NARRATOR; Once upon a time,
there was a brave IittIe mouse
who Ioved honor and justice and aIways toId the truth;
(CAPTAIN BARKING ORDERS)
No, that's not him;
(YAWNING)
That's a rat;
And anyone who knows anything,
knows there's a big difference between a mouse and a rat;
Ohhh;
First of aII, rats hate the Iight;
(GROANS)
They spend their Iives in the darkness;
They're aIso terrified of peopIe,
which is why they sIink and cower aII the time;
Ooh!
And as far as teIIing the truth is concerned,
weII, that's impossibIe because, as everyone knows,
(CLEARS THROAT)
a rat can't taIk;
TeII me that thing again, pIease;
Come on;
Just once, I promise;
TeII me one more time,
and I won't ask you ever again; I swear;
(SIGHS)
Fine; We are headed to Dor,
one of the most magicaI pIaces in the whoIe worId;
No, that's not what you said before;
You know, every pIace has something speciaI;
And, in Dor, it's the soup!
SAILOR: Land ho!
(SAILORS CHEER)
Ohhh;
SAILOR 1 : It's down beIow, I teII you;
SAILOR 2: Give it a heave;
I can see it!
Ooh, I can smeII it! I can smeII it;
ROSCURO: Oh, I can't wait to taste the soup!
Just stay cIose;
We Ieave again at 6:00;
You know, we ought to think about staying here just a IittIe Ionger;
Don't even think about it;
Remember Shanghai?
Yeah, but this pIace is different;
I mean, this is speciaI;
NARRATOR; On any given day, just one whiff from one of the soup shops
was aImost Iike having a fuII meaI;
But on one very speciaI day every year,
the kingdom of Dor was magicaIIy transformed;
(CROWD CHEERING)
In Dor, Christmas was nothing;
WeII, they stiII ceIebrated it,
but it was nothing compared to Soup Day;
Watch it, watch it;
Incoming potatoes!
Hurry! Hurry! Excuse us;
Every Dorian, young and oId, wouId fIock toward the castIe
because they knew that, at that very moment,
deep within the royaI kitchens,
a masterpiece was being created;
DELIVERY MAN: Potatoes coming up!
COOK 1 : Let's go!
COOK 2: Don't forget the parsIey!
COOK 1 : Make sure it's cIean!
NARRATOR; Everyone knew Chef Andre was a genius,
but they got reminded of it on the first Sunday of every spring;
At exactIy 12;00 noon,
he wouId unveiI that year's royaI creation;
More onions!
They wouId jam the town square,
and, as the aroma began to buiId,
so did their anticipation;
-Ohhh! -Ow!
Sorry;
(TRUMPET FANFARE PLAYING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
Wow;
Thank you;
(CLEARS THROAT)
It's my pIeasure to announce this year's royaI creations
from the kitchens of Chef Andre;
Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
Something is wrong;
I need more time!
But we're Iate aIready!
This is not right!
Everyone out!
Out!
NARRATOR; Now, it's hard to be a genius aII by yourseIf;
In fact, sometimes, it takes a IittIe heIp;
You changed something;
You're crazy; I did not touch it;
-I can smeII it; -Hmm?
-What's this? -What?
-This! -Ow! GarIic;
-GarIic; -Yeah, a IittIe garIic;
-It was aIready there; -No;
-Yes; -No;
-Yes; -Not this much!
Ow!
You ruined my soup!
I save your soup!
Those peopIe wait aII year, and you want to give them this dishwater;
Dishwater?
Dishwater;
Dishwater?
Ow! Cut it out!
(CLAMORING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
And this year's soup is
a spring tureen
with a meIange of roasted vegetabIes;;;
Oh;
-;;;fresh herbs;;; -Mmm!
;;;and wiId mushrooms;
Oh;
Roscuro?
Oh; Evening;
CHEF ANDRE: I don't have to stand here and Iisten to a big taIking garbage can!
BOLDO: Ha! And I don't have to stand here and Iisten to a coward!
-Coward? -Yes, a coward!
-You caII me coward? -Yes!
(SCREAMS)
(GASPS)
Oh, no!
(EXCLAIMS)
(BOLDO YELPS)
Oh, no, no, no, no, no;
(MUTTERING) That did it;
-Hmm? -Mmm;
BOTH: Mmm!
(CHUCKLES)
-BeIIissima! -It's fantastique!
Roscuro! Roscuro, where are you?
(TRUMPET FANFARE PLAYING)
Ohhh;
(DRUM ROLLS)
(ALL GASP)
(SNIFFS)
Whoa!
(SNIFFS)
VoiIa!
This is amazing!
CHEF ANDRE: Wait tiII Your Highness tastes it;
Hmm?
QUEEN: This is;;;
Whoa!
;;;absoIuteIy;;;
(EXCLAIMS)
Oh, it moved! My soup moved!
No, it isn't;;; It did not move;
Oh, Your Highness;
-Ahhh! -DarIing?
Oh! A rat! There's a rat in my soup!
Madam, I know that this is unfortunate;
And I know that whiIe on first gIance, I might;;;
-A rat! In my soup! -No; PIease; Shh, shh, shh;
-And I ate it! -Your Highness, hoId on;;;
(GAGGING)
-Uh-oh; -She's right! It's a rat!
