The Amazing Maurice (2022)

Based on Terry Pratchett’s Carnegie Medal-winning novel The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (which was in turn inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s Pied Piper of Hamelin), The Amazing Maurice follows a sassy, street-smart ginger cat with a sneaky disposition. Together with his band of rats and pied-piper friend Keith, he travels across the countryside, swindling villagers with a staged rat plague. But when the gang sets its sights on a scenic market town, they quickly realise that someone else got there first…

With a screenplay by Oscar nominee Terry Rossio, who co-wrote the Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean movies, The Amazing Maurice is a love letter to fables and the art of storytelling, a funny, flipped-on-its-head fairy tale that’s one of a kind, pure fun for all audiences.

The all-star voice cast is led by Emmy nominees Hugh Laurie (Avenue 5, House M.D.) as Maurice, Emilia Clarke (G’iah in Secret Invasion and Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones) as story narrator Malicia, Himesh Patel (Dr. Watson in Enola Holmes 2) as Keith, David Thewlis (Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter movies and Grail in Enola Holmes 2) as the dastardly Boss Man, and Emmy winner David Tennant (Doctor Who, Crowley in Good Omens, and the voice of Huyang in Ahsoka) as “Dangerous Beans”. 

Common Sense Media gives it a 4/5-star rating, recommending the film for ages 8+ and saying “this fun-packed animation captures the [Terry Pratchett] magic that appeals on multiple levels to kids and adults alike.”