinds

Botticelli

Robbie Coltrane

Gregory

Tony Hale

Furlough

Frances Conroy

Antoinette

Frank Langella

Mayor

Richard Jenkins

Principal

Christopher Lloyd

Hovis

Charles Shaughnessy

Pietro

Sigourney Weaver

Narrator

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital,DTS,SDDS

Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United Kingdom,United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

The film opens with a ship sailing into the kingdom of Dor, known for its 'Royal Soup Day.' Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), a rat, is aboard with a human companion, Pietro.Roscuro is mesmerized by the aroma of soup being prepared in the castle's kitchens and he escapes Pietro to find the source. In doing so, he finds the castle banquet room and falls into the Queen's soup after she takes the first bite. The Queen then has a heart attack falls headfirst on her soup bowl and eventually drowns with no one noticing. Meanwhile, Roscuro is being chased about the castle. The chase finally ends when Roscuro falls into a vent and plunges into the dungeons.The king in his grief orders soup to be forbidden and rats banished, and the town falls into eternal darkness and famine. Roscuro meanwhile, meets Botticelli (Ciaran Hinds), the brutal leader of the rat world.A few years later, an adventurous mouse, Despereaux (Matthew Broderick) is born, and becomes friends with the lonely Princess Pea (Emma Watson). Upon finding out that Despereaux has broken the law by speaking with a human, the Mouse Council banishes him to the dungeons, from where he is saved by Roscuro. Despereaux tells Roscuro of the princess's gloom, which touches the rat.Roscuro approaches the princess to apologize, but she is terrified of him and he is chased out. Hurt, he decides to kidnap the princess. He enlists the help of a servant girl, Miggery Sow (Tracey Ullman), whom he later double crosses, and locks in a cell.Meanwhile, Despereaux realizes that the princess is in danger. Back in the rat colony, Roscuro sees the apologetic sincerity in Pea's eyes and regrets his actions, but is unable to stop the rats, to whom he has given her, from clambering over her. Here Despereaux comes to the rescue, letting loose a cat. Roscuro causes Botticelli to run into the cat's cage for a fatal end. The battle over, he finally apologizes, and is forgiven.In the end, Mig is rescued by the jailer, who is revealed to be her father, and Roscuro is reunited with Pietro. The princess and the king decide to soothe their grief by relying on each other for support. Despereaux, reunited with his family, remains close friends with the princess.With that accomplished, Despereaux bids the princess adieu as he falls out of a tower window, only to stretch out his ears while out of sight to glide away to his next adventure.

Storyline

The tale of three unlikely heroes - a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears - whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle's princess. — Anonymous To celebrate the Royal Soup Day at the annual spring festival in the distant and idyllic kingdom of Dor, the royal chef Andre proudly presents his most intricate and delicious creation for his Queen, only to see it spoiled when the hideous rat Roscuro ruins the celebrations. Under those circumstances, the inconsolable King then banishes all rats and soup from Dor sinking the Kingdom and its good citizens into melancholy, however, in Mouseland, Despereaux, a teeny tiny mouse with big ears refuses to cower and decides to take matters into his own two little, yet capable hands. Of course, when you are so small, even for a mouse, the world can be a dangerous place, but on the other hand, when your heart is brave, nothing can stand against your dreams. — Nick Riganas After the queen of Dor dies when a rat falls in her soup, the king banishes all rats and soup from the kingdom. Roscuro, an unusually kind and dreaming rat, must retreat to a hideous colony of the rats of Dor, where the rats' ruler is determined to turn Roscuro into a cruel rodent. Despereaux is a courageous mouse, much to the dismay of his peers and family. When Despereaux is banished after interacting with Princess Pea of Dor and reading a book instead of eating it, he must leave to live in the rat colony. Roscuro saves Despereaux from a forced battle and befriends him. The new and unlikely pair sets out on adventures to bring happiness back to Dor in this tale of courage, fate, and kindness. A young male mouse with big ears must team up with a male rat to help save a kidnapped human princess from a team of villainous rats and restore happiness and peace in a kingdom that has been struggling for many generations and are finding it difficult to live. — RECB3

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