♪ Tell me a story
♪ Read me a poem ♪
♪ Wrap it in melody ♪
♪ Sing me the song ♪
♪ Then let me hold it ♪
♪ Deep in my heart ♪
♪ Where it can speak to me ♪
♪ All the day long ♪
♪ The adventure of virtue ♪
♪ The adventure of truth ♪
♪ The thrill of knowing ♪
♪ That it's up to you ♪
♪ Building a new day shining in the sun ♪
♪ This is my story ♪
♪ The adventure has ♪
♪ Begun. ♪
Oh, mom, it's beautiful!
Consider it
An investment in our future.
You can deliver
My cakes for me.
Deal?
Deal.
Here's who they go to.
Gotcha.
Promise you'll take care of that bike
And my cakes!
Don't worry, mom.
I promise.
I'm depending on you.
Cool bike!
New?
Yeah. I just got it.
Let's break it in.
Race to paintbrush ridge?
I got to deliver these cakes for my mom.
That's okay
But even with new wheels
I bet I could b*at you.
Catch you later.
Nope.
I'm going to catch you... Now!
Slowpoke!
Hey! I thought you didn't want to race?
( Annie laughing )
Looks like those two are having fun.
Fun? Where? Where?
Something holding you
Back, zach?
( Laughing )
Be careful.
Ari: annie, annie!
Aurora: look out!
No!
Annie!
Gotcha!
( Sputtering )
My new bike!
Zach: whoa!
It can be fixed in time.
Be thankful sock was in time to save you.
What about
My mother's cakes?
Give her my compliments.
They're delicious.
No, they're ruined
And it's all your fault.
I didn't make your bike hit that rock.
You asked me to race.
I didn't say you had to.
Yes, you did!
No, I didn't!
You did, too!
( Clearing throat )
Calm down, you two.
Now, annie, you didn't have to say yes to zach.
I know, but...
I can't pass up a race and he knows it.
He didn't make you race.
You accepted the challenge.
Yeah, and my mom told me to be careful.
Now look.
You should have let me drop.
I'm glad he didn't
But your dangerous flight reminds me of a story.
Anybody seen ari or my book?
Oops!
( Sputtering ): ptooey!
Talk about irresponsible.
Uh, sorry, sockster.
( All laughing )
Funny you should mention irresponsibility.
There's a story in my collection that deals with just that.
It's about a young boy in ancient greece
Whose name was icarus.
Zach: what a funny name.
Plato: but what happened
To him was far from funny.
Icarus was proud of his father, daedalus
The most famous sculptor
Builder and inventor of his time.
His statues were so beautifully carved
They almost looked alive.
The palaces and gardens he built were magnificent.
Word of daedalus's cleverness spread far and wide
Even to the island
Of crete, where a king named minos
Had a monstrous problem
With a monster called the minotaur.
( Roaring )
So you see my problem, daedalus?
The minotaur has the strength of a bull
But the cunning of a man.
No ordinary prison will hold him.
That's why I've sent for you.
Don't worry.
My father can invent anything.
Icarus's faith in his father
Was not misplaced, and sure enough
After several weeks
Daedalus had come up with a solution.
I call it the labyrinth.
The passages are so twisted
The minotaur will never find his way out.
I shall build it at once.
( Growling )
( Roaring )
You should be proud of your father, icarus.
He truly is the cleverest inventor of all
And deserves to be well rewarded.
Thank you, king minos
But now we must return to greece.
Is our boat ready to sail?
It is, but you will not be on it.
You are far too clever to let go. Guards!
I have decided to keep
You both in crete
Where you can invent
More wonderful devices for me
And this I shall return to my royal treasury.
Lock them in the tower!
You treacherous...
You'll never keep us prisoners.
My father will escape.
Perhaps he shall.
( Laughs )
We appear to be as trapped
As the minotaur in his labyrinth.
You can find a way out.
I'm not sure, son.
Minos rules the land and the sea.
Hmm...
But not the air.
Yes.
That is the way we shall go.
Plato: so daedalus set to work.
He gathered feathers until he had enough
To tie together and mold with wax.
Here is the invention that will bring water
To king minos' dry fields
And now I shall need more candles
So I can continue working at night
And another feather blanket for myself and my son.
This tower is cold and drafty.
You did it.
We can fly.
Now, we must build a pair of wings
For you, my son.
If king minos wants me
To design his new palace
I must have more
Feather blankets
For my son.
He's caught cold
And I need more candles to work by.
( Coughing )
At last, icarus had his wings
And his father began
Teaching him to fly.
( Grunting )
No, icarus.
You can only stop flapping when you ride the wind.
Watch me.
This is fun!
I want to go faster.
No! Slow down.
( Grunting )
Just a nightmare.
I dreamed I was flying
And fell out of bed.
You are too impatient, icarus.
You must watch and learn, listen and obey.
You must practice in here
Before you take to the sky.
So icarus watched and learned.
Then father practiced with son
Until icarus could fly as well as he.
Come, icarus.