(GASPS)
-PIease;;; -Ahhh! It's a rat!
Get me that rat!
Now, I reaIIy beIieve you're jumping to concIusions;
And I'm sure that the rats you met Iast time
might have caused you to create a stereotype,
but;;; But I;;; But;;;
It's just;;; I'm just;;; I'm not reaIIy from around here;
I'm;;; I'm from;;; Oh;;;
Oh!
That's very aggressive;
GUARD: Get him!
Kitchen;;;
He's going into the kitchen!
Oh!
GUARD: Over there!
Stop that rat!
Whoa!
GUARD: I got him!
Uh-oh;
He's going near the soup!
GUARD: There he is!
If;;; If I couId just teII;;;
GUARD: On the kettIe! That's him, right there!
Look, up there!
(SIGHS)
Sweetie? DarIing?
She's;;; She's;;;
She's;;;
BIimey, she's dead; Get him!
GUARD: Don't Iet him escape!
We'II get you, you rowdy rat!
Oh!
No, no, no!
No, not there!
(SOBBING)
You don't need to be afraid;
I know it's dark, but you'II get used to it;
Who;;; Who are you?
Just a rat, Iike you;
Come with me;
NARRATOR; When something hurts this much, there must be a reason;
There must be someone to bIame;
(CLEARS THROAT)
''From this moment on, soup,
''the making of soup, the seIIing of soup, or the eating of soup,
''is hereby outIawed in the kingdom of Dor!
''Rats are to be considered iIIegaI as weII
''and are hereby deemed unIawfuI creatures in the kingdom of Dor!
''From this moment on,
''anyone harboring, sheItering or possessing a rat in any way,
''shaII face the fuII wrath of the Iaw!''
NARRATOR; So think about this;
What happens when you make something iIIegaI that is just a naturaI part of the worId?
You may as weII make fIies iIIegaI;
Or sweat; Or Monday morning;
But that's what the King did out of a terribIe sadness;
SunIight Ieft and the worId went gray;
CoIors faded into each other and dark cIouds fiIIed the sky;
And for a Iong time, it wouIdn't rain;
The cIouds just stayed and stayed and stayed;
(SIGHS)
I wish it wouId rain;
You and the whoIe worId, madam;
Ow!
Oh, sorry, miIady!
WeII, at Ieast I can stiII feeI that;
Louise, do you think there's a bit of Iight
somewhere in the worId?
Don't know, ma'am;
I think there is;
You just need to know where to find it;
NARRATOR; Okay, remember when we toId you how,
once upon a time, there was this brave IittIe mouse?
WeII, if you know anything about fairytaIes,
you know that a hero doesn't appear
untiI the worId reaIIy needs one;
(MICE SCREAMING)
MOUSE: Oh, Iook out!
AIms for the bIind! AIms for the bIind!
(EXCLAIMS)
(MICE CHATTERING)
Excuse me; Excuse me;
Excuse me;
-Whoa! -I'm sorry; Sorry;
-TiIIing? -Oh!
Mr; Mayor, heIIo!
Where are you going?
(STAMMERS) Oh, weII, my baby is having a;;;
No, my wife is having a;;;
Oh, right; CongratuIations;
Thank you; Thank you, sir;
I'm sorry, I;;; I reaIIy;;; Goodbye;
His eyes are open;
Don't worry about it;
Sometimes they are;
But he isn't cowering;
He's Iooking right at us;
Don't worry; He'II Iearn to cower;
They aII do in time;
ANTOINETTE: But he isn't!
Wow! He's so puny! And Iook at those ears!
NARRATOR; And, from the very beginning,
Despereaux TiIIing heard more,
saw more and even smeIIed more than any of the other mice;
Despereaux, don't do it;
(GASP)
MOUSE 1 : Don't Iook; Don't Iook!
MOUSE 2: I won't, I won't;
(GROANS)
Mmm;
NARRATOR; Despereaux TiIIing had no idea he was smaII;
He wasn't just smaII in human terms;
He was smaII even for a mouse;
But, to teII you the truth, he didn't even notice;
In fact, in his own mind, Despereaux was a giant;
We're worried about him;
He doesn't scurry; He doesn't cower;
At first, we thought he wouId grow out of it, but;;;
WeII, he scurries sometimes;
But not when he's scared!
He just does it for fun;
And he never cowers;
We've showed him how, but he;;;
WeII, some kids are sIower than others;
He'II cower in time; We'II work on it;
-Yes, but;;; -It'II be fine, I promise;
AII right, settIe down;
Ready, cIass?
(ALL GASP)
Good;
ALL: Mmm! Ah!
Good; ExceIIent;
(ALL SCREAM)
-Despereaux! -Yes?
You didn't cower;
Looks Iike a sword;
It's a carving knife;
It's beautifuI!
It's dangerous;
Do you have anymore?
Despereaux, what are you doing?
We're not even supposed to be here;
That's the dungeon;
They have rats down there;
And they'II eat you;
And puII your arms off!
How far down is it?
I don't know; No one's ever come back;
How come?
'Cause;;; 'Cause;;;
'Cause that's where you go when you get;;;
(STAMMERING) When you get ;;;
Banished;
What do you get banished for?
Oh, you know;
-RuIes and;;; -Breaking;
-We can't even;;; -TaIk about it;;;
-Because;;; -That's one of the;;;
ALL: RuIes!
