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Do you like to sing along with Larry? Do you fear the Island of Perpetual Tickling? Ever received bad advice from Fibrilious Minimus, the Fib from Outer Space? If so, chances are that you don't need an introduction to VeggieTales, the immensely popular series of Christian family videos in which talking cartoon veggies act out Bible stories, sing silly songs, and teach valuable moral lessons to children.

Big Idea Productions has at long last brought their nutritious heroes to the big screen. Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie is the franchise's first feature film, a $12 million dollar production filled with that unique Veggie humor that recalls both Monty Python and The Muppet Show. It boasts a spirited soundtrack that features a show-stopping gospel number set in the belly of the whale. And the message—that God is a God not of judgment, but of "second chances"—is clear.

So, now that these garden-variety personalities have hit the big time, how are mainstream critics responding? Fairly well.

"The religious component … is substantial but not excessively didactic," says Claudia Puig (USA Today). "The comedy is funnier than might be expected from art that preaches. The main lessons Jonah attempts to teach are compassion and mercy. That's an unusual—and welcome—message these days."

Kenneth Turan (L.A. Times) calls it "a pleasant surprise … playful, high-spirited and unmistakably amusing. It's nice to see that a sense of humor and a sense of values don't inevitably have to cancel each other out." He especially applauds "The Credit Song" … "which bemoans the fact that songs under the credits never have anything to do with the movie just seen. Even atheists can smile at that one, and, to a surprising extent, at the rest of Jonah as well."

Paul West (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) says, "The pandering, sappy script misses ample opportunities for satire and never brims with enough material or ideas to sustain the picture's 85-minute running time. The film also fails to advance the exciting growth of computer animation."

Religious media critics like those at Crosswalk, Preview, Movieguide, and Douglas LeBlanc at Christianity Today are pleased with the film's unique message. LeBlanc sums it up: "While Jonah does not neglect the themes of God's universal love, or of obeying him, its greatest emphasis is on showing compassion and mercy."

Phil Boatwright (The Movie Reporter) raves about the film and goes on to praise Big Idea: "Impressionable minds are bombarded by negative visuals and sounds from the media every day. I honestly believe that the products from Big Idea help counter that secular influence."

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) says, "Jonah's funny, the ultimate criteria for any comedy. It is also well-animated, with an abundance of visual gags that reward a second viewing."

Douglas M. Downs (Christian Spotlight on the Movies) declares Jonah "an absolute scream of a film. Jonah maintains a timelessness that compels you to watch it again and again. The quality is every bit as good as anything that you would expect even from the big boys like Disney or DreamWorks."

I disagree. There are some vivid, detailed, exciting visuals here, but critics who claim the animation has reached Disney/DreamWorks levels are letting their enthusiasm get the better of them. VeggieTales have come a long way, but they haven't achieved visual feats like Toy Story, Monsters Inc, The Prince of Egypt, or Antz. They're a smaller operation and have every right to be proud of their work here. Nevertheless, critics should be careful not to over-praise their accomplishments.

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October (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46