Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
Encyclopedia
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie is a 2002 American computer-animated
film
based on VeggieTales
, produced by Big Idea Productions, Lions Gate Films
and FHE Pictures. It is the first feature-length film in the VeggieTales series.
The themes of the film are compassion
and mercy
. The film weaves two stories together to illustrate these themes. The first takes place in the current day and concerns a mishap that occurs on the way to a concert. The second, set in ancient Israel, is based directly on the Biblical
story of Jonah
. Through both stories viewers learn that they should be compassionate and merciful and that all people deserve a second chance.
This film features the popular "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" in both segments. They were first seen in the Silly Song
of the same name in Very Silly Songs! and later hosted The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown
.
Most of the animation was done in house by Big Idea Productions.
where Bob the Tomato is driving some of the Veggie children to see the popular singer "Twippo" in concert. Meanwhile, Laura is taunting the other children because she won a backstage pass in a contest and will get to meet Twippo after the concert.
Dad tells Laura to not rub it in. Yet, when she asked Junior, "Is there anything you want to tell Twippo when I meet him?" it caused Dad to turn around with guitar still in his "hands" (vegetables don't have hands) which hit Bob making him lose control of the vehicle. When the guitar got caught in the steering wheel, Laura loses her ticket out the window since the window was down. They narrowly avoid hitting a family of porcupines who take out the front wheels of the van with their quills. The vehicle goes careening down a hill and stops just short of a river.
Unable to proceed, they take refuge in a nearby fancy, French, seafood restaurant. But conflict is tearing the little group apart: Bob blames Dad Asparagus for crashing the car, and Junior blames Laura, even telling her that she's getting what she deserves when she laments that she won't be able to come to the concert at all. Junior, sitting at a table alone is met by the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. The Pirates say he was tough on his friend and encourage him to show some compassion. To illustrate, they begin to tell a story (which they claim to have experienced, despite it clearly being set in ancient times).
Jonah
is a prophet who receives messages from the Lord and delivers them to the Israelites. One day, God asks him to leave Israel
and deliver a message to Nineveh
, a rough and dangerous city in Assyria
. The Israelites fear and hate the Ninevites; as does Jonah. He questions God's will even though it is clear the God intends to show mercy to the Ninevites. Jonah panics and tries to flee from the Lord. When he spies the Pirates' ship docked in the harbor, he asks them to take him to wherever they are going. They resist on account of the fact that they don't do anything, but Jonah convinces them by paying them. Below deck he meets Khalil the Caterpillar, a traveling rug salesman.
Jonah wakes from a dream to find the ship beset by a great storm. Captain Pa concludes that the storm has been sent because God is angry at someone on the ship. They all play Go Fish to determine who it is: the loser will be thrown from the ship. Jonah loses the game, admitting he is running from God, and is forced to walk the plank. With Jonah off the ship, the skies clear immediately. The Pirates attempt to reel him back in, but a whale swallows Jonah. The Pirates fire the cannon at the whale but are forced to use a bowling ball as ammo. The whale surfaces and swallows the ball with Kahlil inside.
Inside the belly of the fish, Jonah is visited by a host of God's messengers. They explain through a rousing number that if Jonah repents then God will grant him a second chance too. Jonah vows to go to Nineveh if God shows him mercy, and he and Khalil are spit up onto the shore.
Jonah proceeds straight to Nineveh as promised. After being denied entrance to the city, the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything appear, who have gained notoriety from the people of ninevah for winning the sweepstakes. They sneak Jonah into the city disguised as winners of the sweepstakes, thought they are all promptly arrested for the theft of Cheese Twists. After sentenced to death, they are granted an audience with King Twistomer. When King Twistomer hears that Jonah has survived in the belly of a whale, he listens to his message. Jonah delivers the message given to him by God. He tells them they should repent and amend their ways. King Twistomer and the Ninevites quickly repent.
Jonah waits from a distance, hoping to see God's wrath destroy Nineveh. Khalil is disappointed in Jonah, and tries to explain to him that God is compassionate and merciful, that he has granted the Ninevites a second chance, and that so too should Jonah, since he was granted mercy. But Jonah, feeling pathetic and self-important, can't accept that. The story ends with Khalil and Jonah's camel leaving Jonah on a cliff overlooking the city.
Back in the present day, the Veggies understand the point of the story. Bob forgives Dad Asparagus and Junior gives his Twippo ticket to Laura. Twippo, who looks and sounds remarkably like Jonah, appears in the restaurant unexpectedly and the film ends with a grand musical number.
