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Joking with Jonah
[FHE Pictures/Artisan Entertainment]
Jonah (Archibald the Asparagus) arrives on his camel, Reginald, to deliver his message in Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie. |
By PHILIP BOOTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 3, 2002
The first feature film from the makers of VeggieTales is a humorous look at the Old Testament tale of Jonah, the prophet who was swallowed by a whale.
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Vegetables come to life, spouting wisecracks and espousing Judeo-Christian values, in Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, an entertaining adaptation of the Old Testament tale about the reluctant prophet's voyage into the belly of a whale.
It's a funny variation on the familiar saga, bolstered by impressive digital-animation achievements (not quite Pixar); a good-natured, less than strict approach to Bible storytelling; and several rousing musical numbers, particularly a high-spirited gospel workout. Jonah is the debut feature film from Big Idea, the once-little Illinois company responsible for the hugely popular VeggieTales video series (20-million copies sold).
The movie's biggest drawback: It drags toward the end and runs a little long for its intended audience, the 8-and-under crowd. Kids at a Saturday screening grew noticeably restless about an hour into it.
And fans of the other adventures of mismatched buddies Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber may be disappointed by the relative paucity of the chuckles, sight gags and inventive "silly songs" they have come to expect from the videos.
Maybe the gang is funnier in 30-minute doses and on smaller screens. The preschoolers in my house reacted with more delight to favorite Veggie videos Madame Blueberry and Where's God When I'm S-Scared? than to the movie.
The majority of Jonah is told in flashback, after Bob and Larry crash their van on the way to a rock concert. The two, along with their veggie pals, kill time at a seafood restaurant where Moby Blast is the video game of choice and compassion and mercy are literally on the menu.
The series regulars Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, seated in an adjacent booth, subsequently embark on the story of Jonah, honored as a bearer of messages from the divine. He's a minor celebrity in his homeland, where's he respected by all and celebrated with plush toys and rugs bearing his image.
The long and short of the story: God asks the British-accented, monocle-wearing asparagus Jonah to tell the evildoing folks of Nineveh to repent of their sins, which, in this version, includes slapping one another with fish. Jonah flees aboard a ship with the pirates, only to be swallowed by a whale and spit out in the direction of Nineveh.
The prophet, with the help of wily caterpillar Khalil, does his duty, preaches his message and makes converts of his listeners. But he still expects God to carry out his fiery retribution on the formerly wicked.
Here's where the mercy, and New Testament theology, if you will, enter the picture. "God loves everybody," Khalil says. It's not the typical Hollywood message.
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
- Grade: B
- Directors: Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki
- Cast: Voices of Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki, Tim Hodge, Lisa Vischer, Dan Anderson, Kristin Blegen, Shelby Vischer
- Screenplay: Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki
- Rating: G
- Running time: 83 min.
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