I think this movie (which is otherwise very good) is really off for the pre-K/K set and iffy for 1st-2nd grade. The site review implies that the only issue is some cat/mouse scariness, but in fact the whole movie is, as the BBFC rating says, "tonally dark". The site review says that a minor character dies early on; in fact this character is the princess's mother, the incident of her death is revisited throughout the film, and the human characters grieve deeply for her. Adding to how upsetting this event is, the movie does not provide an obvious cause, which can give the impression to a young kid that their mother can just drop dead. The mouse (Deveraux) is banished to the dungeon for breaking a rule (talking to a human) that was not specifically articulated to him; the expectation is that he will be eaten by the rats (so it is de facto a death sentence). His parents just sit helplessly watching this, crying in their hankies but doing nothing to interfere. A rat which is a "good" character for most of the movie does something truly awful; a peasant girl quite delusional (i mean mental-illness delusional, not just has fancy ideas); the villain is definitely not played for laughs; there are "gladiatorial" scenes were victims have to fight for their lives; etc. This is a good movie for kids that are able to handle dark material, and raises some very good issues about the complexity of human behaviour and especially grief. It is good watching for adults, but approach it carefully and be prepared to spend a lot of time discussing it. Frankly, because of the persistent dark tone, I wouldn't even have rated it G, I think it is a PG emotionally even though it lacks a lot of the "tickboxes" like violence, language and so on.

If your kid(s) worry about a character while in peril then you may wish to reconsider this one. A minor character has a heart-attack which leads to endless questions but not concern. One character is over obsessed with being a princess and helps one rat kidnap the real princess. This message might (and probably SHOULD) be questioned. Rats are the villains and portrayed as such they can get a little intense. At one point they tie up the princess and prepare to serve her for supper. At this point my seven year old began crying. He REALLY did not like this scene! He asked us not to buy the movie. He bounced back once the scene was over. Think about your child's reaction to past movies. Some kids may take this in stride, while others not so much. It was a good movie, several sub-plots go on simultaneously which may seem confusing but they all get resolved.

not so good

It is hard to believe this is a G rated film. The film starts with a death, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but might not be the kind of thing that is easy to explain to young children. The film just gets darker from there. The mice throw Despereaux out by tossing him down a well. The rats condemn prisoners to die gladiator style in a ring facing off with a cat. The young maid is sold off by her abusive guardians along with a load of pigs. Some characters trap the princess, tie her up, and attempt to feed her to the rats. It's all very disturbing and not something easy for young kids to understand.

I took my children ages 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 to see this movie. It's my fault for not checking more reviews of the movie before seeing it. This movie was morose, scary, depressing for about 90% of the movie. Very scary for younger children and we almost walked out.

The previews led us to expect this would be a light-hearted family movie. Instead, it was about longing, loneliness, and danger. It seemed like the movie characters went through one threatening event after another, and just when you thought things would be getting better, they got worse. The happy ending was too sudden, and not enough of a payoff to reward you for sitting through all that misery. I will say that the animation was amazing and beautifully executed. I was sorry, though, that the story did not match the artistry of the animation. I would not recommend this movie for young children.

Very well done and fun movie my 5 year old loved it as well. It has somthing for the whole family

I was enjoying the movie, since it is imaginative and well-made, with compelling and beautifully-realized imaginary worlds for the rats and mice. But even I found it slow, and my 5-year old lost interest not even half-way thru. If you child is a few years older, is captivated by imaginary worlds and has a good attention span, it could be well worth seeing. For children younger than six or even seven, I think it's too dark-themed for too long.

This attempt at adapting the complex novel was ok, more time could have been spent on the mature themes instead of skimming over them. A sequel would be good or a longer movie. I do believe the overall values expressed are important for kids to be exposed to. My 5 yr old who loves literature enjoyed it, but his friends that watch power rangers and play video games all day didn't get it.