The Tale of Despereaux

The way the critics and the Hollywood hype machine toted this adaptation of the Newberry winning children's book from Kate DiCamillo we can all be forgiven for expecting something special. Across the board from child to adult I have yet to meet anybody happy with it. I've not read the book but the impression I'm getting is they mucked about with the story and in the process lost the magic which made it so popular. For my money it was a case of been there and seen that. Anybody familiar with RATATOUIlLE ot THE MOUSE HUNT will immediately see what I'm getting at. I also had a problem with the style in which they chose to animate the human characters involved but this is a matter of my own preference and not a true criticism. Still, it's a pleasant enough piece of work and adults will have fun picking out the voice work of a stunng cast. I had some guilt issues while watching the Matthew Broderick voiced Despereaux as I've recently had to deal with a mouse infestation. Seems a family or two of the little buggers had taken residence up in the walls of my house and from the sounds of it were forming their own Premiership football league! Of course the exterminator had to be called in for this problem, and this very pleasant fellow brought some feedtraps of what sounded to me like a rather cruel but effective way of poisoning the rodents. The general effect is one where the lungs are compromised thus driving the mice out of the walls and into the open in an attempt to gain air, which they of course can't so you end up with little dead mice all over the place rather than stinking the bloody high heaven in the walls. Sad thing to do but I'd rather that than die in an electrical fire in my sleep and you just pick the little things up and flush 'em down the toilet. This was all well and good except one I tried to flush wasn't dead. No......that poor little feller with the big eyes and ears just like Despereaux who I was pretty sure has skittered off to mousie Heaven made like Lazarus and was squeaking the bleedin' bejezus when it hit the water.
I flushed it just the same and I doubt it will ever know I was doing it a favor much like I'm doing you when I say don't expect too much from THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX.....that way you might be pleasantly surprised.