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This weekend, we took the kids to see the new VeggieTales movie, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." I have loved the VeggieTales since their beginning. I know many do not like them, but I think they are funny and have helped my kids grasp Bible stories more quickly. Top that with the fact that the I really liked the Jonah movie and that the Pirates are the best Veggie characters ever, I went to the movie with high hopes.
I am glad I went to help support VeggieTales, but I was a bit let down by the movie. Absent from this movie was any clear Christian message whatsoever. The story was about how the most unlikely people can turn out to be heroes. That was nice. But the only time a clearly Christian theme was introduced was at the end and I don't know of any child under age 10 who got the veiled reference at all.
The movie was well made, but the plot was slow at times. It also lacked the charm and humor typical of VeggieTales. It is clear that the objective was to attract a larger audience with this movie. The movie finished the weekend #9 at the box office bringing in $4.4 million. The Jonah movie brought in $25 million during its entire run. The fact that Veggies are pretty unknown in non-Christian households and Christian families will be let down by this movie, I will be surprised if this one does better than Jonah. We heard other parents walking out of the theater who shared our question of "where was the message?"
You may not be aware of the status of VeggieTales and that info may be helpful in understanding this movie. The story is long so I will make it very short. When the Jonah movie came out, Big Ideas (creator Phil Vischer) took a giant step of faith in funding the movie and it did notlive up to expectations. They were on the verge of collapse. They were given advice by experts on how to increase their revenue - one idea were the HORRIBLE Larry Boy cartoons and the Penguins 1-2-3 series. This also crossed a time when they got caught in the middle of a change in leadership in a company that handled their marketing and distribution. When all was said and done they lost a lawsuit and Phil Vischer was forced to auction off the rights to VeggieTales. After all this took place, it was later ruled that Phil Vischer and Big Ideas should not have lost the original lawsuit.
Long story short, VeggieTales/Big Ideas has been owned by a secular company for the past several years. The guys who worked on it from the beginning were hired to continue working on the cartoons and Phil Vischer is controcted out to do voices and right one story a year. But the final decisions are no longer in their hands. This is part of why the NBC Saturday morning version has greatly watered down the emphasis on the Bible and probably a reason why this new movie is not would it could of or should have been.
The new attitude seems to want to atract a larger audience with spiritually "neutral" stories that will draw families to the videos where they can hear the Bible messages. This sounds good, but it is actually deceptive - like what is happening with "The Golden Compass." Draw kids to the books with a watered down movie, only to read in the books about the killing of God.
Please pray for VeggieTales that it continue to teach children the BIBLE.
All in all, I was upset by this watered down film. I really wanted to like it - my son did. I have to give it a C+/B- at best. VeggieTales have won our hearts by being spiritual, simple, and silly. This movie missed each of these 3 marks. |
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| January 14, 2008 |
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| Very good review, thanks for going to such lengths to describe the movie and give some background info!!! (I love to be informed ANYTIME I consider exposing my children to media.) ~mike |
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| January 14, 2008 |
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Well, you know I've been asked to go see this one ;) However, I was worried from the beginning (on other DVDs where they previewed the making of this) that the message was just going to be 'be a hero' or 'do more than you think you can'. Some secular people that watch the VeggieTales think they are too delibarate in their message - that it's basically spelled out one way or another in the video - but it's for KIDS - they need to have it spelled out! The color, action, music and silliness is all there to help them absorb the message when it is clearly revealed. Kids will associate the music, or a certain silly thing, with a memory verse or something, and that's the way they learn - that's why Sesame Street is successful!. Some people, I believe think that these shows 'hide' or sugar coat the message to the point they'll accept anything they're told, but that's not true - it's far more dangerous to make the message so 'veiled' or conceiled that no message - or the wrong message - is taken from them.
Sounds like here they're saying you can succeed and be a hero and do it on your own, something no VeggieTales show has never espoused.
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| January 14, 2008 |
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I was looking foward at first to see this movie, but hearing you and your wife's reviews, I no longer really want to see it.
