Review of 'The Amazing Maurice'

Talking cat Maurice (voiced by Hugh Laurie) with the help of a group of sentient rats and the rather dim-witted pied-piper Keith (voiced by Himesh Patel) have set up a racket of “ridding” Discworld towns of their own plague of rats…for a fee, of course. When they visit the town of Bad Blintz they discover a mystery: There are no rats but there is also no food. The group team up with the precocious daughter of the mayor, Malicia (voiced by Emilia Clarke) to figure out what is going on.

Based on the Terry Pratchett book The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents this delightful film will appeal both the young and the old with it's light-hearted humour (despite the somewhat dark source material) and it's fast-paced, vibrant animation. Fans of Terry Pratchett and Discworld will find the glimpses and inside jokes from the various books entertaining as well (spot The Luggage and the Discworld map). The story is easy to follow with only a slight bit of mystery that many will have figured out very quickly but the entertainment is seeing how it is revealed, much like many Pratchett stories…Indeed, I think Pratchett himself, were he alive today, would approve of this adaptation which is far superior to many previous attempts at bringing his stories to the screen. With this said, “The Amazing Maurice” does tend to feel a bit draggy in the middle before ramping up to the frenetic finale.

The CGI animation is good but not exceptional, similar to many other child-friendly films of recent years. The voice cast is impressive with many big-names in attendance: Comedian Rob Brydon as the voice of the Pied Piper, former Dr. Who David Tennant as the voice of rat Dangerous Beans, Hugh Bonneville as the voice of the mayor never mind, of course, Hugh Laurie perfectly captures the voice of the rather smug and self-satisfied Maurice.

An entertaining visit to Discworld in the company of a quirky and ironic animated cat. Old and young will appreciate this fun film.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2025-01-12

Directed by: Toby Genkel and Florian Westermann

Studio: Sky

Year: 2022

Length: 93 minutes

Genre: Animation

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10473036/