The Tale of Despereaux

Sailor Pietro and his rat-companion Roscuro dock in the French kingdom of Dor — famous around the world for its delicious soups — during the "Royal Soup Day." The chief cook, Andre, makes good soup due to Boldo, a genie made of food who lives in his pot. Roscuro sneaks into the royal banquet-hall and falls into Queen Rosemary's soup, scaring her so much that she has a heart attack and dies. Roscuro flees and falls into the castle dungeons, being taken in by Botticelli Remorso — leader of the large rat population — but struggles to accustom to their bellicose culture. Distraught over his wife's death, King Philip forbids the consumption all things related to soup and declares rats "illegal." Without its soup, Dor becomes impoverished and dreary. Andre is banned from making soup and Boldo stops appearing. The king's daughter, Princess Pea, despairs over the sad state of the kingdom and how her father's grief-based reclusive behavior shuts her and the world out.