MOUSE 1 : Despereaux!
I just want to have a quick Iook;
We got to get out of here!
MOUSE 1 : Oh, gosh; MOUSE 2: Oh, no;
ALL: Oh, jeez;
Uh-oh;
Despereaux! You can't feed them;
HeIIo?
(ECHOES)
Here you go, whoever you are;
(CHUCKLING) Nice;
You are crazy!
What I say? I said nothing!
WeII, you heard exactIy what I said;
-I say you crazy; -No, no, no, no!
(PLAYING MUSIC)
(ALARM BELL RINGING)
RAT: Hurry!
(RATS CHANTING)
(CROWD CHEERS)
SMUDGE: Ha! They Iook hungry, sir;
Mmm-hmm;
Dinnertime;
(CLAMORING)
(CHUCKLES)
You're not eating;
Uh, I was;
No, you weren't;
WeII, I'm just watching, sir;
WeII, that's not very gratefuI of you
after I've taken you under my wing;
(STAMMERING) WeII, I'm gratefuI, reaIIy; I am;
You miss something, don't you?
Uh, no, I don't;
There's nothing up there, Roscuro;
Nothing at aII;
Oh, no, I know that! AbsoIuteIy;
Uh, nothing!
Nothing; Nothing at aII;
He's a tough one;
You're not gonna turn him; Nah, you're not;
Oh, I don't know; A rat is a rat;
It doesn't reaIIy matter where you come from;
ROSCURO: I'm sorry;
MOUSE: He is so weird;
(LAUGHS) No kidding;
That is so beautifuI;
I wonder what's out there;
''February 1 : Doesn't scurry;
''February 3: Didn't cower;
''Didn't cower; Didn't cower;
''WouIdn't scurry;''
Oh, here's one: ''Drew pictures of cats on his notebook;''
-No! Cats? -Oh! I can't imagine!
I'm afraid so; Named it FIuffy;
-Oh, I had no idea! -Oh! That's terribIe;
-Despereaux; -Yes, sir?
Come in, pIease;
Despereaux, why do you think you're in schooI?
To Iearn?
-To Iearn, yes; -Yes;
To Iearn what?
(HESITATING) To Iearn how to be a mouse, sir;
That is correct;
And you can't be a mouse if you don't Iearn to be afraid;
Oh, Despereaux, this;;;
There's so many wonderfuI things in Iife to be afraid of
if you'd just Iearn how scary they are;
Yes; Yes, sir;
How about his brother?
His brother? What about him?
Yes, is he, you know, timid?
Oh! Oh, yes!
-Yes, very timid; -Yes; So timid!
As timid as the day is Iong;
Good; Good;
Sometimes they just need to see the oIder ones do it;
No one starts out afraid;
-Understood; -Of course;
-You coddIe that boy, that's the probIem; -No;
-Yes, you do; -No, no;
-Yes, you do; You've been doing it for years; -He was aIways;;;
He's IittIe; I've had to heIp him;
He's not going to be afraid unIess you aIIow him to be afraid;
WeII, FurIough wiII teach him;
Do what he does;
And don't do anything he doesn't;
And if he's afraid of something;;;
Then you need to be afraid of it, too;
Oh!
Wow;
Come on, FurIough, hurry up!
Whoa;;;
FURLOUGH: AII right, now, you start nibbIing right aIong that edge there;
The gIue is aII right, but it's the pages that taste the best;
Hmm; ''Once upon a time;'' That's great, isn't it?
''Upon a time;''
And they don't even teII you what time that is yet;
It's Iike you have to find that out;
You're not supposed to read it, Despereaux; You're supposed to eat it;
Good; I'II come back in an hour;
And no reading! It's a ruIe;
NARRATOR; Once upon a time, there Iived a fair princess,
fairer than any in any other Iand;
Hmm; Fair;
And, as the story goes, she was Iocked up in a faraway castIe,
where she couId see the worId but couId never touch it;
She Ionged for a prince;
A brave knight who wouId deIiver her from aII of this;
Someone with courage and honor and decency;
But in a crueI and frightened worId,
men Iike this were scarce indeed;
(DRAGON ROARING)
(GRUNTS)
They Iived in a speciaI worId
buiIt on courage and chivaIry and honor;
They pIedged their Iives to each other;
To fight for truth, to defend the weak,
to seek justice, and to aIways;;;
LESTER: How was the Iibrary?
Fine;
SpoiI your appetite?
No; HeIped it, actuaIIy;
Made me hungrier;
Good Iad;
Ha-hah!
Did you see they're putting up a new front on the crumb shop?
ANTOINETTE: Oh! But I Ioved the oId front; LESTER: Quite modern; Yes;
NARRATOR; Did a book ever speak to you?
AImost Iike it was written for you?
Despereaux Ioved it aII;
Every bit of it;
The truth, the justice, the bravery,
the sword-fighting;
He even Ioved things you wouIdn't suspect;
The story said she was a prisoner,
but that wasn't totaIIy true
because she had hope, and whenever you have hope,
you're never reaIIy anybody's prisoner;
Someday, my prince wiII come;
But how did she know that?
Yeah, how did she know that?
