| Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie |
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| Genre: | Animation - Family |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Rating: | NR |
| Cast: | Mike Nawrocki, Mike Nawrocki, Phil Vischer, Phil Vischer |
The average VeggieTales video -- a faith-based outing marked by cleverly irreverent humor -- clocks in at a crisp 30 minutes. Fans will be pleased to know that in their leap to the big screen, the computer-generated all-veggie cast do not wilt under the feature-length running time. Jonah is a bountiful blend of Python-esque looniness, silly songs, and non-preachy lessons in compassion and mercy. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, a root beer-swilling trio, recall the story of Jonah. The prophet basks in the prestige of being God's messenger ("Do not fight, do not cheat, wash your hands before you eat," he sings at one point) but balks at God's command to travel to Nineveh (where the unruly residents slap each other with fish). Desperate circumstances ensue when Jonah finds himself in a whale of an adventure. But an inspired new character, Khalil, joins him. This enterprising traveling buddy touts a mother who was a caterpillar and whose father was a worm ("But I'm okay with that now," he insists). This is all very easy to swallow, even for secular audiences. Viewers of any denomination will enjoy the aptly named "The Credit Song," which runs over the end credits. And not to worry: A disclaimer reassures us that no vegetable was harmed in the making of this film. Donald Liebenson
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