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What I'm saying here is that apart from Christ, I cannot save the day. I'm no good thing. We want our kids to hear that they can accomplish anything if they set their minds to it or if they follow their heart. But Christianity says, "You can do no good thing on your own and your heart is wicked."

Vischer created characters that tell a story, instead of preaching

Were you tempted to add more overt God content in Pirates after Universal said you could?

Vischer: Because it's a parable, I couldn't have a literal God because there's a figurative God. When Jesus told the parable about the vineyard owner, he didn't mention God because he was already there metaphorically. When you're in Narnia, you cannot talk about Jesus because you're living in allegory.

That is really what this is: an allegory. Bible stories aren't written to make good movies. They are historical. In Hollywood, the idea is, The worst possible reason to put something in a movie is because it really happened. If it doesn't make a good movie, change it. We don't have that leeway because we're dealing with Scripture. We have to tell those stories very literally. That can be compelling for a half hour but doesn't make a good movie.

Was this a big storytelling shift for VeggieTales?

Vischer: It's a shift in that for the first time we said, "Hey, let's allow the characters to drive the story." Some people are already saying, "You've parted from the brand!" But only half the VeggieTales were Bible stories. The others were parodies and parables that conveyed a biblical principle.

How do your expectations for Pirates differ than those for Jonah?

Vischer: Well, I was hoping Jonah would save my company and keep me on a path to build the Christian Disney. That's a pretty high expectation to put on one story. This film, honestly, I just hope people will be engaged by the story and get a glimmer of the Christian life because it's in there if you look for it. That's it.

Vischer also had some interesting things to say about the film and more in this interview with ReligionWriter.com.

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