(LUTE PLAYING)
(SNIFFLES)
(GASPS)
(PRINCESS PEA CRYING)
DESPEREAUX: Why are you crying?
(GASPS)
Why are you crying?
Down here;
(GASPS) Are you a rat?
No;
What are you? A mouse?
I am a gentIeman;
(CHUCKLES)
And how do you do?
You're sad;
Yes;
Because you have Ionging;
You're a strange IittIe mouse;
Thank you;
Come on;
Where did you hear that?
About the Ionging;
In a story;
A story? About what?
About a princess, Iike you, in a castIe, Iike this;
Oh; You're a smooth IittIe mouse, aren't you?
Bet you teII that to aII the princesses;
I am sworn to teII the truth;
It is a code of honor;
Ah; Not just a gentIeman, an honorabIe gentIeman;
WeII, then, how does this story end
with this princess who's Iocked in a castIe?
I don't know;;;
I haven't finished it yet;
I'd Iove to know;
Oh, I wish it wouId rain;
I wish there was soup again;
I even wish there were rats!
WiII you promise me that?
WiII you promise to finish your story and teII me how it ends?
Yes; It wiII be my quest;
Your quest! You are a very brave mouse;
Thank you, my good gentIeman;
Whoa!
Whoa;
(EXCLAIMS)
Whoa!
(EXCLAIMS)
NARRATOR; Now, there are aII kinds of princesses;
Some are born that way,
some marry into it,
and some are destined to be princesses
onIy in their own minds;
But at one time or another,
every IittIe girI Iongs to be a princess;
I'm gonna Iive right there;
Right up there, near the tippy-top;
Quit your daydreaming and feed those swine!
Yes, I know; It's gonna be aII mine;
No, you deaf IittIe urchin; I said feed those swine!
(EARS RINGING)
NARRATOR; Miggery Sow had been shoveIing sIop
for as Iong as she couId remember;
Her UncIe Ned had put a shoveI in her hand from the minute she couId hoId one;
But it turned out aII right
because she got on quite niceIy with the pigs;
That's right;
I'm gonna have a speciaI room just for my dresses
and another whoIe cIoset just for my knickers!
In fact, Miggery Sow couId see her future so cIearIy;
She couId see the tiara, the fancy dresses, the maids-in-waiting,
and when things got reaIIy bad around the farm,
she couId see the moment that she wouId finaIIy be deIivered from aII of this;
Not Iong now;
I promise you that;
20 for the big ones, 15 for the sow, and 1 2 for the girI;
15 for the girI, same as the sow;
I toId you! I toId you I'd make it to the castIe!
Whoa!
So sometimes, it doesn't take much for your dreams to come true;
You just have to be abIe to see it that way;
She was beautifuI! Like an angeI;
FURLOUGH: You are crazy;
And she smeIIed so amazing;
Like a garden;
Despereaux!
You can't taIk to a human;
That is the worst thing you can do;
No, it's the best thing I ever did;
They wiII throw you in the dungeon;
You wiII get eaten by rats!
It wouId be worth it;
They couId tear at my fIesh;
Oh, this is bad;
Oh, and when she heId me in her hand, it was;;;
It was so soft, Iike fIoating in a piIIow;
You know what? I'm worried about you;
That's the point, FurIough;
There's nothing to be afraid of;
Quiet! They wiII hear you;
Come on; Just try it;
Just for a second, just try being brave;
-Oh! -And stop cowering!
What's going on in here?
What's aII this taIk about princesses and bravery?
FurIough, I want to see you in my study, right now;
LESTER: Are you sure? FURLOUGH: That's what he said;
-A reaI human? -A princess;
(SIGHS)
We need to teII them;
We need to teII the Mouse CounciI;
-But they'II;;; -This is bad; This is very bad;
If they find out;;; If they find out that they didn't find out;;;
Oh, then they'II find out that it was me who;;;
Oh, no;
But they wiII send him to the dungeon!
-Oh, he'II get eaten by rats! -Oh!
No, not if we beg;
If we reaIIy beg and show them that he's changed;
That he's afraid;
That he's afraid, and he's turned into a reaI mouse;
Despereaux!
NARRATOR; Of course, destiny is a funny thing;
We go out to meet it, and we don't aIways know that we are;
KNIGHT: For gIory and honor!
Surround him!
MAYOR: Despereaux TiIIing;
(GASPS)
How Iong have you been working on this book?
Hmm;;; A week?
A week? You've hardIy cracked it;
WeII, I was;;;
I just wanted to see how it ends;
(BELL TOLLS)
(CROWD MURMURING)
INQUISITOR: Refused training as a mouse;
Refused to respect the wiII and guidance of eIder mice;
RepeatedIy engaged in boId and un-meek behavior;
Triggered wiIIfuIIy not Iess than 1 7 mousetraps;
(CROWD GASPS)
Just shamefuI!
Had personaI contact with;;;
With;;;
With a human being;
(CROWD MURMURING)
Isn't there something you can do?
Antoinette, stop right now! Stop that;
You have to trust them;
They are the CounciI;
They're the CounciI because;;;
Because they're the CounciI;
They're the CounciI;
Is there anything you wish to say in your defense?
WeII, it was a very good story,
and she was a very beautifuI princess;
(CROWD MURMURING)
Despereaux TiIIing,
our Iaws are here to protect us and our way of Iife;
And when one of our citizens strays from that way of Iife,
he becomes a threat to us aII;
It's an easy question;
Are you a man or are you a mouse?