We must return to the tower.
But why? We're free!
Let's leave for greece tonight.
No. The winds are against us. We must wait.
Plato: so daedalus waited patiently
For the winds to turn
While king minos waited impatiently
For his new palace.
Finally he could wait no longer.
Genius or not, I shall show that inventor
He cannot try the patience of king minos.
At last the wind is with us.
It is time to leave, icarus.
Minos: guard, I want to speak
With the prisoners.
What?!
Where are they?!
Minos: no!
Icarus: look!
King minos has discovered his caged birds have flown.
We're not home yet, icarus.
Now remember what I've taught you:
Do not fly too low.
The spray from the ocean will wet your wings
And make them heavy.
And do not fly too high.
The sun's heat will melt the wax.
Your wings will fall apart.
Just stay close and...
Yes, yes.
Oh, father, isn't this wonderful?
We are truly like gods up here.
No! Come down!
You're getting too close to the sun!
No, father-- to the heavens.
No one ever flies this close.
No! Icarus, come down!
The sun!
You're too close
To the... Sun!
Father?
Father!
( Icarus yelling )
No!
Oh, icarus, why didn't you listen?
Why didn't you listen?
Plato: daedalus slowly flew homeward
With his heavy burden, and a heavy heart.
When he reached greece, he buried his son
And built a memorial to him.
And daedalus never flew again.
Poor icarus.
He knew the danger of flying too close to the sun
But he chose to ignore his father's advice
And paid a terrible price.
( Sniffling )
I should have listened to my mom and been more careful.
Thanks to sock, at least you didn't end up like icarus.
Perhaps you'll pay more heed
To your mother's advice in the future.
How can I even face my mom?
I promised
I'd deliver her cakes, and now I've got nothing.
Delivering on a promise is important.
But even kings have a problem with that.
You mean king minos.
He sure didn't deliver.
True enough-- but this king
Had more in common with annie.
He had a particular problem with cakes.
Follow me.
Sheesh! A cat can't even clean his claws around here.
Whoa!
Whoa!
Back in the ninth century
England was ruled by king alfred the great.
But at this moment, he wasn't doing so great.
He and his army were att*cked
By fierce danish warriors, and they lost.
King alfred and his men were forced to flee.
Who's that?
That is king alfred.
He disguised himself as a shepherd
To escape the danes.
He wandered for days, until hungry and tired
He came to a woodcutter's cottage.
Begging your pardon, madam.
Could you spare some food and
A place by the fire to sleep?
I was going to milk the cow...
I'll make a bargain with you.
See those cakes baking on the hearth?
Aye, madam.
Don't let them burn while I'm gone.
I'll have some supper for you.
Aye, madam. I promise.
And thank you.
Aurora: now the woodcutter's wife
Had no idea that the ragged shepherd
Was really king alfred.
And while she milked the cow, alfred tried to watch the cakes.
But soon he began thinking about his troubles.
Oh...
How will I bring my troops back together?
And if I do, how can I defeat those fierce danes?
It's hopeless. Maybe I should give up.
What...?
( Coughing )
What have you done?
Oh, just look at my cakes.
They're ruined.
Oh, you lazy scamp.
You begged for food
But didn't lift a finger to do what I asked.
I'm so sorry, madam. I...
Sorry won't fill our plate.
Thanks to your worthless promise, we'll have no supper.
Good heavens, woman, hold your tongue.
Do you not know who you're shouting at?
This is our king.
King alfred.
( Gasps )
Please, your highness, forgive me.
Off your knees, both of you.
I deserved your scorn, my good woman.
I promised to watch your cakes, but I let them burn.
I should ask forgiveness.
Anyone who agrees to a task, big or small
Should do what he has promised--
Even, and perhaps especially, a king.
Though I may have failed tonight
I promise I shall not fail in my duties again.
No one knows if king alfred
Went hungry that night.
But he got a taste
Of victory not long after
By gathering his army
And driving those danes from his kingdom.
And to this day
King alfred is remembered as one of england's
Most popular rulers.
Because he learned
A great lesson, aurora:
That leadership and responsibility
Walk hand in hand
And even a king should not shirk his responsibilities
No matter how small.
Hey, I'm not a king, plato.
I'm just a kid who totally dropped the ball today.
Don't you mean "bike"?
Luckily, ari and I have reassembled it.
Voila! Good as new!
( Yelling and crashing )
Oh...!
Ohh. My mom was depending on me
To deliver her cakes.
She will never forgive me.
I wouldn't say that.
We all make mistakes.
That's part of growing up.
As you grow up
Your responsibilities will also grow.
Someday your mother may depend on you even more.
What do you mean?
Right now, your mother takes care of you.
But someday, you may have to take care of her.
Uh, the chest of gold?
Would you like to tell it, ari?
Thanks, big guy. It sure beats bike repair.
A long time ago
There was an old woman who lived all alone.
Her husband had d*ed and left her penniless.
Once she had been a seamstress
But now, she was old.
Her hands trembled, and her eyesight was so blurry
That she couldn't thread a needle.
