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Narrator: [voiceover] I could say they lived happily ever after, but what's the fun in that?
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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]
Narrator: 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]
Narrator: 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]
Narrator: 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".
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Narrator: Okay, remember when we told you how, once upon a time, there was this brave little mouse? Well, If you know anything about fairy tales, you know that a hero doesn't appear until the world really needs one.
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Narrator: Of course, destiny is a funny thing. We go out to meet it and we don't always know that we are.
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Narrator: When your heart breaks it can grow back crooked. It grows back twisted and gnarled and hard.
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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.
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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.
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Despereaux: Why are you crying?
[Princess Pea turns around to see who was talking]
Despereaux: Why are you crying?
[she continues looking aroud]
Despereaux: Down here.
Princess Pea: [gasp] Are you a rat?
Despereaux: No.
Princess Pea: What are you, a mouse?
Despereaux: I am a gentleman.
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Narrator: In fact, you can have a good heart and not even know it.
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Princess Pea: Louise, do you think there's a bit of light somewhere in the world?
Louise: Don't know, ma'am.
Princess Pea: I think there is. You just need to know where to find it.
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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!
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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 want 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...
[thunder]
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Queen: This is...
Roscuro: Whoa!
Queen: ...absolutely...
[Roscuro lands into the Queen's soup. Both she and Andre looked]
Queen: Oh, it moved! My soup moved!
Andre: No, it isn't... It did not move.
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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?
Narrator: And that's how a friendship is born. Over the next few weeks, he told Roscuro everything he knew about loyalty and honor and chivalry and courage. He told him about the Princess, and where her longing came from. That she missed the rain and the soup and even the rats.
Roscuro: Even the rats?
Narrator: He told him about their code of honor, about his noble quest, about duty and loyalty. And there, in the darkness of the cellar, two knights pledged devotion to a princess who was trapped inside a castle. Trapped in a life full of pain and longing. Even if no one could tell.
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Andre: Boldo, look, it's...
[he turns as he realizes Boldo left]
Andre: Boldo, where are you?
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Miggery Sow: Ding Ding.
Gregory: Slop.
[Miggery stops. Pause]
Gregory: No, don't stop! I said slop!
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Botticelli: A rat is a rat... It doesn't really matter where you come from.
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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 pictures of cats on his notebook.
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]
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Principal: [to Despereaux] Oh, Despereaux... There are so many wonderful things to be afraid of when you just learn to know how scary they are.
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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]
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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!
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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?
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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.
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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]
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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.
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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]
Furlough: Good. I'll come back in an hour
[Despereaux reads the page]
Furlough: And no reading! It's a rule.
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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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Andre: Enough!
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Andre: Allô?
[he picks up candle stick to see what's making all that noise. Andre and Miggery Sow screamed at each other]
Andre: What are you doing?
Miggery Sow: I need it for a baby.
[Andre stood there doIng nothing]
Roscuro: [behind Miggery Sow] No, not a baby! For milady.
Miggery Sow: I mean milady. Yes. To chop apples. Mmm. She'd like some apples.
[Andre was confused]
Roscuro: Now turn and leave.
Miggery Sow: Now turn and leave.
[Andre slowly backed away scared]
Roscuro: No, no! Just turn and leave.
Miggery Sow: Oh, right. Sorry.
[Hides butcher knife behind her back]
Miggery Sow: Sorry, bye.
[to Roscuro]
Miggery Sow: Oh, I can't hear you, see, because deaf, but... A bit deaf.
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Town Crier: From this moment on, soup, the making of soup, the selling of soup, or the eating of soup, is hereby outlawed in the kingdom of Dor! Rats are to be considered illegal as well and are hereby deemed unlawful creatures in the kingdom of Dor! From this moment on, anyone harboring, sheltering or possessing a rat in any way, shall face the full wrath of the law!
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Furlough: [about Despereaux] Wow! He's so puny! And look at those ears!
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Roscuro: Oh, Your Highness.
[the Queen screams]
King: Darling?
Queen: Oh! A rat! There's a rat in my soup!
Roscuro: Madam, I know this is unfortunate. And I know that while on first glance, I might...
Queen: A rat! In my soup!
Roscuro: No. Please. Shh, shh, shh.
Queen: And I ate it!
Roscuro: Your Highness, hold on...
[the Queen gags and dunks her nose into the soup]
Roscuro: Uh-oh.
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King: Sweetie? Darling? She's... She's... She's... d-d-d.
Guard: Blimey, she's dead. Get him!
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Andre: Voilà!
Queen: This is amazing!
Andre: Wait till Your Highness tastes it.
[the Queen puts her spoon into the soup]
Andre: Hmm?
[people were watching the Queen taste the soup. She smells it and eats it. Roscuro smells the soup until he loses balance]
The Tale of Despereaux Quotes
Extended Reading