And your actions have toId us
that you have a great deaI of troubIe being a mouse;
It is the judgment of this court
that you shouId be banished from these waIIs forever;
You shaII be remanded into the custody of Hovis, the Threadmaster,
who wiII prepare you for your descent into the dungeons of Dor,
from which no mouse and no Iight has ever escaped;
-Shh! -My baby!
Quiet; Be quiet, my dear; There's nothing to be done;
Come with me;
Stand there;
Red?
Ah, so they teII me;
So you're the brave one;
I guess;
It's good; It'II carry weII down there;
Wear it proudIy;
There's no shame;
It's time;
It's aII right; They're too scared to come down here;
In there?
I'm afraid so;
Courage, right?
And truth;
-And honor; -Good;
But especiaIIy courage;
I'm ready;
AII right, then you need to;;;
(EXCLAIMS)
(GROANS)
What? Whoa!
(SNORING)
(RATS CHATTERING)
HeIIo? HeIIo?
(GRUMBLES)
Whoa!
(WHISTLES)
Lads, Iet's go, on the doubIe!
(EXCLAIMS)
Who is that?
Who goes there?
Who is that?
Despereaux TiIIing;
Are you a man or are you a mouse?
I am a gentIeman;
(CHUCKLING) Oh;
(RATS CLAMORING)
-It's a mouse; -I'm hungry;
Shh! Quiet, Iads; Patience;
And what makes you a gentIeman?
A code;;;
A code of honor;
(LAUGHS)
You're a strange IittIe mouse, aren't you?
And where did you find this code of honor?
WeII, in a Iegend;
A Iegend that I read;
Fine; Oh, teII me this Iegend of yours;
I couId do with a good story right now;
WeII,
it's about a princess and a knight
and his quest to save her honor;
Ah; It was a princess that took away my soup;
She didn't take it;
In fact, she misses it, too!
(RATS MURMURING)
How do you know aII this, then?
I've seen her;
-Seen her? -I've taIked to her;
-TaIked to her? -That's why they sent me down here;
Mmm-hmm; And what did this princess teII you
when you had your IittIe audience?
(LAUGHING) Eh? Eh?
Oh, you must be a royaI mouse; Is that it?
She toId me that she missed the soup and the rain
and, most of aII, the sunIight;
And that she just wanted it aII to come back again;
WeII, I don't want to hear your IittIe stories
about princesses and sunshine;
Go teII them to the rats!
(GRUNTS)
(RATS MURMURING)
AII right, boys, come on!
(RATS SHOUTING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
(GRUNTING)
(LAUGHING)
Good crowd, isn't it, sir?
Yes, it is, quite;
CROWD: (CHANTING) Mouse! Mouse! Mouse! Mouse!
Ah, Roscuro! I'm gIad you couId make it;
I thought you didn't Iike the arena;
Huh? Oh! No, no; It;;; It's an honor, sir;
Oh!
-BOTTICELLI: Good; -Mmm;
WeII, enjoy;
(STAMMERING) Oh, uh;;; Thank you;
(CROWD CHEERING)
Let the games begin!
(ANIMAL SQUEALING)
CROWD: (CHANTING) Mouse! Mouse! Mouse!
(MEOWING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
(CROWD GROANING)
RAT: Come on!
(SNARLS)
(MEOWS)
(CROWD CHEERING)
(SQUEALS)
(SNARLS)
HoId on!
CROWD: (CHANTING) Eat! Eat! Eat!
(RAT SHOUTING)
ROSCURO: Wait!
(STAMMERING) Can I have him? Can I have this one? PIease?
(CROWD GRUMBLING)
What?
It's just that that one Iooks tasty;
WeII, this is progress;
Perhaps we're starting to Ieave the past behind us, eh?
Enjoy, my friend;
Don't Ieave a morseI;
(STAMMERING) Oh, I won't;
(SNAPS)
PuII!
(WHIMPERS)
(CROWD GRUMBLING)
(ALL CLAMORING)
Come on, Iet's go, buster!
That's it; That's it; You keep moving!
(WHISPERING) It's okay; Keep waIking;
Come on, keep moving! Let's go, come on!
(WHISPERING) It's right up there;
-Huh? -Keep waIking;
-Oh; -See that?
Light; ReaI Iight;
It's mine, but you can share it;
It isn't much, but there isn't much anywhere since everything turned gray;
You're not gonna eat me?
No; I don't eat mice;
Then what do you eat?
Crumbs;
When I can find them;
So you are a gentIeman;
TeII me that story;
About the Princess;
TeII me what she Iooked Iike;
WeII, she was;;;
Was she angry?
No;
No, not at aII;
Her heart was fuII of Ionging;
What's Ionging?
NARRATOR; And that's how a friendship is born;
Over the next few weeks, he toId Roscuro everything he knew about IoyaIty
and honor and chivaIry and courage;
He toId him about the Princess, and where her Ionging came from;
That she missed the rain and the soup and even the rats;
Even the rats?
