 Jolly Young St. Nick |
| Review Date: October 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Gord Wilson, Bellingham, WA USA |
Watching Saint Nicholas, one can only note how much better it is than most of the recent holiday specials, which try to have a moral to the story, but end up flat and heavy-handed. VeggieTales, on the other hand, go far beyond morals to express big ideas. The recent VeggieTales movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie (Widescreen), was the sort of superior entertainment that, while it enthralls kids, also engages adults. It's hard to believe this featurette is only 45 minutes, because it runs the gamut from light laughs to moving pathos to profound finale, the same arc as a feature film. Adults who happen to walk by while it's on TV will probably find themselves drawn in. Kids will see something new every time.
Bob the tomato tells the true story of St. Nicholas, while Larry the cuke constantly interrupts with more conventional ideas of Santa Claus. The real saint threw bags of money down the chimneys of poor women to save them from being forced into brothels. In this kid-friendly version, young Nick saves the poor from going to jail. Either way, he becomes the patron saint of those who fight human trafficking. The DVD includes ways for kids and families to help a long-established charity called Samaritan's Purse, and a catchy video by Matthew West and Amy Grant, "Give This Christmas Away."
There's an intense scene when the young Nick's parents die, which might be disturbing for very young kids, like similar scenes in Disney films like Bambi. The film is filled with witty asides and references to holiday trivia and packed with well-performed, singable songs. There's even a pirate who makes an appearance from the recent feature film. Bonus features include "Sing Along with Larry", an art gallery, and "Give This Christmas Away" music video. The previews include trailers for current VeggieTales, as well as bits on Cure International, which provides medical help for kids in need, and MOPS, a support group for Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers.
VeggieTales are inspiring on many levels: CGI animation that is second to none, garden-fresh story lines, sparkling wit to laugh-out-loud humor, a rough ride to the happy ending denouement, and they make you feel better, not worse. But this DVD, linking, as it does, an entertaining story to tangible ways to help, may be the biggest idea yet for bringing joy to the world. |
"Would This Be a Bad Time to Talk about My Christmas List?"
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| Review Date: October 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mark Baker, Santa Clarita, CA United States |
Everyone's favorite vegetables are back with their third Christmas DVD. And they've really knocked it out of the park.
Skipping the countertop scenario, our story opens in a small town on Christmas Eve. The kids are excited about all the presents they will get the next day, until Laura Carrot's dad has trouble with his car that may cost him his job. In the quiet that follows, Bob decides telling the story of Nicholas should help.
And so we travel back to Greece in the third century. Aided by Larry (who tries to move the story forward and make it more festive), Bob tell us about a young boy named Nicholas. His family is well off, but he can't understand why his parents spend so much time giving. After their early death, he sets out to find happiness again. Can he do it? What might he learn from his search?
This is a bit more of a serious story than you might normally expect. They do a fairly decent job of retelling the legend of St. Nicholas without getting into the ramifications of the modern day legend.
But this video is still funny. Most of the humor comes from Larry, who keeps exasperating Bob by trying to fit the story into the Santa legend. Of course, the costumes Mr. Lunt wears as he helps Nicholas in the second half are laugh out loud funny as well. Especially the second one.
Speaking of whom, Mr. Lunt does the silly song this go around. "Donuts for Benny" starts out fun but gets super silly at the end. I loved it! I swear the music reminded me of a classic Christian song, but I couldn't place which one it was.
The music is great on this video as a whole. There are several original songs, but they also parody Christmas classics like "Deck the Halls" and "Jingle Bells."
While a tad more on the serious side, this is a real gem. Get this now, and your family will enjoy it for years to come. |
Heartwarming Tale of St. Nick
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| Review Date: November 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Janet Boyer, Pennsylvania |
I've told my son that there was, indeed, a "Santa Claus" in the form of St. Nicholas. When I saw that the Veggie Tales crew was coming out with a DVD about St. Nick, I ordered it immediately.
We have quite a few Veggie Tales DVDs (we're not even Christians), and have always found them to be clever, funny and well-produced eye-candy that presents noble values and practices.
We watched Saint Nicholas last night, and my son and I teared up. I didn't know Nicholas lost his parents as a child, and that they basically died while helping others during a plague. They modeled a life of giving and sharing to young Nicholas. In this DVD, Bob, Larry, Nicky Pepper and company demonstrate the origins of St. Nick (and perhaps even practices of Santa Claus, such as filling stockings and passing gifts through the chimney), including the influence his parents had upon him and the community.
The silly song about a dog wanting donuts was pretty corny--not as good as most other silly songs--but hey! we don't buy Veggie Tales for the silly songs anyway. :o)
I wish there were more Bonus Features on this particular DVD (like they have on other ones...such as drawing demonstrations, games, screen saves, etc.), but for the price, the Saint Nicholas Veggie Tales DVD is an absolute gem.
I'm glad we added this to our extensive holiday DVD collection, and I know we'll watch it again and again--and probably without a dry eye each time.
Highly recommended!
-- Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot |
Saint Nicholas -- Best VeggieTales DVD in years!
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| Review Date: October 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Treasure Lover, |
| The best VeggieTales DVD ever released! This story also doesn't pull the rug out from under little ones excited for Christmas morning gifts! It will inspire all of us to give - and give all year round. A story like this doesn't get much better than this! Great gift for any toddlers on your list! |
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