It's wrong to have the VeggieTales movie without God in it. That's how they made it in the first place. And then to have "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" who are really funny, and not have them funny in the movie. That's just wrong!lol Combined it just not good in my eyes, lol.
Anyways I'm just venting, thanks for the review! |
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| January 14, 2008 |
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Spoiler alert!!!
Growing - yeah, kind of. The Pirates "stumble" into a situation to help a princess rescue her brother who has been kidnapped by their uncle - the villian pirate. The Pirates who don't do anything are working at a dinner theater and are given a "word of prophecy" (though never called that) of all the signs that will help them along the way. In the end, you find out that the father (the king) chose our clumsy heroes specifically and made sure they had what they needed along the way. This is where you realize the king is the "God character" who made sure they had what they needed for the task he chose them for. Again, only the Christian parents will connect the dots to the application.
And I agree - we tend to forget that these things are for kids, not adults. I would 90% of the humor in this movie was over the heads of the kids. |
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| January 14, 2008 |
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"This is where you realize the king is the "God character" who made sure they had what they needed for the task he chose them for."
Knowing this, what if you told your kids before the movie that the king = God, spell out the metaphor for them! What do you think (having seen the movie)? |
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| January 14, 2008 |
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Thanks for the in-depth review. It was very insightful - and pretty much where I've seen the franchise heading for the last few years. It's sad - because many secular parents I know (who let their kids watch VT now) didn't get into Veggie-tales until the Jonah movie and now that the message is getting watered down won't receive the full benefit of the gospel message that VT was known for in the beginning....
I'm taking my family to see it this weekend. I imagine I'll probably come away like you did. |
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| January 14, 2008 |
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Mike -
The king character comes in at the very end for maybe a minute. The way the metaphor was put together, I really don't know how many kids uner the age of 8 or so would get how the king was the one behind all the "helps" received, no less make a connection to God. If they do, great.
LorenDP -
I am actually glad you are going to the movie. I didn't want my review to discourage people from going. I love the VT's and I love watching my kids learn from the videos...err...DVD's. I don't think the movie is good enough to draw in a huge secular following, and if Christians turn their backs on the franchise, the whole thing will be dropped all together - DVD's and all. I would rather have a movie like this to take my kids to and TRY and explain the lessons rather than take them to secular kids movies with no lesson of value at all.
Basically, my point is, if the purpose for the movie is just to teach kids that heroes come from the most unlikely places, there are better made movies for that. This could have been a great chance for them to do a spin on the Apostle Paul and how God can make a hero for Him out of the most unlikely people. The villain pirate could have been Saul, causing havoc but then leads his men to help the people he was hurting (similiar to the "Lyle" video, but could have been unique enough).
And I forgot - I may be biased because the best VT - BOB - only appears in the opening "Big Ideas" graphic and to pop up and say "That's a wrap" at the end! |
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| January 18, 2008 |
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So, me and my son went to see it - and he liked it - but no more/less than any other kids movie, really. The nice thing about the videos was we could talk about what the people did and plant the connection - this one was a stretch. Not to give anything away, I was hoping that the brother that was all about 'mechanical strength' and technology would have been more tied to the whole 'things of this world taking our place for our need for God'...that there would have been a SECOND brother that used the things given to him by the KING...and that the KING would have been a third character that offered both the same help, but one decided to go his own, worldly way rather than relying on the 'gifts' they were given. I dunno...I didn't write it, but I can say it was lacking in a message that could have been tied to scripture. Didja notice when Bob said "it's a wrap" he almost looked like "Yeah, that's all there is - sorry CHristians!" |
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| January 20, 2008 |
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| Maybe what we have learned here is that Bob is the "spiritual glue" that holds the whole series to Biblical lessons! Go Bob! |
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| January 20, 2008 |
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| Gideon is very good! |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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| BRAINFREEZE! |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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Growing -
One of the best Veggie moments ever!!! |
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