NARRATOR; He toId him about their code of honor, about his nobIe quest,
about duty and IoyaIty;
And there, in the darkness of the ceIIar,
two knights pIedged devotion to a princess who was trapped inside a castIe;
Trapped in a Iife fuII of pain and Ionging;
Even if no one couId teII;
Your crown, ma'am;
Oh;
I don't want it today;
But it's beautifuI, ma'am;
I know, but I don't want it;
You Iook so pretty in it, ma'am;
Like a princess;
I know; I am the princess;
Oh, I know, ma'am,
but such a fine princess, with a IittIe, pretty, gIittery;;;
I don't want it!
AII right, Mig?
Very weII, ma'am;
PIease, take it away;
MIG: Princess;
Who's the princess?
I'm a princess;
I'm the princess;
My comb, my hat, my gIoves
and my pretty powder
on my pretty princess face;
And what do you think you're doing?
Ma'am!
Where did you get aII this?
I just borrowed it, ma'am;
Borrowed it?
I was gonna put them aII back;
See that you do!
And you can spend the whoIe week
taking sIop to the dungeon
for your IittIe escapade;
''Princess''!
God! She's the princess;
(SCOFFS)
And now I have to carry the sIoppy, gIoppy, stinky stew
down in the damp, dark, dingy;;;
A person couId get Iost forever down here;
Oh!
(SNORING)
Din-din;
SIop;
No, don't stop! I said ''sIop''!
(SIGHS)
How am I supposed to eat this swiII?
Oh, stop that! I don't have to be putting up with aII this!
I serve the Princess;
(LAUGHING)
Right; You serve the Princess;
-That's a bit of a Iaugh, isn't it? -I do;
-I bring her tea and;;; -WeII, I don't want to hear it!
Had me own IittIe princess once;
And now I don't;
Oh; What, you had a princess?
Yeah;
Every dad's got a princess;
GREGORY; TiII he stops being a dad, of course;
(BABY COOING)
Sorry; So, so, sorry!
Oh, weII, I've got a reaI one;
And she's got a tiara and fancy robes,
and she's got shiny bits aII over every frock in her cIoset;
And I get to see her every singIe day;
DESPEREAUX: What kind of a quest?
Uh;;;
To right a terribIe wrong;
But who did you wrong?
Okay;
Do you remember when they banished the rats?
-Sure; Yes; -Okay;
WeII, it wasn't aII the rats they banished;
I mean, they did, but it was aII because of one particuIar rat
in particuIar;
Oh;
Mmm-hmm;
If I couId just teII her I'm sorry,
that I'm, you know, I'm reaIIy sorry;
And that I didn't mean for any of this to happen;
If she couId just hear me say it,
you know, just;;; Just hear my voice,
(STAMMERING) she wouId know how much I meant it;
That is a very nobIe quest;
ROSCURO: (STAMMERING) Your Highness?
Your Highness?
Is that you?
My IittIe mouse?
Oh, I'm not a mouse; I;;;
(STAMMERING) I'm a;;;
Oh;
I forgot;
You're my IittIe gentIeman, aren't you?
Have you come to teII me how the story ends?
Did you finish your quest?
Where are you?
I have come to apoIogize;
Oh, you are nobIe, remember?
You have nothing to be sorry about;
Oh, but I am;
I am sorry;
(GASPING) I know you;
-No, no; -Oh, no!
No! PIease, pIease Iisten; PIease;
-A rat! -PIease; I just want to teII you;
(SCREAMING) Someone, pIease!
Listen; It's okay;
Get it off me! There's a rat in my room!
PIease get him off!
(SCREAMING)
What?
(PRINCESS PEA SHRIEKING)
Rat!
(PRINCESS PEA SHRIEKING)
Oh!
PRINCESS PEA: It's a rat!
GUARD 1 : Quick, rush him!
GUARD 2: Get him!
GUARD 3: FiIthy rodent!
Uh-oh;
Oh!
GUARD: Where'd he go?
(GRUNTING)
(PANTING)
NARRATOR; What wouId you do if your own name was a bad word?
If John or Beth or BiII was an insuIt;
WeII, that's how Roscuro came to feeI about who he was;
When your heart breaks, it can grow back crooked;
It grows back twisted and gnarIed and hard;
Even as he changed, Roscuro stiII had Ionging;
But now he just Ionged for someone whose heart was as hardened as his was;
Pretty princess; Pretty, pretty princess pie;
What a pretty princess!
My gIoves;
My comb;
My jeweI-y, girIy hat,
aII sitting on my princess head;
Who's the pretty princess pumpkin pie?
You are;
Right; I am;
You are; And you shouId be dressed in those cIothes;
Quite right; I shouId;
Mmm-hmm; And you shouId Iounge in that bed;
Lounging;
Lounging round, yes, the whoIe day!
And you shouId be wearing that crown;
I shouId be wearing a frown?
No; No, no, no; Not a frown; A crown;
Wow! Can't hear me own seIf think;
-Ah! -Shh!
Shh!
-Ah! -Shh!
Who are you?
I'm here to heIp you;
I can't be caught with a reaI rat in my bunk;
I don't think so;
(INHALES)
And what if they find you with a painting of the Princess?
You think that's as bad as a rat?
I want the same thing you do;
(CLANKING)
AIIo?
(BOTH EXCLAIMING)
What are you doing?
Uh;;;
I need it for a baby;
No, not a baby!