The only light in her life was her three children:
Henry, the youngest, emma, and the oldest, charles.
Let's get this over with.
I must get back to london soon.
Business, you know.
I don't like this either.
George and the children need me.
It's only once a week
But it is so hard to get away these days.
Children...
I've made your favorite shepherd's pie.
Again.
As the seasons passed, the old woman grew older
And more frail, and her children visited her
Less and less.
Children, I've been waiting so long for you.
All: coming, mother.
She's so old.
It's so depressing.
I'm so busy with my own life.
I'm sure mother understands.
Months later, when the children finally came for a visit
They had dinner as usual.
Are you enjoying your shepherd's pie?
Delicious, mother... As ever.
What do I keep bumping my feet against?
What is that?
It looks like
A wooden chest, dear brother.
( Jingling )
It's heavy.
What's in this chest, mother?
Oh, nothing, my dears.
Just a few things I've saved over the years.
More shepherd's pie?
Uh... Yes. I think I will have some more
If you don't mind.
( Jingling )
Hear that rattling, emma?
This chest is full of gold coins.
She and father only pretended to be poor.
They've been hoarding it away.
You must be right.
Look at that lock.
Anyone else?
More, please.
Thanks for staying so long this time.
I hope you'll come again soon.
Good night, my children.
All: good night, mother.
Mother's too old to defend herself against robbers.
We need to guard that treasure
Or somebody will steal it.
We could take turns living with her.
I'm sure george would understand.
This way we could look after her.
She's getting too old to cook for herself.
( Belching ): don't I know.
All that shepherd's pie... Ooh...
So the first week
Henry moved in with his mother.
He cooked and cared for her
And they spoke of the old days.
The next week
Emma took his place.
Oh, emma, you loved that little pony so.
I remember, mother.
Remember when your father and I
Took you to the seashore?
The third week was charles' turn.
More pudding, mother?
That would be lovely, son.
You don't know what having you children here means to me.
We'll be by your side from now on, mother.
Never fear.
The three children continued
To visit their mother
Until, finally...
The old woman became ill and d*ed.
The children gave her a fine funeral
For they knew there was a chest of gold
Under the kitchen table.
They couldn't find the key to the old lock
But the children were nothing
If not resourceful.
( All gasping )
She saved bits of broken glass!
Oh, the foolish old woman!
Not so foolish, charles.
Mother: dear charles, emma and henry
Please forgive a worried old woman
Afraid her own children would abandon her.
I went to my friend the carpenter
Who built me a wooden chest
And my friend the glassblower
Gave me his worthless throwaways.
The only treasure
Was having you three to spend my last days with.
What a cruel trick to play on your own children.
Be honest, charles...
What else could she do?
Yes, she had to resort to trickery
Or we all would have neglected her
Until she d*ed.
Oh, I'm so ashamed.
Remember the commandment mother taught us
When we were young?
Yes, I remember.
There may yet be something valuable
Still hidden in here.
Yes, charles, there is.
The commandment all of us were taught
But conveniently forgot: "honor thy father and mother."
Beautifully told, ari.
( Sniffing ): yeah, not bad for a prairie dog.
It made me think about my own mom
And how much I love her
And I'm not going to let her down.
I know just what I have to do.
Sock: uh... Get a new mechanic?
Annie: later.
I'm going to the bakery
And help my mom bake more cakes.
Mind baking one for me?
Hey, wait up!
Maybe I can help.
Are you sure you want to?
After I blamed you for everything?
I'm really sorry.
That's okay. Listen!
You could use my bike for your delivery.
Thanks! And I'm going to earn the money
To get my bike repaired.
Sounds like a responsible plan to me.
I depended on you
Just like my customers depended on me.
I know.
I messed up.
You also let a lot of people down.
So... What are you going to do about fixing things?
Well, first...
I'd like to help you re-bake some cakes.
Then deliver them.
Zach: come on, there's a carnival!
The cakes can wait.
Sorry, zach, but my mom's counting on me.
You're right.
I'll meet you at the park later.
Well, it's not easy being a kid
Or being a parent.
A poem I know describes it well.
"If you were busy being kind
"Before you knew it
"You would find
"You'd soon forget to think 'twas true
"That someone was unkind to you.
"If you were busy being good
"And doing just the best you could
"You'd not have time to blame some man
Who's doing just the best he can."
♪ Responsibility ♪
♪ You want it done ♪
♪ You can count on me ♪
♪ I've got a clear mind ♪
♪ You can plainly see ♪
♪ I've got the... ♪
♪ Responsibility ♪
♪ Oh, yes, I have ♪
♪ I've got my feet planted on the ground ♪
♪ I've got the stuff, I can knuckle down ♪
♪ I'm growing up wise and free ♪
♪ I've got the responsibility ♪
♪ Responsibility ♪
♪ You want it done ♪
♪ You can count on me ♪
♪ I've got a clear mind ♪
♪ You can plainly see ♪
♪ I've got the responsibility. ♪