Prior to the credits, a tow truck driver, who looks and sounds remarkably like Khalil, walks into the restaurant. This makes him somewhat recognizable to Twippo, referencing that Twippo is Jonah and the tow truck driver is Khalil.
and Big Idea Productions released a sequel to Jonah called The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie
. It was the first film from Big Idea that was not animated by Big Idea. Most of the animation was produced at Starz Animation
.
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
based on VeggieTales
VeggieTales
VeggieTales is an American series of children's computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables in stories conveying moral themes based on Christianity...
, produced by Big Idea Productions, Lions Gate Films
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
and FHE Pictures. It is the first feature-length film in the VeggieTales series.
The themes of the film are compassion
Compassion
Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
and mercy
Mercy
Mercy is broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts.The concept of a "Merciful God" appears in various religions from Christianity to...
. The film weaves two stories together to illustrate these themes. The first takes place in the current day and concerns a mishap that occurs on the way to a concert. The second, set in ancient Israel, is based directly on the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
story of Jonah
Jonah
Jonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
. Through both stories viewers learn that they should be compassionate and merciful and that all people deserve a second chance.
This film features the popular "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" in both segments. They were first seen in the Silly Song
Silly Songs with Larry
Silly Songs with Larry is a regular feature in the Big Idea's popular 3D cartoon series VeggieTales. It generally consists of Larry the Cucumber singing either alone or with some of the other Veggie characters. Occasionally, another character or an ensemble gets the lead vocal. It is occasionally...
of the same name in Very Silly Songs! and later hosted The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown
The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown
Veggie Tales: The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown is the 16th episode in the VeggieTales animated series and the third Silly Song compilation. The premise was to count down the Top Ten Silly Songs as decided by the show's viewers...
.
Most of the animation was done in house by Big Idea Productions.
Plot
The film opens on a Volkswagen BusVolkswagen Bus
-Light commercial vehicles:One of five generations of Volkswagen vans:*Volkswagen Type 2 , generation T1 *Volkswagen Type 2 , generation T2 *Volkswagen Type 2 , generation T3...
where Bob the Tomato is driving some of the Veggie children to see the popular singer "Twippo" in concert. Meanwhile, Laura is taunting the other children because she won a backstage pass in a contest and will get to meet Twippo after the concert.
Dad tells Laura to not rub it in. Yet, when she asked Junior, "Is there anything you want to tell Twippo when I meet him?" it caused Dad to turn around with guitar still in his "hands" (vegetables don't have hands) which hit Bob making him lose control of the vehicle. When the guitar got caught in the steering wheel, Laura loses her ticket out the window since the window was down. They narrowly avoid hitting a family of porcupines who take out the front wheels of the van with their quills. The vehicle goes careening down a hill and stops just short of a river.
Unable to proceed, they take refuge in a nearby fancy, French, seafood restaurant. But conflict is tearing the little group apart: Bob blames Dad Asparagus for crashing the car, and Junior blames Laura, even telling her that she's getting what she deserves when she laments that she won't be able to come to the concert at all. Junior, sitting at a table alone is met by the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. The Pirates say he was tough on his friend and encourage him to show some compassion. To illustrate, they begin to tell a story (which they claim to have experienced, despite it clearly being set in ancient times).
Jonah
Jonah
Jonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
is a prophet who receives messages from the Lord and delivers them to the Israelites. One day, God asks him to leave Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and deliver a message to Nineveh
Nineveh
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
, a rough and dangerous city in Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
. The Israelites fear and hate the Ninevites; as does Jonah. He questions God's will even though it is clear the God intends to show mercy to the Ninevites. Jonah panics and tries to flee from the Lord. When he spies the Pirates' ship docked in the harbor, he asks them to take him to wherever they are going. They resist on account of the fact that they don't do anything, but Jonah convinces them by paying them. Below deck he meets Khalil the Caterpillar, a traveling rug salesman.
Jonah wakes from a dream to find the ship beset by a great storm. Captain Pa concludes that the storm has been sent because God is angry at someone on the ship. They all play Go Fish to determine who it is: the loser will be thrown from the ship. Jonah loses the game, admitting he is running from God, and is forced to walk the plank. With Jonah off the ship, the skies clear immediately. The Pirates attempt to reel him back in, but a whale swallows Jonah. The Pirates fire the cannon at the whale but are forced to use a bowling ball as ammo. The whale surfaces and swallows the ball with Kahlil inside.
