The Tale of Despereaux

A refreshingly gentle animated children's film (spawned by Kate DiCamillo's much-loved, prize-winning storybook), The Tale of Despereaux nonetheless boasts a strongly-starred voice-over cast.

It's the story of a brave little mouse, Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a spiteful rat, Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), a scullery maid, Miggery Sow (Tracy Ullman) and the beautiful Princess Pea (Emma Watson).

Now, Roscuro is somewhat peeved: having arrived in the kingdom for the unveiling of a new soup recipe, he has accidentally fallen into the Queen's dish, the Queen has died of shock and the grieving King has promptly banned both rats and soup.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, Despereaux has been born different to other mice; courageous and well-read, he will clearly go far, and indeed he soon forges a close bond with the Princess, who is still in mourning.

Alas, this is a transgression punishable by a stint in the castle dungeon, and it is here that our hero encounters both Roscuro and the lowly Miggery. And when the reformed, guilt-ridden rat attempts a potentially disastrous ploy to make amends, the little mouse must save the day.

A lively, beautifully-animated tale with a steady, slow narration by Sigourney Weaver, it makes for a charming family film for the holiday season.