Jonah - A VeggieTales Movie (2002)

So when the first feature by these marvelous people came out, I was among the first to see it. (And if you think I was embarrassed buying a ticket to "Jonah" the weekend that "Red Dragon" opened, well then...you're right) The film was stunning. It holds true to the unique (although some call it Pythonesque) style of the videos but does not depend on the videos for enjoyment. It is original, charming, bright, and Sherlock Holmes couldn't find a hint of dysfunction in the whole eighty-some minutes.

On the way to a concert, the car breaks down and driver Bob the Tomato and navigator Dad Asparagus get help in a nearby seafood restaurant. But the real tragedy is Laura Carrot has lost the backstage pass she won out the car window. Now, Junior thinks this is great because she was being mean and flaunting it. At any rate, Junior encounters three "questionable" characters who call themselves "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (See "Very Silly Songs" or "The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown") played by Pa Grape, Larry the Cucumber and Mr. Lunt. They tell a story about "that time when [they] did that one thing with that one guy." This turns out to be Jonah (played to perfection by that green fleshed rival to Sir Lawrnece Olivier, Archibald Asparagus) who is adamantly against delivering God's message to the Ninevites who sin and curse, and even slap people with fish! (A Python reference? Most definitely) So he and the Pirates sail in very much the oposite direction, until a storm makes it apparent that God is very upset with one of them. So Jonah heroically hurls himself into the sea where he is promptly eaten by a whale. The theme is Compassion and Mercy and to remind you that no matter who you are or what kind of aquatic animal you like to slap people with, God says you are deserving of a second chance. I won't tell you how the concert goes because that'll ruin the movie, and I won't tell you how Jonah gets out of the whale because...well, frankly, you should know. It's a very well known story.

What struck me the most was the sheer scale of the project. It wasn't just like watching two and a half Veggie videos back to back (which is not a bad way to spend an afternoon). It was instead marvelously independent of the tapes. With camera sweeps and set designs that wouldn't feel out of place in the latest Pixar/Disney joint. Film students would find nothing wrong with the structure and pace of this cinematic marvel. The characters filled their parts the way we say sitcom actors embody their characters (and maybe it's stupid to say that the performances were good when the "performances" were just voice actors and cartoons, but every slight detail on Archibald's face was carefully designed by the animators to convey a specific emotion and I think the mission was meliphluously accomplished...unless I spelled it wrong). The music was not merely up to Veggie standards, it was simply marvelous. From the childish medley about "Billy Joe McGuffrey" to the Gospel choir (for my money the first reference to African-American culture in the series. Correct me if I'm wrong) singing about a God of "Second Chances" to the "Silly Songs with Larry" vein of "The Credits Song" it was all I could do to run to a shop and buy the soundtrack (a college man has to eat, you know). The end credits also featured a song called "In the Belly of the Whale" performed by Christian rock group Newsboy, which is probably a nod to the Disney tradition of an End Credits Theme. Even the presence of the clearly one hundred percent clownish character of Khalil the half caterpillar/half worm salesman with a regional accent that makes Babbu Bhatt from Seinfeld look like an Oxford English scholar could not take away from the quality of the experience.

So I urge you, Protestants, Catholics, Methodists, Christians, Baptists, Quakers, the lot to take your children, your wives or your sheep to see this movie. (You probably won't enjoy it if you aren't of the faith, because it does come pretty directly from the Bible, but if you can be patient through the religous references and stick around for the fun, go for it!) Don't just go because your kids want to go. Go because it's a funny movie, it's a good movie, it's got a good message and you'll leave feeling pretty good about a thing or two. This is the kind of movie that people need to be making more of and it's the kind of movie people need to be watching more of. I'd see it again in a minute.

I just love those veggies!

Seems a number of years ago, they met up with the prophet Jonah. When he didn't want to follow an assignment from God, he tries to run away on their boat. But will God let him off the hook that easily?

Once again, the guys at Big Idea have created a wonderful film that everyone can enjoy. Heck, I saw it twice in the theater myself. They stick pretty close to the Biblical story while still throwing in the silliness that we've come to expect. While one or two parts may appear over the top, they work for this movie aimed at pre-school kids. Especially effective in getting their message across is the ending. By including the entire Biblical story, they make an excellent point about compassion and mercy that we all need to remember. Their animation, while not up to the bigger budget of Pixar, is the best I've ever seen them do. The water shots are amazing all by themselves. They've certainly come a long way from their first video.

This DVD set is loaded with lots of fun things beside the movie. The first disc features the movie in wide and full screens. Full screen is the default on this disc, but it's easy enough to go into the menu and change it. This disc also features three audio commentaries. Phil and Mike do their usual entertaining job of giving insight into the making of the film. The second commentary from producer Ameake Owens and director of animation Marc Vulcano is just as enlightening. Of course, the third commentary, from Larry the Cucumber and Mr. Lunt, tells us the real story of what happened in the making of this film.

The second disc gets into all kinds of bonus features on the making of the film. Everything is covered from conception to rendering to music. While I have a fairly good idea what goes into something like this, they approached it in a different way that shed new light on it for me. They also have some hilarious features. I was rolling at the outtakes, and the Easter Eggs are well worth finding. They also include the videos and some (but surprisingly not all) of the animation for the Jonah sing along video that came out before the movie.

If you're familiar with past VeggieTales, you'll love this DVD set. It's got another great episode and all the behind the scenes information you could want. You'll enjoy the full 84 minutes.