The Amazing Maurice Synopsis & Review: Plot Summary

🎯 Quick Overview

😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained

A cat and his rat buddies run a low-rent Pied Piper scam until they stumble upon a real rat-based conspiracy, and a girl obsessed with story tropes decides to narrate the whole thing, much to the cat’s annoyance.

🍿 The Amazing Maurice: Detailed Plot Synopsis

The Scam

Maurice, a streetwise cat voiced by Hugh Laurie, orchestrates a clever scam alongside a group of literate rats and a young piper named Keith. They travel from town to town, staging rat infestations and then ‘solving’ the problem for a fee. This setup showcases Maurice’s cunning and the rats’ unique intelligence. The gang arrives in Bad Blintz, a town suffering from a food shortage. The team soon discovers that things are not as they seem when they encounter strange traps and a distinct lack of local rats, and the mayor’s daughter Malicia. This sets the stage for a more complex mystery beyond their usual con.

Unraveling the Mystery

Malicia, voiced by Emilia Clarke, a book-loving and quick-witted girl, quickly sees through Maurice’s scheme and enlists their help to solve the food shortage. Their investigation leads them to the local rat catchers, where they uncover a secret passage leading to a basement filled with food. It’s revealed that the rat catchers are capturing rats alive for entertainment purposes. They are forcing them to fight dogs in a ring. This discovery adds a layer of darkness to the story and puts the rats in real danger.

Facing the Rat King

The rat catchers reveal they inadvertently created a ‘Rat King,’ a horrifying amalgamation of rats with a single, evil sentience, capable of controlling other rats. This Rat King, disguised as ‘The Boss Man,’ becomes the primary antagonist. Maurice, Keith, and Malicia embark on a quest to find the real Pied Piper and steal his magical flute. The flute is the only weapon known to defeat the Rat King. This leads to a dangerous and exciting adventure in the surrounding woods.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained

🎬 Cast & Characters

• Maurice (Hugh Laurie): A street-smart talking cat who orchestrates a money-making scam with a group of intelligent rats and Keith.
• Malicia (Emilia Clarke): The mayor’s story-obsessed daughter who joins Maurice’s group and helps them uncover a sinister plot.
• Keith (Himesh Patel): A seemingly simple-minded young man who plays the pipe as part of Maurice’s scam.
• Boss Man / Rat King (David Thewlis): The main antagonist, a sentient Rat King formed by knotted rat tails, who controls other rats and threatens Bad Blintz.
• Dangerous Beans (David Tennant): A wise and spiritual rat who acts as the moral compass for the group and a key member of Maurice’s rat gang.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Maurice: “Trickery is what humans are all about! They’re so keen on tricking each other they elect governments to do it for them!” – Maurice explains his cynical view of humanity while justifying the scam he and his rat companions run on unsuspecting towns.
• Malicia: “You know, stories are lies, designed to make people believe something.” – Malicia often breaks the fourth wall to explain storytelling tropes and discuss the nature of narratives.
• Dangerous Beans: “Cooperation, loyalty, integrity, honesty, courage, and independent thinking. These are the most important.” – Dangerous Beans’ reminds Maurice of important values

💰Box Office

• Budget: $17,000,000
• Domestic Gross: $4,303,645
• Worldwide Gross: $21,122,082

💥 The Amazing Maurice Reviews

Personal Review

I was excited to see a Terry Pratchett story animated, but ‘The Amazing Maurice’ left me a bit underwhelmed. The humor didn’t quite land as well as it does in the books. While the voice acting was great, the animation felt a little generic, and the story felt rushed. The real Pied Piper scene was fun. Overall, it’s a decent family movie, but it doesn’t capture the magic of Discworld for me.

