The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux (2008) is an animated family adventure you can watch online on iFILM. In the kingdom of Dor lives a tiny mouse with comically huge ears who reads books instead of nibbling them and dreams of one day becoming a knight.

Banished to the dungeon for daring to dream so big, Despereaux befriends Roscuro, a rat who aches for the sunlit world above. Together they set out to rescue Princess Pea, whose fate is tangled up with that of a wishful serving girl named Miggery Sow. The result is a fable about courage, forgiveness and the quiet power of kindness, where the villains turn out to be the lost rather than the wicked. The voice cast is loaded: Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver as the narrator.

Adapted from Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning novel, the film is rendered to look like old oil paintings, warm and storybook rather than glossy 3D. A gentle watch with something for kids and grown-ups alike. Stream The Tale of Despereaux (2008) online on iFILM.