The Tale of Despereaux

Narrator:
[voiceover] I could say they lived happily ever after, but what's the fun in that?

Narrator:
Once upon a time, there was a brave, little mouse who loved honor and justice and always told the truth. [Camera zooms in and we see a rat named Roscuro] No, that's not him. That's a rat. And anyone who knows anything, knows there is a big difference between a mouse and a rat. First of all, rats hate the light. [Roscuro climbs on a barrel and looks at the sun] They spend their lives in the darkness. Also terrify the people which is why they're slinking and cover all the time. [Roscuro goes to near of a sailor] And as far as telling the truth as concerned, well, that is impossible, because as everyone knows a rat can't talk. [Roscuro starts to talk]

Roscuro:
Tell me that thing again, please.

Pietro:
Come on!

Roscuro:
Tell me one more time and I won't ask you ever again, I swear.

Pietro:
Fine. We are headed to Dor, one of the most magical places in the whole world.

Roscuro:
No, that's not what you said before. You know, every place has something special and in Dor, it's "the soup".

Narrator:
If you know anything about fairy tales, then you know that a hero doesn't appear until the world really needs one.

Narrator:
Of course, destiny is a funny thing. We go out to meet it and we don't always know that we are.

Narrator:
When your heart breaks it can grow back crooked. It grows back twisted and gnarled and hard.

Narrator:
The story said she was a prisoner but that wasn't totally true because she had hope and whenever you have hope, you're never really anybody's prisoner.

Narrator:
So sometimes it doesn't take much for your dreams to come true, you just have to be able to see it that way.

Princess Pea:
What are you, a mouse?

Despereaux:
No... I'm a gentleman.

Narrator:
In fact, you can have a good heart and not even know it.

Narrator:
Ok, remember when we said that grief was the strongest thing a person could feel? Well, it isn't. It's forgiveness because a single act of forgiveness can change everything.

Princess Pea:
Do you think there's a bit of light somewhere in the world? I think there is you just need to know where to find it.

Andre:
You're a cute little mouse. Would you like some soup?

Despereaux:
No I don't want... The princess is in danger!

Andre:
And a talking mouse, too.

Despereaux:
Listen, you gotta help me.

Andre:
Perhaps a little cheese?

Despereaux:
No I don't any Cheese! The princess, she's in danger! She's locked in the dungeon!

Boldo:
In the dungeon?

Andre:
Oh, don't be silly my little mouse. Everything is fine. The princess is perfectly safe up in her...

Andre:
You ruined my soup!

Boldo:
I saved your soup! Those people wait all year and you want to give them this dishwater!

Andre:
Dishwater?

Boldo:
Dishwater.

Andre:
Dishwater!

Boldo:
Ow! Cut it out!

Queen:
It moved. My soup moved.

Andre:
No, it isn't. It did not move.

Roscuro:
Tell me that story... about the princess. Tell me what she looked like.

Despereaux:
Well, she was...

Roscuro:
Was she angry?

Despereaux:
No. No, not at all. Her heart was full of... longing.

Roscuro:
What's longing?

Andre:
Boldo, look, it's...

[he turns as he realizes Boldo left]

Andre:
Boldo, where are you?

Miggery Sow:
Ding Ding.

Gregory:
Slop.

[Miggery stops. Pause]

Gregory:
No, don't stop! I said slop!

Botticelli:
A rat is a rat... It doesn't really matter where you come from.

Principal:
[going over the violations Despereaux committed at school] February 1, didn't cower. February 2, didn't cower. Didn't cower. Didn't cower. Won't scurry. Ah! Here's one.

[He pulls out a note book with a child's drawing of a cat]

Principal:
He drew cats on his notebooks.

Lester:
[flinching away from the drawing] No cats!

Antoinette:
[dismayed] I can't imagine.

Principal:
I'm afraid so...

[stiffly]

Principal:
He named it "Fluffy!"

Lester, Antoinette:
[they both moan in dismay]

Teacher:
[to Despereaux] Oh, Despereaux... There are so many wonderful things to be afraid of when you just learn to know how scary they are.

Princess Pea:
[Pea hears a noise and turns to see Mig on her hands and knees with piece of rope] Mig? What are you doing?

Miggery Sow:
Cleaning, ma'am.

Princess Pea:
[suspiciously] With rope?

Miggery Sow:
It works fine, ma'am.

Princess Pea:
Well do stop playing around, you look ridiculous.

[Mig's calm demeanor breaks as intense music plays in the background]

Miggery Sow:
[very suspicious] Sorry, ma'am?

Princess Pea:
I said...

[voice echoing]

Princess Pea:
You look RIDICULOUS!

Miggery Sow:
[Mig scowls in resentment as she hears these hurtful words echo through her head]

Miggery Sow:
[calling through a hole in the floor of her cell; unaware that Gregory hears her cries] Help! HEEEEELLLLLLPPPPP! Can anyone hear me? HEELL-LLLL-LLLPPPP! I'm in here!

[her voice begins to break]

Miggery Sow:
I'm in here!

[Mig cries as Gregory enters her cell; in the light he sees her birthmark and recognizes her as his daughter. Gregory lets out a gasp and drops his keys in his astonishment. Mig turns around and sees him]

Miggery Sow:
[gasps] Gor! What took you so long? I've been screaming in here for over TWO hours!

Gregory:
[trying to find his voice; overcome with emotion] My-My little princess!

Teacher:
Despereaux.

Despereaux:
Yes?

Teacher:
You didn't cower.

Despereaux:
Look's like a sword.

Teacher:
It's a carving knife.

Despereaux:
It's beautiful.

Teacher:
It's dangerous.

Despereaux:
Do you have any more?

Botticelli:
You don't need to be afraid. I know it's dark, but you'll get used to it.

Roscuro:
Who... who are you?

Botticelli:
Just a rat like you. Come with me.

Narrator:
Ok, remember when we said that grief is a strongest thing a person can feel? Well, it isn't. It's forgiveness. Because a single act of forgiveness can change everything.

Roscuro:
[Roscuro drops the bone] No!

Botticelli:
What?

Roscuro:
No.

Botticelli:
You worthless little...! [rings the gong]

Lester:
Do what he does.

Antoinette:
And don't do anything he doesn't.

Lester:
And if he's afraid of something.

Antoinette:
Then you need to be afraid of it, too.

Despereaux:
Once upon a time. That's great, isn't it? "Upon a time"? And they don't even tell you what time that is yet. It's like you have to find that out.

Furlough:
You're not supposed to read it, Despereaux. You're supposed to eat it. [hands the ripped page to Despereaux] Good. I'll come back in an hour

[Despereaux reads the page]

Furlough:
And no reading! It's a rule.

Mayor:
How long have you been working on this book?

Despereaux:
Um... a week.

Mayor:
A week? You hardly cracked it.

Despereaux:
Well I was... I just wanted to see how it ends.

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