The Tale of Despereaux ***

Cast (voices): Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Waston, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Frank Langella, Sigourney Weaver
Directors: Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: G

Despereaux (Broderick) is a mouse who is banished from Mouseworld for not acting like a mouse. He doesn’t cower, he doesn’t intentionally trip mousetraps, and he speaks to humans. In the human’s world, he meets Princess Pea (Watson), and decides to go on a quest for her to restore sunlight to a dark and grey kingdom. He is assisted by the rat Roscuro (Hoffman), who had caused the problem in the first place. Meanwhile, Miggory Snow (Ullman), the princess’s servant, is plotting to remove the princess and take her place.

“Despereaux” has a more complex story than one might expect from G-rated fare, but it is not too much to alienate younger viewers. The storylines intersect well, and all come together in the end. The animation is good, but not Pixar quality. That is a small complaint, and Pixar is in a league of their own anyway. The voice talent is made up of many big names, and Broderick, Hoffman, and Watson are all excellent. This is an entertaining family film that can be enjoyed by all.

Kung Fu Panda ***
Cast (voices): Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Seth Rogen, Randall Duk Kim
Director: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Po the panda (Black) wants to be a martial arts expert. Unfortunately for him, he is working for his father (Hong) making noodle soup. One day, at the nearby temple, Master Oogway (Kim) has a vision that the evil Tia Lung (McShane) will escape from prison and wreak havoc. Now Oogway must determine who will be the Dragon Warrior, and defeat Tia Lung. The five contenders are: Monkey (Chan), Tigress (Jolie), Viper (Liu), Crand (Cross), and Mantis (Rogen), all apprentices of Master Shifu (Hoffman). Somehow, all of them are overlooked and Po is chosen. Now, Po must find it within himself to save the village, as Tia Lung has just escaped.

“Kung Fu Panda” is an entertaining, action packed film. The voice talents are all well chosen, especially Jack Black as the titular panda. The humor works, and adults and children will enjoy this film. The animation, while good, is about what one has come to expect in animated films. The animation bar is high, and “Kung Fu Panda” makes it over, but does not blow it away. “Kung Fu Panda” is a good family movie, and I recommend it.