I am 21 years old and I still love Veggie Tales. It was all I watched when I was really little, and the memories, values, and fun still remain special today. In fact, my passion for The Bible and movies both date back to a younger self watching this Christian video series nearly all the time. As for why I still watch it today, I could only explain why by evaluating the first show in depth.
Where's God When I'm S-Scared contains 2 stories about fear. The first is called Tales From The Crisper, where a 5 year old named Junior watches a scary movie before bed. He can't sleep, so 2 of his friends, Bob and Larry, teach him that he has no need to fear because God is with him, He loves him, and He will always protect him.
The 2nd story is the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den, found in The Bible in Daniel Chapter 6. This, of course, tells of a Jewish slave who is thrown into a den of lions for not praying to the king. As with any Veggie Tales Bible story, it's modernized, making it more fresh than your average Sunday School lesson.
In between these 2 segments, there is a Silly Song With Larry, which is a reference to Monty Python's "And Now It's Time For Something Completely Different." Phil Vischer, the creator of the series, is a huge MP fan and so you can spot references to the show early in the series. (See Josh and the Big Wall for a prime example.)
This one is called The Water Buffalo Song, where Larry mistakenly believes that everyone has a water buffalo.
When I critique an animated film, I sometimes mention how the animation is. I must confess that this video is a bit dated, as it is 27 years old. This is one of the first uses of computer animation (It even predates Toy Story by 2 years), so when you compare it to a modern Disney movie, it's kind of...well, poor. Still, on its own, it's beautiful to look at and the fun story and great message make up for it.
If you listen to the DVD's commentary or read Phil's autobiography Me Myself and Bob, you learn that he only had 3 animators at the time and the studio was run by him, as a recent Bible college dropout (he missed too much Chapel class.) He also had a few months to produce the film and worked a couple of days without food or sleep to get it done. When you learn this, you appreciate the film more for WHAT it is, not HOW it is.
Veggie Tales also has a ton of music, and this episode has quite a few hits. One is called God is Bigger, which is my favorite song in the whole series. I will mention that more in depth in a moment.
In the Daniel segment, there is a song called Oh, No!, where the 3 wise men plot to get rid of Daniel. This song is known for having an awesome rhyme, perhaps the best in all of existence.
Part of their list of ideas is this line: "We could use him as a foot stool, or a table to play *Scrabble On*, then tie him up, and beat him up, and throw him out of *Babylon*!" Name someone else who could come up with an awesome rhyme like THAT?
As I mentioned, God is Bigger is my favorite song in all of Veggie Tales. It's not just because it's catchy, which it is, but because it comforted me in a dark time in my life. I went through child abuse when I was 14. One night, I was frightened from it. I thought to myself "I'm so scared", and then I remembered this video. So late at night, I mentally sang:
"God is bigger than the Boogie Man! He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV! Oh, God is bigger than the Boogie Man, and He's watching out for you and me!" After that, my fear vanished, and I was able to go to sleep.
Whether I'm scared, sad, or bored, God Is Bigger is a perfect song for any emotion I have. It has uplifted me in many low parts of my life. Which is kind of ironic, since this particular episode upset me as a toddler.
Nearly every episode has a Bible verse at the end, this one being from Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you." That just about sums it up. That's the moral, and that's what has stuck with me in life.
As you can see, this half hour video may be a cartoon for kids, but it has influenced my life more than most anything. I'm told that I'm too old for Veggie Tales sometimes, but that doesn't matter to me. The series has shaped me too much to just let it go. If Phil, or anyone who ever worked on Veggie Tales is reading this, for what you have done, I am eternally grateful.
