Film Review: Veggietales "The Star of Christmas"

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet seen this, please go and do so before proceeding.

        Sooo...who remembers the time we were given a Victorian steampunk musical Christmas special, entirely acted out by vegetables? Seriously, this special had everything. It had Dickens puns, catchy ditties, an epic aria about plumbing explosions, witty dialogue, great characters, beautiful animation, and a powerful lesson about how love is sacrifice and a choice rather than a feeling.

        If you were old enough to be watching television in the 90's and early 2000's, probably you either watched the direct-to-video animated series, Veggietales, or you saw advertisements/merchandise for it somewhere because those were the days of the Veggiemania.

     Veggietales was created by best friends Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki as a clean, wholesome alternative to a lot of the violence-filled, adult-joke-oriented media that younger and younger children were being saturated in. The idea was to create a series that would be both clever and entertaining while also teaching important lessons about life. In this, they certainly succeeded, as Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber rose to extreme popularity with their funny parodies, good morals, and memorable personalities. At the end of every episode, Bob and Larry would wrap up everything by extracting the lesson from the story and tying it up to make it easy to remember. They would also end by saying "God made you special, and He loves you very much." 

       This was a carefully-made writing choice by creators Phil and Mike because they knew that children grow up. They didn't want Bob and Larry to end up like so many other childhood imaginary friends and heroes. They didn't want children to rely on Bob and Larry for emotional support. Because they knew that the day would come when they couldn't create new episodes with the characters. They knew that kids grow up and discover that their beloved animated icons aren't real. So they NEVER wanted to tell children that Bob and Larry would love them forever. They did, however, want to stress that the children were created unique and special and that, no matter what, God would love them.

       I personally feel that they probably drew a lot of inspiration from Mr. Rogers (for those of you who remember the show/recorded series Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood) in that they never talked down to kids. They treated their audience with respect and always tried to tell the best stories in the way that would be best for the lives that those stories would touch. It was truly an extraordinary thing.

       That is where The Star of Christmas comes in. It is the second Christmas special that Veggietales produced and is, by far, one of the best episodes they ever produced.

       It's 1880's London, and Cavis Appythart and Milward Phelps (Bob and Larry) are putting the finishing touches on their first Christmas musical - 'The Princess and the Plumber'. Filled with spectacle and more electric lights than London has ever seen, Cavis is convinced his impressive show will "teach London to love!" Unfortunately, a church Christmas pageant staged by little Edmund Gilbert (Junior Asparagus) is opening the same night, right down the street, and features the "Star of Christmas" - a priceless artifact that hasn't been seen in 80 years! Just how far will Cavis go to make sure his show opens on top?

      Veggietales has been described as what would happen if a train carrying the Monty Python team collided with a vegetable cart. And, aside from the nudity and shock humor, that is pretty accurate. Which is probably why I love them so much. In this special (set, need I remind you, in Victorian London) there is a rocket car built for the Queen's Horseless Carriage Competition that serves as the facilitator of the climax and the entire third act of the film. The rest of it is taken up with musical theater references/puns, a scene where the two lead characters rob a church and get arrested, and a chase scene that will leave you convulsing with helpless laughter.

       The message of this one is not only the real star of Christmas and the original Christmas story, but also the concept of love. In our society, we overuse the word 'love' until it has come to mean anything and nothing. You're marrying someone? You love them. Those pancakes were good? You love them. 'Love' is abstract and has been used and abused so much that it means just about whatever you want it to mean. The Star of Christmas takes the term and defines it as doing something for someone without expecting anything in return. That love is a CHOICE you have to make, rather than a FEELING.

       See what I mean about them not talking down to kids? That's a very adult concept right there, but an important one. And it's packaged in with jokes and colorful sets and great characters and some music that you can really tap your toes to. There's literally something for everyone in this film. I first saw it when I was just a kid and I'm STILL discovering new things hidden in the scripts and in the backgrounds.



          Veggietales had a gift for keeping it clean without making it boring, with including the morals without being preachy, and with inserting jokes and slapstick without beating you over the head with it. The timing of the animation was always spot-on, the characters were few but multi-faceted and interesting, and the scripts contained very tight, witty writing that continues to reveal more layers the older I get. This film has fun animation, witty writing, and a wonderful message for kids and adults alike to be reminded of around Christmastime. The Star of Christmas is a 5/5.



What do you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?