The Tale of Despereaux Movie Cast, Plot and Everything to Know

Plot

What's the story about?

Plot

Once upon a time, in the faraway kingdom of Dor, there was magic in the air, laughter aplenty and gallons of mouthwatering soup. But an accident left the King broken-hearted, the Princess filled with longing and the townsfolk without their soup. Sunlight disappeared. The world became gray. All hope was lost in this land...until Despereaux Tilling was born.

A modern fairy tale from visionary filmmaker Gary Ross, together with directors Sam Fell & Rob Stevenhagen, The Tale of Despereaux tells the story of several unlikely heroes: Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a brave mouse banished to the dungeon for speaking with a human; Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), a good-hearted rat who loves light and soup, but is exiled to darkness; Pea (Emma Watson), a Princess in a gloomy castle who is prisoner to her father's grief; and Mig (Tracey Ullman), a servant girl who longs to be a Princess, but is forced to serve the jailer (Robbie Coltrane).

Tiny and graced with oversized ears, Despereaux was born too big for his little world. Refusing to live his life cowering, he befriends a Princess named Pea and learns to read (rather than eat) books—reveling in stories of knights, dragons and fair maidens. Banished from Mouseworld for being more man than mouse, Despereaux is rescued by another outcast, Roscuro, who also wants to hear the tales. But when the Princess dismisses Roscuro's friendship, he becomes the ultimate rat and plots revenge with fellow outsider Mig.

After Pea is kidnapped, Despereaux discovers he is the only one who can rescue her...and that even the tiniest mouse can find the courage of a knight in shining armor. In this tale of bravery, forgiveness and redemption, one small creature will teach a kingdom that it takes only a little light to show the truth: what you look like doesn't equal what you are.

Adventure Drama Family Animation Kids

Top Cast

The lead cast starring in The Tale of Despereaux.

• 
  Emma Watson

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, Beauty and the Beast

• 
  Matthew Broderick

  No Hard Feelings, The Lion King

• D
  Dustin Hoffman

  Riff Raff, Kung Fu Panda 2

• 
  Sigourney Weaver

  The Gorge, Avatar: Fire and Ash

• 
  Christopher Lloyd

  Nobody 2, Nobody

• 
  William H. Macy

  Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Wild Hogs 2: Bachelor Ride

• 
  Stanley Tucci

  The Electric State, Conclave

• 
  Kevin Kline

  Beauty and the Beast, The Good House

• 
  Ciaran Hinds

  Small Things Like These, John Carter

• R
  Robbie Coltrane

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

• T
  Tracey Ullman

  The Actor, The Prom

• 
  Tony Hale

  Inside Out 2, Angry Birds

Crew Behind the Film

The The Tale of Despereaux behind-the-scenes crew and production team.

The film's director Sam Fell last directed Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and ParaNorman. The film's writer Kate DiCamillo last wrote Because of Winn-Dixie.

Director

Sam Fell
Gary Ross
Robert Stevenhagen

Screenwriters

Kate DiCamillo
Will McRobb
Gary Ross

Producers

Gary Ross
Tracy Shaw
Allison Thomas

Production Details

What we know about the The Tale of Despereaux movie production.

Key Facts

• Adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's book "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread."

Production Updates for The Tale of Despereaux

Dec 2008

Completed

Changed The Tale of Despereaux movie production status. The movie is ready for release.

Have updates about The Tale of Despereaux? We'd love to hear from you!

Submit update

Additional Information

All Trailers

Watch official The Tale of Despereaux movie trailers and clips.

Questions

Looking for more information on The Tale of Despereaux?

Across the Web

• Get Tickets & Showtimes
• Buy on Amazon
• IMDb