Early next year, animation fans will get a treat with one of late author Terry Pratchett's beloved children's stories The Amazing Maurice coming to life on-screen. Before diving into the strange world of the animated adaptation, Collider can exclusively reveal a new trailer that sets up a dark mystery looming over a small town. Arriving in the town is the title character Maurice (Hugh Laurie) who, together with his band of rats and pied-piper Keith (Himesh Patel), is infamous for conning villagers with staged rat plagues. Not all is right in the market town, however, as food-stealing rats, criminals, and an enigmatic crime boss loom over the populace. The trailer sees the gang, along with the adventurous Malicia (Emilia Clarke), set out to solve the mystery and thwart whatever plan is afoot.
Instantly, the presence of Shrek co-writer Terry Rossio is felt as the trailer assures this is no ordinary fairy tale of princesses and heroes. Instead, it's all about Maurice. As he leads his pal Keith into town, they immediately notice how dead everything seems, especially for a market town. Food keeps disappearing under everyone's noses and Maurice's rat friends know something is up. The culprit seems to be the ominous crime boss who where's a terrifying concealing outfit to keep his features hidden. He has a strange connection to the rats in town and instantly can spot the arrival of new rats as well as summon other rats to his side on a whim. He'll prove to be a danger for Keith, Malicia, and Maurice as they explore hidden passageways and more in search of answers surrounding the missing food. The adventure looks to be as fun as it is intriguing too as Maurice and company provide a mix of slapstick humor and jokes along the way.
Alongside its stars, The Amazing Maurice has a stellar cast set up to do Pratchett's novel justice. Laurie, Clarke, and Patel are joined by Gemma Arterton, David Thewlis, Hugh Bonneville, and David Tennant. Tennant is an especially fun inclusion for the film as he stars opposite Michael Sheen in the Prime Video adaptation of Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's novel Good Omens.
The Amazing Maurice is Shaping Up to Be a Must-See for Animation Fans
The Amazing Maurice has plenty of experience in animation behind it. Rossio penned the screenplay, bringing his experience from helping pen such beloved films as Disney's Aladdin, The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Road to El Dorado, and, of course, Shrek among others. More recently, he helped write the story of Godzilla vs. Kong. Little Bird's Big Adventure helmer Toby Genkel leads the project with Florian Westermann in his first directorial outing. With a beloved tale from a beloved author in their hands and a group of superstars lending their voices, this team is creating an intriguing project for animation fans everywhere.
See The Amazing Maurice in theaters on February 3 after its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Check out the exclusive trailer and poster below:
