THE AMAZING MAURICE
****
Director: Toby Genkel and Florian Westermann (co-director)
Screenplay: Terry Rossio, based on the book The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.
Principal cast:
Hugh Laurie (voice)
Emilia Clarke (voice)
David Thewlis (voice)
Himesh Patel (voice)
Gemma Arterton (voice)
David Tennant (voice)
Country: UK/Germany
Classification: PG
Runtime: 93 mins.
Australian release date: 12 January 2023.
The Amazing Maurice, based on a book by legendary Discworld creator Terry Pratchett is, as its sassy narrator will tell you, “… not your average fairytale.” The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents was the 28th volume in the Discworld series of 41 books, and the first primarily written for a younger audience, and the resulting animated film is a delight. It features a who’s who of top British actors voicing the characters, including Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, David Thewlis, Gemma Arterton, Hugh Bonneville, Rob Brydon and David Tennant.
Maurice (Hugh Laurie) is a talking cat who likes to be called ‘Maureece’, with the emphasis on the second syllable, and regards himself as… amazing. He thinks he’s terribly clever but he’s not as smart as he thinks he is. He and his human friend Keith (Himesh Patel), together with a pack of talking rats led by Dangerous Beans (David Tennant), have a successful scam going, whereby the rats enter a village, then Maurice arrives to tell the villagers they’re at risk of catching the plague from the rats but he knows a piper who can rid them of the rats - for a price. Voila! Keith pipes the rats out of town, followed by Maurice with the cash, then they regroup and head off to the next village to do it all again. It’s a trick that works every time until they come to the village of Bad Blintz, where here they meet a book-obsessed girl called Malicia (Emilia Clarke), the daughter of the mayor (Hugh Bonneville), who enlists their help to solve a mystery. All the local rats seem to have disappeared and yet something, or someone, is stealing all the villagers’ food.
Malicia comments on the plot in a very knowing way throughout The Amazing Maurice; because she’s a bookworm, she knows how these kinds of fairytales go. She tells Keith, for example, that he’s not handsome enough to be the love interest and not funny enough for comic relief, so she’s not sure how he fits into the story. Terry Rossio, who wrote the screenplay, has form writing perceptive dialogue for animation, having been one of the writers of Shrek and Aladdin (plus the first four of the live-action The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), and his script for this film will keep adults entertained and amused. Some of the commentary may go over the heads of younger viewers but they’ll be happy with the crisp images and colourful design of the characters. Tom Howe’s bright score is highly entertaining, too.
German director Toby Genkel says, “We created a piece that delivers on the promise of the novel in its visual and narrative vigour. I’m always impressed with how Pratchett manages to be casual and light-hearted yet, at the same time, unyielding, critical, and edgy. This is exactly the spirit we brought to our film… To say I am excited about this production is an understatement. I feel as if I have been preparing for a film like this my whole life. I am ready to introduce a whole new generation of people to Terry Pratchett’s enthralling imagination.” The Amazing Maurice is a real charmer.
Screenplay: Terry Rossio, based on the book The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.
Principal cast:
Hugh Laurie (voice)
Emilia Clarke (voice)
David Thewlis (voice)
Himesh Patel (voice)
Gemma Arterton (voice)
David Tennant (voice)
Country: UK/Germany
Classification: PG
Runtime: 93 mins.
Australian release date: 12 January 2023.
The Amazing Maurice, based on a book by legendary Discworld creator Terry Pratchett is, as its sassy narrator will tell you, “… not your average fairytale.” The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents was the 28th volume in the Discworld series of 41 books, and the first primarily written for a younger audience, and the resulting animated film is a delight. It features a who’s who of top British actors voicing the characters, including Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, David Thewlis, Gemma Arterton, Hugh Bonneville, Rob Brydon and David Tennant.
Maurice (Hugh Laurie) is a talking cat who likes to be called ‘Maureece’, with the emphasis on the second syllable, and regards himself as… amazing. He thinks he’s terribly clever but he’s not as smart as he thinks he is. He and his human friend Keith (Himesh Patel), together with a pack of talking rats led by Dangerous Beans (David Tennant), have a successful scam going, whereby the rats enter a village, then Maurice arrives to tell the villagers they’re at risk of catching the plague from the rats but he knows a piper who can rid them of the rats - for a price. Voila! Keith pipes the rats out of town, followed by Maurice with the cash, then they regroup and head off to the next village to do it all again. It’s a trick that works every time until they come to the village of Bad Blintz, where here they meet a book-obsessed girl called Malicia (Emilia Clarke), the daughter of the mayor (Hugh Bonneville), who enlists their help to solve a mystery. All the local rats seem to have disappeared and yet something, or someone, is stealing all the villagers’ food.
Malicia comments on the plot in a very knowing way throughout The Amazing Maurice; because she’s a bookworm, she knows how these kinds of fairytales go. She tells Keith, for example, that he’s not handsome enough to be the love interest and not funny enough for comic relief, so she’s not sure how he fits into the story. Terry Rossio, who wrote the screenplay, has form writing perceptive dialogue for animation, having been one of the writers of Shrek and Aladdin (plus the first four of the live-action The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), and his script for this film will keep adults entertained and amused. Some of the commentary may go over the heads of younger viewers but they’ll be happy with the crisp images and colourful design of the characters. Tom Howe’s bright score is highly entertaining, too.
German director Toby Genkel says, “We created a piece that delivers on the promise of the novel in its visual and narrative vigour. I’m always impressed with how Pratchett manages to be casual and light-hearted yet, at the same time, unyielding, critical, and edgy. This is exactly the spirit we brought to our film… To say I am excited about this production is an understatement. I feel as if I have been preparing for a film like this my whole life. I am ready to introduce a whole new generation of people to Terry Pratchett’s enthralling imagination.” The Amazing Maurice is a real charmer.
