VeggieTales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
By Karen WilsonAverage User Rating:
MPAA Rating: G
Theatrical Release: January 11, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Animation
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes
Plot Synopsis: Somewhere in the 17th century, a royal boat is high jacked by pirates and its prince taken hostage. The hiding Princess Eloise sends out a special distress signal invented by her father asking for some heroes to come to the rescue. The flashing gold Helpseeker ball travels to the future where it rolls into the lives of three nutritious friends, grape-shaped George, cucumber-shaped Elliot and squash-shaped Sedgewick. These vegetables are hardly obvious princess rescuing types, they work as lowly waiters at a pirate-themed restaurant. But once they’ve been transported back to the real pirate kingdom, they rise to the occasion, figuring out how to sail the ship, befriending helpful rock monsters and ultimately saving the day.
Sex/Nudity: None
Violence/Gore: A little mild action like Sedgewick being chased by some angry cheese curls, a dragon leaping out of the lagoon that is quickly dispatched, the pirates locking up the prince and threatening to kill him if he doesn’t reveal when the King is returning.
Profanity: None
Will Kids Like It?
For preschool and younger grade school fans of the cuddly, moralistic Veggies this feature-length installment will make for an entertaining and age-appropriate outing to the movies. But for much older brothers and sisters, the simplistic story and heavy-handed lessons at the end may put them to sleep. Though they might enjoy the “Rock Monster” video, set to a familiar tune by the ‘80s group the B52s, available to download on the official website.
Will Parents Like It?
While some parents might feel a certain proud glow entertaining their children with such upright and wholesome movie fare, they probably won’t personally find the hour and a half a very entertaining visit to the Cineplex. However, the thrill of finding a new movie suitable for very young viewers might outweigh any discomfort parents will feel sitting through it.
Kaboose review: Parents always want to coax their children into eating more vegetables, so it makes sense that the computer generated animation production company Big Idea would make veggies the stars of their television series. Created in 1993, the series of Bible stories and morality plays originally went straight to video, and then later were picked up by television stations like PAX and NBC for wider release. The company almost went completely under after producing their expensive full-length feature film, Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie in 2002, until a buyout came along which kept them afloat.
Returning to the big screen five years later, director, producer and voice star Mike Nawrocki has jettisoned the VeggieTales obvious Biblical connections for a subtler Judeo-Christian, moral tone. The film’s plot still sets out to teach young viewers valuable lessons about faith, undergoing tests and asking for help, but they are couched in more general, secular terms. Plus they throw in a rock music video starring the characters over the end credits to keep things seeming young and fresh.
The VeggieTales universe has a recurring gang of nutrient-packed characters who play new roles, almost like vegetable shaped actors, in each story. Here Pa Grape plays George, a father of two who is struggling with his children not admiring his low level job as a “cabin boy” at the pirate adventure show. Mr. Lunt is Sedgewick, a really lazy gourd who just wants to watch episodes of The Love Boat and eat cheese curls all day. Finally, Larry the Cucumber plays Elliot, an equally unmotivated fellow also working as a cabin boy with George and Sedgewick. When the veggies are first called to be heroes, they set up hammocks and drink fruity tropical drinks, rather than helping. But as they get to know leek-shaped Eloise and her friends, the three come to realize they have more heroism and gumption than they thought.
Teaching children to set goals and strive for more are always welcome lessons to find smuggled into entertaining flicks. Unfortunately, the movie’s pacing could’ve used some editing. Even though it’s under 90 minutes, the film still feels long, predictable and at times, ponderous. If only the scriptwriters had figured out a way to capitalize on their creative strengths—like the cute family of Rock Monsters and the angry toothy Cheetos—both fun characters we don’t meet until an hour into the film. A whole movie about snack foods enacting revenge on couch potatoes? Now that would be worth watching.
Cast: Phil Vischer (voice of George, aka Pa Grape, Sedgewick, aka Mr. Lunt, Bob the Tomato, Willory, and others), Mike Nawrocki (Voice of Elliot aka Larry the Cucumber, Rock Monster father), Laura Gerow (voice of Eloise), Alan Lee (One-Eyed Louie), Cam Clarke (voice of Robert the Terrible and the King)
Director: Mike Nawrocki
Star Rating
1 Star