Inside the belly of the fish, Jonah is visited by a host of God's messengers. They explain through a rousing number that if Jonah repents then God will grant him a second chance too. Jonah vows to go to Nineveh if God shows him mercy, and he and Khalil are spit up onto the shore.
Jonah proceeds straight to Nineveh as promised. After being denied entrance to the city, the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything appear, who have gained notoriety from the people of ninevah for winning the sweepstakes. They sneak Jonah into the city disguised as winners of the sweepstakes, thought they are all promptly arrested for the theft of Cheese Twists. After sentenced to death, they are granted an audience with King Twistomer. When King Twistomer hears that Jonah has survived in the belly of a whale, he listens to his message. Jonah delivers the message given to him by God. He tells them they should repent and amend their ways. King Twistomer and the Ninevites quickly repent.
Jonah waits from a distance, hoping to see God's wrath destroy Nineveh. Khalil is disappointed in Jonah, and tries to explain to him that God is compassionate and merciful, that he has granted the Ninevites a second chance, and that so too should Jonah, since he was granted mercy. But Jonah, feeling pathetic and self-important, can't accept that. The story ends with Khalil and Jonah's camel leaving Jonah on a cliff overlooking the city.
Back in the present day, the Veggies understand the point of the story. Bob forgives Dad Asparagus and Junior gives his Twippo ticket to Laura. Twippo, who looks and sounds remarkably like Jonah, appears in the restaurant unexpectedly and the film ends with a grand musical number.
Prior to the credits, a tow truck driver, who looks and sounds remarkably like Khalil, walks into the restaurant. This makes him somewhat recognizable to Twippo, referencing that Twippo is Jonah and the tow truck driver is Khalil.
Cast
- Phil VischerPhil VischerPhillip "Phil" Vischer is an American voice actor, animator, director, writer and puppeteer known for creating the computer-animated video series VeggieTales with partner and friend Mike Nawrocki...
voices several roles:- Bob the Tomato
- Archibald Asparagus as Twippo and Jonah
- Pirate Mr. Lunt
- Captain Pa Grape
- Mr. Nezzer
- King Twistomer
- Jimmy Gourd
- Percy and Phillipe Pea
- Mike NawrockiMike NawrockiMichael Nawrocki is an American voice actor, writer, animator and director. He is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of Big Idea Entertainment, the company best known for bringing computer-animated vegetables to life in the popular VeggieTales series...
voices several roles:- Pirate Larry the Cucumber
- Jerry Gourd
- Jean Claude Pea
- Tim HodgeTim HodgeTimothy "Tim" Hodge is an American voice actor, writer and director who works at Big Idea Entertainment in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has worked on the VeggieTales videos as well other projects like 3-2-1 Penguins!....
voices Khalil - Dan Anderson voices Dad Asparagus
- Lisa Vischer voices Junior Asparagus
- Kristin Blegen voices Laura Carrot
- Shelby Vischer voices Annie
- Jim Poole voices Scooter
Music
- Billy Joe McGuffrey
- Drive into the River, Bob
- Steak and Shrimp
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, sung by Relient KRelient KRelient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
- Message From the Lord
- It Can Not Be
- Ding Dong
- Second Chances
- Jonah Was a Prophet
- In the Belly of the Whale, sung by NewsboysNewsboysNewsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...
- The Credits Song
- 3-2-1 Penguins! Theme Song (UK)
Critical reception
Reviews of Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie have been slightly mixed to positive. Based on 55 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, Jonah currently has a 65% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 5.8 out of 10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 78%. By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 58, based on 20 reviews.Blu-Ray Release
On March 8, 2011, Jonah was released on Blu-Ray Combo Pack. This happened when Twas the Night Before Easter was released.Sequel
In 2008, Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
and Big Idea Productions released a sequel to Jonah called The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie is a 2008 American animated feature-length family adventure film directed by Mike Nawrocki and written by Phil Vischer. Produced through Big Idea Productions animation studio and the animation by Starz Animation, it is the second film featuring...
. It was the first film from Big Idea that was not animated by Big Idea. Most of the animation was produced at Starz Animation
Starz Animation
Arc Productions, formerly known as Starz Animation Toronto, is a Canadian animation and visual effects studio based in Toronto, Ontario. It is majority owned by a Canadian investor group, with former owner Starz Media as a minority stakeholder...
.