The little mouse with the big ears comes to life in Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen's "The Tale of Despereaux," an animated family adventure about a mouse who befriends a human princess and likes to read books. How much do the Web's critics like Despereaux? Let's find out:

• Brian Orndorf at Collider: "It's frustrating to watch 'Tale' flounder as much as it does, but when the filmmakers don't seem particularly comfortable with the source material, it doesn't invite the viewer inside to experience any potential magic."

• Joblo's JimmyO: "I for one find more joy in the cute little white mice that you can find at your local pet store."

• George Roush at LatinoReview: "I would go on but the cartoon was so boring, that just writing about it is putting me to sleep. Nobody in the theater seemed to be enjoying it, and I noticed a lot of kids getting restless."

• Kevin Carr at FilmSchoolRejects: "The animation is slick and pretty realistic. It breaks down on the human characters, but the aforementioned cute critters look pretty snazzy."