All together now, audience. Ahhh.

It’s going to happen the first time that floppy eared mouse appears in ‘The Tale of Despereaux.’ Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of; the rodent is darn cute. Despereaux is wonderfully voiced by Matthew Broderick, who gives the character an earnest energy. The rest of the cast is impressive, too, including Sigourney Weaver, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy and Stanley Tucci.

The animation is first-rate, and the initial storyline about royal soup is interesting.

But I wouldn’t advise parents to take young children to this movie. It’s too dark, too disturbing. Try explaining to a 4-year-old why ugly rats want to eat the princess alive in the dungeon. Or why a psycho-looking cat takes swipes at a cowering mouse in a Colosseum-like arena.

Some filmmakers clearly have forgotten what it’s like to sit on the side of a bed with a scared child who has been “entertained” by these movies.

The film has many wonderful scenes, but the trend toward darkness ruins something that might have become a classic.

Maybe the producers should take note of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which has played 43 straight years. The only thing that gets hurt in that animated film are Charlie’s feelings.