• Who would enjoy:
  • “Fans of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series”
  • “Families looking for an animated adventure”
  • “Viewers who enjoy fairy tale adaptations with a twist”
  • “People who like talking animal movies”
• Content warnings ⚠:
  • “Mild peril and fantasy violence”
  • “Some dark themes involving animal cruelty”
  • “Brief scenes of implied character death”

Professional Reviews

• Variety: “While the voice acting is strong, the animation lacks visual flair and ambitious world-building. The humor feels forced, and the narrative struggles to find its footing, resulting in a serviceable but ultimately forgettable adaptation.
• The Guardian: “The film is a charming if somewhat lightweight adaptation of Pratchett’s novel. The animation is bright and colorful, and the voice cast is excellent, but it lacks the depth and satirical edge of the source material.
• Empire: “Though the animation style is not the most visually striking and is rather generic at times, the charm of Pratchett’s wit manages to shine through thanks to strong voice performances.

Audience Reactions

The voice acting, especially Hugh Laurie as Maurice, was fantastic.: Many viewers praised the voice acting, humorous elements, and suitability for families.

Some people felt the movie was a great first introduction for kids to the world of Discworld.: For some viewers it was a light hearted story with a sense of humor.

Overall Consensus: A watchable family film with a strong voice cast and some humorous moments, but it lacks the depth and visual appeal to truly stand out. A passable, not amazing, adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s book.

Awards

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• “The film was animated by studios in Sheffield and Hamburg during the pandemic, with animators working remotely, requiring a new production pipeline.”
• “A statement appears at the end of the closing credits dedicated to Discworld creator Terry Pratchett: ‘GNU Terry Pratchett,’ a semaphore code honoring the deceased within the Discworld universe.”

🖥️ How to Watch The Amazing Maurice?

Currently, ‘The Amazing Maurice’ is available for purchase or rental on various digital platforms such as Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Amazon Prime Video. Availability might vary based on your region, so please check local listings. Check JustWatch to confirm availability in your region and to find the most up-to-date streaming and purchase options.

🎥 Similar Movies

If you enjoyed The Amazing Maurice, you might like these similar films:

• Ratatouille (2007): Features a rat with dreams of being something more, forming an unlikely partnership with a human.
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022): Shares a similar theme of a boastful protagonist facing mortality and needing to learn humility.
• The Pied Piper (1933): The origin story of the Pied Piper is explored in ‘The Amazing Maurice’.

🛒 The Amazing Maurice Related Products

• The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents: A Novel: The original Terry Pratchett novel that inspired the movie. A perfect companion to delve deeper into the world and characters.
• Discworld: Ankh-Morpork Board Game: A strategic board game set in the Discworld city of Ankh-Morpork, with all the charm and wit of Terry Pratchett’s novels.
• GNU Terry Pratchett T-Shirt: A tribute T-shirt featuring the ‘GNU Terry Pratchett’ semaphore code seen in the movie’s credits. A subtle way to honor the author.
• Funko Pop! Death: A Funko Pop vinyl figurine of Death, a character from Discworld, appearing in the movie.

🎧 Soundtrack

The Amazing Maurice features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:

• “Theme from ‘The Amazing Maurice'” – performed by Tom Howe
• “Bad Blintz” – performed by Tom Howe

You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

🤨 FAQ

🔥 Bonus Content

They didn’t know that the SMALL, WEAK MOUSE was the MOST POWERFUL FIGHTER in the tournament – RECAP

Need a quick rundown of the whole movie? This recap has you covered! It’s amazing how much they pack into this story, definitely worth a watch to get all the key plot points.

Pied Piper Scene | THE AMAZING MAURICE (2022) Movie CLIP HD

Check out this awesome clip of the Pied Piper scene! The animation is really impressive, and it gives you a great taste of the movie’s humor and adventure, what are you waiting for?

The Grim Squeaker Scene | THE AMAZING MAURICE (2022) Movie CLIP HD

Ever wondered about the ‘Grim Squeaker’? This clip reveals all! It’s a darker, funnier side to the movie that you won’t want to miss.

✨ Rate