The Tale of Despereaux (2008)

"The Tale of Despereaux" is a beautiful-looking animated film. It literally looks like a magical children's book come to life. But this mouse is no Mickey, nor "Ratatouielle." (yeah, that's a rat. Sue me.) Despereaux (voiced by Matthew Broderick) doesn't even show until some 20 minutes in, but we get a far-cooler rat (Dustin Hoffman) up front. Err, why? There's a villain, a king, a princess and a castle, and nothing new. The story, such as it is, requires narration from Sigourney Weaver to stay afloat. Directors Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen got the visual eye candy down, but nothing else. As the credits roll, the film scurries from the mind like a mouse in a hole. C