“The Amazing Maurice” is an adaptation of a 2001 book by author Terry Pratchett, who took inspiration from the “Pied Piper of Hamelin” tale while creating an installment of his “Discworld” literary series. The material makes connections to stories and history, but the movie version of Pratchett’s apparently vast imagination is largely content to be a cartoon, with a somewhat “Shrek”-ian gravitational pull. “The Amazing Maurice” explores a world where a cat and his rat pals are con artists, soon coming up against a greater problem than a simple lack of funds, and screenwriter Terry Rossio (who co-scripted “Shrek,” along with “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and Disney’s “Aladdin”) tends to emphasize the playfulness of it all, balancing British wit with Dreamworks-style cartoon antics. The production is out to entertain audiences young and old, and most of the endeavor is enjoyable, especially when it focuses on animal characters and their fight for survival. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com