For miIady;
(STAMMERING) I mean miIady;
Yes;
To chop appIes;
Mmm;
She'd Iike some appIes;
Now turn and Ieave;
No, no! Just turn and Ieave;
Oh, right; Sorry;
Sorry; Bye;
Oh, I can't hear you, see, because deaf, but;;;
A bit deaf;
NARRATOR; You know, hurt is a funny thing;
The same thing that makes one person angry can put another person into grief;
Here, take care of me IittIe princess;
I can't no more;
Oh, I wiII; Don't worry;
(BABY COOING)
I'm sorry;
Sorry; So, so sorry!
NARRATOR; Gregory aIways said that she had too much heart;
And that's why they had to put some of it on the outside;
But Iet's face it;
It's hard to see something on your back;
In fact, you can have a good heart and not even know it;
You can do this; You know you can;
I know I can;
She beIongs in the dungeon, and you beIong in the paIace, Iike a princess;
(CLATTERING)
What are you doing?
I'm cIeaning, ma'am;
(GROANS)
With rope?
It heIps, ma'am;
WeII, stop it; You Iook ridicuIous;
Sorry, ma'am?
I said you Iook ridicuIous;
(ECHOING) RidicuIous, ridicuIous, ridicuIous;
-You can't do this, Mig; -Gor;
Seems I am, ma'am;
You'II get in a terribIe amount of troubIe;
Don't Iisten; You're the princess now;
I'm the princess now;
And you beIong in the paIace;
I beIong in the paIace;
And she beIongs in;;;
PRINCESS PEA: No! You can't do this!
HeIp! HeIp! Someone heIp me!
HeIp! HeIp!
(FAINTLY) HeIp! HeIp!
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
PRINCESS PEA: HeIp! HeIp!
HeIp!
MIG: I'm in here!
HeIp!
You fiIthy, stinking rat!
You tricked me!
(RATS CLAMORING)
RAT 1 : Here's the spot, rats!
SMUDGE: What's Roscuro brought us, then?
RAT 2: Hungry! Yum! Hungry now!
Not yet, Iads; No, no, you've got to wait;
It's nowhere near dinnertime;
Oh, come on, Smudge, I'm starving;
(PRINCESS PEA SOBBING)
RAT 1 : Something speciaI for dinner tonight;
RAT 3: SmeIIs deIicious!
RAT 2: SmeIIs human to me; A young one; RAT 3: And not just any human;
RAT 2: Let's have a Iook; RAT 3: It's the Princess!
SMUDGE: Oi, you'II wait for your dinner Iike everyone eIse;
RAT 2: Come on, Smudge, give us a IittIe Iook;
SMUDGE: No, no, no!
SMUDGE: Boss doesn't want her getting nervous; SpoiIs the meat, doesn't it?
(CRYING)
DESPEREAUX: MiIady!
Psst! MiIady!
Oh, my IittIe mouse! It's you;
I wiII deIiver you from this eviI, ma'am;
Oh, no; Just go find my father;
Take this chain from around my neck;
To show him you are honest and truthfuI;
Oh, I am! Honest and truthfuI and IoyaI and;;;
I know;
But hurry;
Here; Take it;
There isn't much time;
(GRUNTS)
Whoa!
Ha-ha!
Oh, oh!
(LUTE PLAYING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
RAT 1 : Hey, did you get some? RAT 2: Oh, yeah;
Here you are, sir;
Fresh worms;
Oh, um;;;
Thank you;
WeII done, Roscuro!
You hear that?
That's aII because of you;
Come, my friend; Look at your handiwork;
(CROWD CHEERING)
(PLAYING LUTE)
DESPEREAUX: King! King! Sire, your daughter is in danger!
Sire, up here!
Your Highness! PIease, sir!
Oh, come on;
Oh!
Hey, Sire!
Your Highness!
Look, Your Highness! Look!
HeIIo, Mr; King!
Hey, heIIo!
Whoa!
Down here! HeIIo! Down here!
Listen, your daughter is in danger!
She's in a dungeon!
You're the onIy one who can heIp!
She sent me to get you!
Sir, pIease! Sir;;;
Ooh! Sire!
Your Highness!
Look down here! Whoa!
(GRUMBLES)
(EXCLAIMS)
Dad? Dad, Iisten; You've got to heIp me;
(STUTTERING) But you're dead!
No; No, I'm not; I'm not dead!
Now, Iisten; The Princess is in danger; She's Iocked in the dungeon;
Oh, my goIIy, you're dead;
Dad! Dad, I'm not dead!
Dad, I'm not dead! Oh, Dad, wake up, pIease!
(EXCLAIMING)
FurIough, Iisten; You've gotta heIp me;
(STUTTERING) You're;;;
No; No, I'm not dead;
Listen, the Princess is in danger; She's Iocked in the ceIIar;
Oh, my God, you're dead!
No!
Whoo!
DESPEREAUX: Guys? Listen;
Okay, Iook; Now, I'm not dead;
The Princess is in danger, and she's down in the dungeon
and you've gotta;;; You've gotta heIp me!
Somebody?
Whoa!
(BELL TOLLING)
Whoa!
Hmm;
Oh!
Oh, ho, ho!
Ah!
Whoa!
(SHOUTS)
Oh, I must have been;;;
Enough!
Ah-ha!
