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Walking that tightrope between the sacred and the secular markets could possibly go down as Big Idea's greatest contribution to the Christian entertainment industry. The company already braved the potential wrath of independent Christian retailers (who were the exclusive outlets for the series) when in 1998 it took VeggieTales videos into the general marketplace and into stores like Wal-Mart and Target. As expected, Christian booksellers experienced some decline in their Veggie sales (and many still express varying levels of irritation). Nevertheless, Big Idea successfully increased its visibility and positioned itself to become a mainstream player. Now with Jonah, Vischer and his talented cohorts hope to bust open more cultural doors.

When Vischer considers the challenge that awaits him, he invokes the names of the other major players in his field—media companies like DreamWorks, Pixar, AOL-Time Warner, Viacom, and especially Disney, the unequivocal king of the family-entertainment giants.

"Disney occupies a cultural position that I don't think any other company has come close to," Vischer says. "What Walt did is extraordinary in that he became the storyteller for a culture. And no one else has ever done that." His fondness for Disney seems to be outweighed only by his conviction that there must be a trustworthy alternative—one that, unlike Disney, embraces a biblical worldview.

With Jonah, Big Idea hopes to make its biggest waves yet in challenging Disney's dominance. Hollywood, the Christian community, and my 2½-year-old are all waiting to see just how well these folks produce.

Edward Gilbreath is the managing editor of Christian Reader and a CT editor at large.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also appearing on our site today:

Runaway AsparagusBig Idea's Jonah is both wholesome and hip.

(The Voice of) Larry the Cucumber Speaks"Nobody thinks growing up that they're going to be a cucumber."

The Serious Business of Silly SongsThe director of music for the VeggieTales talks about bringing musical depth to the score.

The official site for Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie has activities and offerings for kids plus movie information, pictures, and trailers. The corporate site has more information on the company.

Christianity Today sister publication Books & Culture discussed Big Idea's video series in "What's Cooking When Martha Stewart Meets the VeggieTales?"

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October 7 2002, Vol. 46, No. 11