The Amazing Maurice

➤ Rated PG
➤ Theaters

Imagine a version of The Princess Bride in which Buttercup narrates the film and also eyes viewers a dozen times as she ­lectures them on the elements of traditional fairy tales. Or Elsa in Frozen “breaking the fourth wall” to signal ongoing plot devices­—“Observe how Olaf provides comic relief.” If these cinematic tactics don’t sound appealing, neither will The Amazing Maurice and its heroine, Malicia.

The film is based on Terry Pratchett’s novel The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, and it begins as a fun twist on the classic pied piper story. Maurice the cat (Hugh Laurie) leads a “plague” of rats into various towns. Another player in this hustle is a pied piper named Keith (Himesh Patel). Maurice exacts payment from beleaguered townsfolk, and Keith tootles the rats away. But when Maurice, the rats, and Keith arrive at a town called Bad Blintz, they find a strange situation: No local rats and a food supply that has disappeared. They also meet Malicia (Emilia Clarke), the daughter of the town’s mayor—and the film’s narrator.

But Malicia does more than narrate. She describes how Keith doesn’t measure up as a fairy-tale hero, and she explains literary devices, such as framing and ­foreshadowing, for the viewers’ benefit. Maurice addresses the audience, too: “She thinks the story is about her. It’s not. Check the title.” These asides interrupt an increasingly aimless plot, which features the Rat King, his goons, and some mildly scary moments.

The film has some positive elements: humorous lines, vivid animation, no sensuality or bad language, and Gabrielle Aplin’s catchy tune “Side by Side” during the credits. The credits are those scrolling names after the movie finishes.

Animated films featuring cats

• The Aristocats / 1970
• Oliver and Company / 1988
• Felix the Cat: The Movie / 1989
• Tom and Jerry: The Movie / 1993
• The Lion King / 1994
• Cats Don’t Dance / 1997
• The Cat Returns / 2002
• Puss in Boots / 2011
• Luck / 2022