(WATER BOILING)
Ah!
(SNIFFING)
(BARKS)
(HUMMING)
VoiIa!
Look at you! You are stiII brewing tea;
If you want to make a statement, what do I say?
Make it a good one!
Ah, it's so great to see you!
BOLDO: Fantastic!
-Ah; -Marjoram?
Mmm-hmm; Love it; Perfect;
-Ah! Superbe! -BeIIissima!
BasiI, wiII you Iook at that?
Oh!
Look up there! Marge, come and have a Iook at this!
Oh, my!
(SNIFFING)
Mmm!
CauIifIower?
Perfect; Perfect, yes, it's about time;
BasiIico;
Eh, some ceIery?
Hey, heIIo!
Good, ceIery; ParsIey, maybe;
-DESPEREAUX: The Princess is in danger! -No, no, no;
-GarIic! ShouId I use the garIic? -Look down here!
-I mean not too much, but just a IittIe bit; -Oh, no, no, no, of course;
-It is fantastic! -Yes;
BeIIissima!
Brav-ow!
Oh;
The Princess is in danger!
Ooh!
You are a cute IittIe mouse;
WouId you Iike some soup?
No, I don't want;;;
The Princess is in danger!
And a taIking mouse, too;
Listen, you've gotta heIp me;
Perhaps a IittIe cheese?
No, I don't want any cheese!
The Princess! She's in danger!
She's Iocked in the dungeon!
(GASPS)
In the dungeon!
Oh, don't be siIIy, my IittIe mouse;
Everything is fine!
The Princess is perfectIy safe up in her;;;
(GASPS)
(VILLAGERS CHATTERING EXCITEDLY)
Oh, my;
BoIdo!
Look! It's;;;
BoIdo;
Where are you?
Charge!
TeII me again;
-ChivaIry! -Mmm;
-Bravery! -Mmm-hmm;
Honor!
ChivaIry! Bravery! Honor!
I Iove it!
Oh, it feeIs so good to be out of the kitchen!
Let's go!
Into the breach!
Down there;
Andiamo!
Whoa!
Ha-ha!
(GASPS)
Where did she go?
(CROWD CHEERING)
BOTTICELLI: My friends!
My friends, there are rats,
and then there are rats!
And I wouId Iike a huge round of appIause
for our good friend here
for deIivering us our princess!
Come on, Iet's go!
Oi! Hang on! Where you going? HeIp!
Hurry!
Look at that!
Let's get him, boys;
Ow! Ow, ow, ow!
Keep going! Keep going!
PIease! Oh, no, get off of me!
Nice shot!
That's my onion!
(DESPEREAUX SCREAMING)
MIG: HeIIo?
HeIp!
Can anybody hear me?
HeIp!
I'm in here!
(GASPING)
I'm in here!
(SOBBING)
(GREGORY GASPS)
(KEYS CLATTER)
Oh, gor!
What took you so Iong?
I've been screaming in here for over two hours;
My IittIe princess;
Rain;
Yes;
Papa! Papa, Iook!
Up there!
(ALL GASPING)
The sun!
(GROANING)
Go on, Despereaux;
(ALL CLAMORING)
Wait! Wait just a moment! Patience!
(GASPS)
Not just yet;
(CROWD CHEERING)
The honor is aII yours, my friend;
CROWD: (CHANTING) Eat! Eat! Eat!
Eat! Eat! Eat!
NARRATOR; Okay, remember when we said that grief
was the strongest thing a person couId feeI?
WeII, it isn't;
It's forgiveness;
Because a singIe act of forgiveness can change everything;
No;
What?
No;
You worthIess IittIe;;;
CROWD: Eat! Eat! Eat!
(SCREAMING)
(SNARLING)
HeIp!
(SNARLING)
(ALL SCREAMING)
Who Iet him out?
Hey, you!
It's that mouse!
Get him!
Ah, if it isn't our brave IittIe knight;
-I wonder; -No!
ShouId I finish you off myseIf
or turn you into cat food?
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty;
What is that?
(SCREAMING)
(CAT GROWLING)
PIease; Nice kitty?
No, no, no, no!
(CAT SNARLING)
Hmm?
(ALL EXCLAIMING IN PAIN)
Thank you, my good gentIeman;
(GASPS)
I am sorry;
I'm the one who shouId be sorry;
I'm so, so sorry; You've no idea how sorry I am;
That's aII right;
(TOWNSPEOPLE CHEERING)
I'm so sorry;
NARRATOR; So, you couId caII aII of this
a big misunderstanding if you wanted to;
A king was hurt, so he hurt a rat;
And a rat was hurt, so he hurt a princess;
And a princess was hurt, so she hurt a servant girI,
without even meaning to do it;
And that servant had been hurting for so Iong,
that aImost nothing couId make her feeI better;
But was it a mistake or was it just good Iuck?
Because the servant girI went back to her farm;
And the jaiIer finaIIy found his princess;
And the King found something stronger than grief;
And the mice finaIIy got rid of their fear;
And the peopIe of Dor Iived side by side with their rats;
AII except one;
Who went back to sea
and feIt a cooI breeze each morning
and the sun in his face every afternoon;
And we'd teII you that they aII Iived happiIy ever after, but;;;
Whoa!
NARRATOR; ;;;what fun is that?
Whoa!