Some authors are cosy. Some have coziness thrust upon them. For reasons too convoluted to explain, mordant British writer Terry Pratchett, who died in 2015, has become synonymous with the festive season.
So it’s apt this 3D cartoon adaptation of his 2001 Discworld novel (which isn’t Christmassy, per se) has received a December release. Currently, we need all the cheer we can get and, given an extra push by two Davids (Tennant and Thewlis), Toby Genkel’s visually quirky kids movie delivers.
It’s a self-conscious riff on fairytale The Pied Piper, with arch heroine/narrator Malicia (Emilia Clarke) , the gothically-inclined Mayor’s daughter, guiding us through what amounts to an existential whodunnit. Rats (as well as food) are disappearing from all the towns in Discworld, to the horror of duplicitous ginger tom, Maurice (Hugh Laurie), who for years has been exploiting musophobia via a “Pied-Piper” scam.
Maurice works with a sweet musician called Keith (Himesh Patel) and a bunch of clever, if naive, talking rats, including the adorably zen Dangerous Beans (Tennant). Maurice realises they’ll all be out of a job if they don’t solve the mystery. So he and his gang, and Malicia, start looking for clues.
The baddie of the piece, Boss Man (Thewlis, channelling all his dark and whimsical intensity) is the most nebulous of puppet-masters, as hard to pin down as a blob of mercury.
If you have a problem with undulating fur and slinky-shiny tails, prepare to squeal. As someone whose second favourite character in Charlotte’s Web was brainy rat Templeton, I loved it. And it toys with our expectations about rats in an especially smart way.
The other highlight is getting to hang out with the ‘real’ Pied Piper (Rob Brydon). This lone-wolf musician lives in the forest, wears folk-horror garb and has a casually vicious mien. Tender-hearted infants may need assistance during these night-time scenes. It really feels as if we’ve stumbled into a thicket of malice.
Meanwhile, Pratchett devotees will appreciate a nice in-joke. In the Mayor’s house, a picture on the wall shows a turtle that looks just like Discworld’s Great A’Tuin. The way Pratchett blends myths and eco-concerns has had a huge influence on younger artists (Disney’s Strange World owes him a huge debt). But Genkel and scriptwriter Terry Rossio don’t over-do the deference.
They’ve made a breezy little film, about how it’s cool to be a rat. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!
