30
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.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
63
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
While the voice acting is fine and the story is nicely paced, the visuals are disappointing.
50
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.
30
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
The lesson learned from The Tale of Despereaux is that an overabundance of vocal talent does not a good cartoon make.
63
Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips
I admired the craft more than I loved the results. But The Tales of Despereaux is still better-than-average animation.
60
The Hollywood Reporter by Michael Rechtshaffen
The flatly generic results certainly appear at odds with the picture's stirring visual style, which pays homage to the great Flemish artists.
75
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger 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.
63
Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven 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.