The Amazing Maurice

Director: Toby Genkel
Script: Terry Rossio, Robert Chandler, Toby Genkel
Based on the novel by: Terry Pratchett
Cast: Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, David Thewlis. Himesh Patel, Gemma Arterton, Joe Sugg, Ariyon Bakare, Peter Serafinowicz
Running time: 93 minutes
Year: 2022
Certificate: PG

On the magical Discworld, a planet carried through the cosmos by a four elephants stood on the back of a giant turtle, a group of rats and a cat all made intelligent by eating magic waste join forces with a hapless human boy named Keith to con towns and villages by staging fake rat infestations. When they visit the town of Bad Blintz, however, they uncover a dark plot being enacted by a malevolent magical force and the amazing Maurice and his educated rodents have to decide whether to use their abilities to help rather than swindle the townsfolk.

Produced by Narrativia, a production company set up by Rhianna Pratchett to create adaptations of her late fathers work, The Amazing Maurice is something of a milestone in the history of Discworld adaptations, being the first feature film produced from one of Terry Pratchett’s books. Screened over Christmas 2022 by Sky Movies and given a limited theatrical release, this animated film is, much like the source novel, very much targeting a younger audience.

Animated over the Covid-19 lockdown by studios based in Sheffield and Hamburg, using innovative remote pipelines to allow the animators to work together seamlessly, the CG art style is perhaps more basic than most modern animated films but certainly has enough character and flourishes to not feel cheap and shoddy, while also fitting with the tone of Discworld. Indeed, there are many character and world designs that feel very much like they have been lifted almost directly from previous visual works based on the books, particularly in the portrayal of Death who is an almost like for like recreation of the great Paul Kidby’s well known illustrations.

This is certainly not the first adaptation of the long running fantasy series, nor is it the first animated adaptation; historically these adaptations lived or died by their cast and thankfully The Amazing Maurice is closer to the brilliant Hogfather than the woeful The Watch. With a bevvy of British voice talent from the likes of David Thewlis, Emilia Clarke, David Tennant and Gemma Arterton, with Hugh Laurie lending his dulcet tones to the title character and Peter Serafinowicz popping up in a cameo as Death, a character he has recently been frequently portraying in Discworld audiobooks. Of course, all of this talent would be wasted if they didn’t have a good script to work from, but thankfully this manages to deliver a tale that hews remarkably close to the source material.

While Terry Pratchett is often known for being a comedy writer, his books more frequently skewed into satire and anyone who’s read more than a few will know that, particularly later in his career, there was also a thread of anger at the injustices of the world sewn through the narratives. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (to give the books full title) is no different, despite being aimed at younger audiences. As well as the moral themes surrounding the actions of Maurice and his rat friends, there’s also a darker edge surrounding the mistreatment of animals by humans which is present, albeit toned down somewhat, in this film. The dialogue, as well, manages to capture the spirit of Pratchett’s writing and is ably delivered by the cast.

As a standalone film, The Amazing Maurice will more likely appeal to younger audiences with its simpler narrative and “dark but not too dark” elements to the story. It certainly feels like it was the perfect film for Sky to put out over the Christmas period and one for the family to sit down and watch after a heavy day of presents and turkey consumption. But as an adaptation of Discworld, there’s a lot for fans to enjoy here, from faithful recreations of well known characters and locations, to even a few unexpected cameos and flourishes to hint at the wider world. With an adaptation of one of Pratchett’s other younger reader books, The Wee Free Men, in the works, here’s hoping that we can see more of the rich palette of Discworld on screen in the future.

Bonus Features

• The Making Of 
• Malicia Smells A Rat (in 9 Languages)
• Mr Bunnsy Has An Adventure
• Maurice X MurWalls

Unfortunately this Blu-Ray release is a little light on bonus features with only a Making Of featurette and some extended side material providing much interest for fans.

Where to watch The Amazing Maurice