Daily Dialogue — February 15, 2016

JEREMY: (Rises choking from the water.) Excuse me. Pardon me.
MRS. BRISBY: Jeremy?
JEREMY: Ssshhhh! I’m being followed.
MRS. BRISBY: Followed?
JEREMY: Ssshhh! There’s a crazy lady with a hat. She’s got big teeth. She tied me up, and then — ah, oohh! A sparkly!
MRS. BRISBY: What?
JEREMY: You’re wearing a sparkly! Can I hold it? Oh, please, can I?
MRS. BRISBY: Jeremy, listen.
JEREMY: Wow.
MRS. BRISBY: I need lots and lots of string.
JEREMY: Stah-ring.
MRS. BRISBY: To move the block.
JEREMY: Move…the…block. Hey! I’ve got string. I’ve been savin’ ’em.
MRS. BRISBY: You do?
JEREMY: Oh, sure. Red ones. Blue ones. Green. Yellow.
MRS. BRISBY: Pay attention. Go get all the string you can.
JEREMY: Okay. (Takes a deep breath and dives underwater, then resurfaces.) That’ll take all day.
MRS. BRISBY: Good. Get going.

Jeremy again dives under, then re-emerges and pounces on Mrs. Brisby.

JEREMY: I, uh, I just thought I’d mention in passing — I’ve always wanted a sparkly of my very own.
MRS. BRISBY: Will you get going!
JEREMY: Sure. Uh, excuse me. Uh, pardon me. Uh, bye.

— The Secret of NIMH (1982), story by Don Bluth, John Pomeroy, Gary Goldman, and Will Finn; based on the novel by Robert C. O’Brien

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Obsession, suggested by Angie Soliman. Today’s recommendation by Will King.

Trivia: Don Bluth, John Pomeroy and Gary Goldman all left Disney to pursue this project, which had originally been rejected by their former employer as “too dark” to be a commercial success. They were followed soon after by 20 other Disney animators, dubbed “The Disney Defectors” by the trade press.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Will: “Here the script plays off the myth that crows are attracked to bright, shiny objects. Jeremy the clumsy, scatter-brained crow (delightfully voiced by Dom Deluise) is given a task by Mrs. Brisby, but the jewel she’s carrying suddenly takes over Jeremy’s complete focus. Almost ready to leave, he tries one last time to try to get Mrs. Brisby to give it up, but is unsuccessful.”