My favourite film of this year is a tale of the equinox, that could have the subtitle: The Princess, the Mouse and he Rat, as its title is, in fact, The Tale of Desperaux. Yes, it's an animation film for children over 4 and a good one too. The best I've seen in years. Adults should watch it and learn from it also. It's mainly about deceiving appearances, courage and forgiveness. A very appropriate way of ending the Month of the Rat/Mouse in the Year of the Rat/Mouse.
Desperaux, a misfit tiny mouse with dumbo ears, no fear at all, a love for the arts and a passion for gentleness, turns himself into the hope of his medieval world. The cartoon is the tenderest mouse since Giggio, and the Princess falls in love with this knight with no shining armour (who wouldn't?). He learns the code of chivalry and lives by it, behaving as men should. Being a mouse and behaving as a gentleman gets him into trouble, but his heroics save the day in the end, showing that even a mouse can have a big heart.
However, he is not the sole hero of this fairy tale and he's certainly not the most improbable one. The story revolves around a distinct character, the rat Chiaroscuro, another creature of the equinox. If the dashing innocence of Desperaux can be connected to the sign of Aries, the balance of light and darkness of Roscuro can be connected to the sign of Libra. Indeed, they complement each other, as opposites normally do.
Roscuro is also a misfit in the underground world of the rats, in which he has got to live with the dark burden of guilt upon his shoulders, for one mistake he made by accident. He does his best to avoid all dirt around him, which is no easy task. He then protects Desperaux and, being a good listener, he's inspired by his story-telling. When he tries to make amends, his rat reputation (bad, ugly and dangerous) scares the Princess, who breaks his heart with her rejection. Yet, in the moment of truth, when he can achieve revenge by destroying the Princess, he shows that even a rat can have a good heart: he has seen the light and refuses to live in darkness any longer. The Princess and Roscuro forgive each other, and her melancholy vanishes due to the heroic actions of the gentlemouse and the gentlerat. We don't know if they lived happily ever after, but certainly they were happy at the end of this lovely story.
Until now, the most visited post in this blog is the one about the Year of the Rat/Mouse. Chances are this post is welcome as well. I hope so.
Desperaux, a misfit tiny mouse with dumbo ears, no fear at all, a love for the arts and a passion for gentleness, turns himself into the hope of his medieval world. The cartoon is the tenderest mouse since Giggio, and the Princess falls in love with this knight with no shining armour (who wouldn't?). He learns the code of chivalry and lives by it, behaving as men should. Being a mouse and behaving as a gentleman gets him into trouble, but his heroics save the day in the end, showing that even a mouse can have a big heart.
However, he is not the sole hero of this fairy tale and he's certainly not the most improbable one. The story revolves around a distinct character, the rat Chiaroscuro, another creature of the equinox. If the dashing innocence of Desperaux can be connected to the sign of Aries, the balance of light and darkness of Roscuro can be connected to the sign of Libra. Indeed, they complement each other, as opposites normally do.
Roscuro is also a misfit in the underground world of the rats, in which he has got to live with the dark burden of guilt upon his shoulders, for one mistake he made by accident. He does his best to avoid all dirt around him, which is no easy task. He then protects Desperaux and, being a good listener, he's inspired by his story-telling. When he tries to make amends, his rat reputation (bad, ugly and dangerous) scares the Princess, who breaks his heart with her rejection. Yet, in the moment of truth, when he can achieve revenge by destroying the Princess, he shows that even a rat can have a good heart: he has seen the light and refuses to live in darkness any longer. The Princess and Roscuro forgive each other, and her melancholy vanishes due to the heroic actions of the gentlemouse and the gentlerat. We don't know if they lived happily ever after, but certainly they were happy at the end of this lovely story.
Until now, the most visited post in this blog is the one about the Year of the Rat/Mouse. Chances are this post is welcome as well. I hope so.
