The book was a wonderful intertwining of four key story lines: Princess Pea and her overwhelming sadness, Roscuro the rat born into darkness, Miggery Sow the peasant girl that wanted to be a princess and Despereaux, the mouse born to be brave. I had high hopes that the movie adaptation would stay true to the story and build the four story lines until they would inevitably be linked within one another. I was pleasantly surprised that the movie adaptation stayed pretty true to the book.
The King and the Princess Pea were every bit as sad and pathetic in the movie as they were in the book and Despereaux was just as adorable as we imagined him being. I was also very happy to see that they did have a narrator in the movie as the voice of the narrator played such a big part in the book.
A few key points which were changed in the movie version that did the plot a disservice were:
Roscuro the RatBook version: Roscuro was born in the dungeon and craved light because it was something he never had. He was jealous of anything or anyone that was able to leave the dungeon. It was that jealousy and coveting that led to his hate and bitterness and ultimately the decision to harm the Princess Pea. He was an utterly unredeemable character throughout the entire book until the very end when the Princess Pea forgave him. It was only after she offered her forgiveness that Roscuro repented and then shared his knowledge about Miggery Sow and the prisoner.
Movie version: Roscuro was a ship rat that was accidentally left ashore and through a series of unfortunate events he came to live in the dungeon. He began as a good character but after being imprisoned in the dungeon he turned bitter and was led astray by an evil rat leader therefore he was viewed as a redeemable character. He was redeemed in the end and found his way back to a ship. The entrance and exit of the movie centered on Roscuro which was misleading because he certainly wasn’t the lead or main character.
Miggery Sow:
Book version: Miggery was born into a loving family and was only given away at the age of six after her father could no longer care for her. She was then later traded at the age of twelve and taken to the kingdom to become a servant. She was inherently unintelligent and therefore received a number of clouts to the ear by the family raising her which was ultimately what led to her ear deformity and deafness. This was a key point to her story because it was her belief that she was unloved by her birth family and unloved and abused by her adoptive family that led to her sadness, despair, and desire to be someone else. Miggery’s father was also revealed to be the prisoner that shared his sins with Roscuro.
Movie version: Miggery wasn’t as big of a character in the movie as she was in the book. The movie left out the clouting and abuse she received which was understandable since it was an animated children’s movie. Additionally, Miggery’s father was revealed to be Gregory the prison guard which was a plot change that made little or no sense, to me at least.
Lastly, the introduction of the imaginary friend (or as I call him “Vegetable man”) of the chef (who was a female and referred to as “cook” in the book version) was a completely mute point that had no relevance to story, character, theme, or plot. I have been told that the “vegetable man” is in the graphic novel version of The Tale of Despereaux but that was one change that should have been left out of the movie version. I will say, however, that the rats jumping up and trying eat away at the “vegetable man” served as a source of great humor for every three and four year old boy in the theater.
I really enjoyed this movie and felt that it adapted well to the screen. Overall, the screen adaptation stayed pretty true to the book and I was happy with the film.
The King and the Princess Pea were every bit as sad and pathetic in the movie as they were in the book and Despereaux was just as adorable as we imagined him being. I was also very happy to see that they did have a narrator in the movie as the voice of the narrator played such a big part in the book.
A few key points which were changed in the movie version that did the plot a disservice were:
Roscuro the RatBook version: Roscuro was born in the dungeon and craved light because it was something he never had. He was jealous of anything or anyone that was able to leave the dungeon. It was that jealousy and coveting that led to his hate and bitterness and ultimately the decision to harm the Princess Pea. He was an utterly unredeemable character throughout the entire book until the very end when the Princess Pea forgave him. It was only after she offered her forgiveness that Roscuro repented and then shared his knowledge about Miggery Sow and the prisoner.
Movie version: Roscuro was a ship rat that was accidentally left ashore and through a series of unfortunate events he came to live in the dungeon. He began as a good character but after being imprisoned in the dungeon he turned bitter and was led astray by an evil rat leader therefore he was viewed as a redeemable character. He was redeemed in the end and found his way back to a ship. The entrance and exit of the movie centered on Roscuro which was misleading because he certainly wasn’t the lead or main character.
Miggery Sow:
Book version: Miggery was born into a loving family and was only given away at the age of six after her father could no longer care for her. She was then later traded at the age of twelve and taken to the kingdom to become a servant. She was inherently unintelligent and therefore received a number of clouts to the ear by the family raising her which was ultimately what led to her ear deformity and deafness. This was a key point to her story because it was her belief that she was unloved by her birth family and unloved and abused by her adoptive family that led to her sadness, despair, and desire to be someone else. Miggery’s father was also revealed to be the prisoner that shared his sins with Roscuro.
Movie version: Miggery wasn’t as big of a character in the movie as she was in the book. The movie left out the clouting and abuse she received which was understandable since it was an animated children’s movie. Additionally, Miggery’s father was revealed to be Gregory the prison guard which was a plot change that made little or no sense, to me at least.
Lastly, the introduction of the imaginary friend (or as I call him “Vegetable man”) of the chef (who was a female and referred to as “cook” in the book version) was a completely mute point that had no relevance to story, character, theme, or plot. I have been told that the “vegetable man” is in the graphic novel version of The Tale of Despereaux but that was one change that should have been left out of the movie version. I will say, however, that the rats jumping up and trying eat away at the “vegetable man” served as a source of great humor for every three and four year old boy in the theater.
I really enjoyed this movie and felt that it adapted well to the screen. Overall, the screen adaptation stayed pretty true to the book and I was happy with the film.
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