Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie

The VeggieTales videos, a staple of Christian children's entertainment, make a smooth transition to feature films with this kid-friendly version of the story of the Old Testament prophet who balks at a directive to bring God's message to the Ninevehites, only to wind up swallowed by a whale for his disobedience. Just as in the popular series, the various characters are portrayed by talking asparagus stalks, carrots, peas, tomatoes, and other varieties of grocery produce (which will delight fans, but may strike the uninitiated as positively surrealistic, especially when figures bounce around without the benefit of legs and pick up things though devoid of arms and hands). The Big Fish portion of the tale is amusingly done, however, and cute supporting figures--a Jiminy Cricket-like worm and three bumbling pirates--should please the very young and prove a boon to parents searching for entertainment that carrys messages of compassion and kindness while avoiding any hint of the naughtier humor so prevalent in most contemporary family fare. Still, those outside the fold, so to speak, may find the film, despite some clever animation, too bland and heavy-handed for their taste. Recommended, overall. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set include both full screen and widescreen versions, three audio commentaries (by filmmakers Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki; by producer Ameake Owens and animation director Marc Vulcano; and by characters Larry and Mr. Lunt), a making-of featurette, and various featurettes--on production (“The Studio Process,” 7 min.), a studio tour (“Big Idea Tour,” 12 min.), the real story of Jonah (“Jonah and the Bible,” 5 min.), and on music (“The Score,” 8 min.). Also, there are “Khalil Auditions” (failed vocal auditions for the character), three music videos (“SuperChick Pirate Remix” by SuperChick, “Belly of the Whale” by Newsboys, and “Billy Joe McGuffrey” by Chris Rice), score and animation progression reels, concept art with optional commentaries, 15 minutes of “Digital Dailies,” six minutes of extra countertop scenes, “Khalil's Answering Machine” audio segments, Jonah's Sing Along song “Jonah Was a Prophet,” a trivia challenge with easy and hard modes of playing, the interactive storybook “Even Fish Slappers Need a Second Chance,” two “Family Fun” activity segments, text character bios, a trailer/preview gallery, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a whopper of an extras package for a sure to be popular whooper junior of a veggie tale.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 1, 2011—Lionsgate, 2 discs, 83 min., G, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2002's Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include three audio commentaries (by filmmakers Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki; by producer Ameake Owens and animation director Marc Vulcano; and by characters Larry and Mr. Lunt), “Digital Dailies” (15 min.), the production featurette “The Studio Process” (7 min.), a studio tour in “Big Idea Tour” (12 min.), “Jonah and the Bible” (5 min.) on the biblical story of Jonah, extra countertop scenes (6 min.), outtakes (6 min.), “Khalil Auditions” (failed vocal auditions for the character), the music video “Superchick Pirate Remix” by Superchick, score and animation progression reels, a bonus DVD copy of the film, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for this VeggieTales favorite.]