Terry Pratchett fans of all ages are preparing to enter an animated Discworld adventure when The Amazing Maurice makes its U.S. premiere! Selected to screen at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January, the CG-animated family flick will get a nationwide release through Viva Kids on February 3.
The stateside distributor has issued a new trailer to mark the occasion, which introduces Pratchett’s deconstructed fairytale with hints at a sinister plot — and the brave, if comical, characters ready to prat fall their way to uncovering it.
Synopsis: Maurice is a sassy, street-smart cat with a sneaky disposition. Together with his band of rats and pied-piper friend, he travels across the countryside, swindling villagers with a staged rat plague. All seems well when the gang sets its sights on a scenic market town, though they quickly realize that something more nefarious is afoot.
The town is already plagued by food-snatching rats, a pair of criminals, and a mysterious boss at the heart of the trouble. Joining forces with resident narrator and the mayor’s daughter Malicia, Maurice and his friends investigate trouble, fight daring battles, and discover the truth of the town’s unfortunate events.
The film features a stellar voice cast led by Hugh Laurie (House) as Maurice, Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as Malicia, Himesh Patel (Yesterday) as Keith, Gemma Arterton (The Girl with All the Gifts) as Peaches, David Thewlis (Enola Holmes 2) as Boss Man, Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) as The Mayor and David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Dangerous Beans.
The film is adapted from Pratchett’s novel The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, directed by Toby Genkel (A Stork’s Journey) from a script by Academy Award nominee Terry Rossio (Shrek, Aladdin 1992). Produced by Emely Christians at Ulysses Filmproduktion (Germany) and Andrew Baker and Robert Chandler at Cantilever Media (U.K.), animation services by Studio Rakete (Germany) and Red Star 3D (U.K.).
Read more about The Amazing Maurice in the February ’23 issue of Animation Magazine, available January 6.
