Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Phil Vischer Mike Nawrocki |
| Produced by | Ameake Owens |
| Written by | Phil Vischer Mike Nawrocki |
| Starring | Phil Vischer Mike Nawrocki Tim Hodge Lisa Vischer Dan Anderson Shelby Vischer Kristin Blegen Jim Poole |
| Music by | Kurt Heinecke David Mullen Phil Vischer |
| Editing by | John Wahba |
| Studio | Big Idea Productions F.H.E. Pictures |
| Distributed by | Artisan Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | August 14, 2002 (Hollywood Theater) October 4, 2002 (United States) |
| Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $14 million |
| Money made | $25.6 million |
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie is a 2002 American computer-animated Christian musical comedy adventure film produced by Big Idea Productions and released by Artisan Entertainment through its F.H.E. Pictures label. It is the first feature-length film in the VeggieTales series. The themes for the film are compassion and mercy, using two stories as illustrations linked by the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, who were first seen in the Silly Song of the same name in Very Silly Songs!. The first story takes place in the current day and concerns a mishap with Bob the Tomato and Dad Asparagus on the way to a concert; the second, set in ancient Israel, is based directly on the biblical story of Jonah. Through both stories, compassion and mercy play a role in giving people a second chance.
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie premiered on August 14, 2002, at a Hollywood movie theater and came out as a regular release two months later on October 4, 2002. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the humor. The film grossed $25.6 million against a $14 million production budget, making it the highest-grossing film released by Big Idea Productions.
The film came out on VHS and DVD on March 4, 2003, as a worldwide home video release in both full-screen and anamorphic widescreen formats with a two-disc collector's edition. A DVD reprint with the feature and bonus features was released on January 29, 2008, by Word Entertainment and on Blu-ray in 2011 by Lionsgate (Artisan's successor), another reprint was released in 2018 by Universal Pictures (Big Idea's current parent company).
Plot
Bob the Tomato is driving his troupe (consisting of Dad Asparagus, Laura Carrot, Junior Asparagus, Annie Onion, and two French Pea boys) to see the popular singer "Twippo" in concert. During the drive, Laura taunts her friends because she won a backstage pass, which particularly annoys Junior. Meanwhile, Bob is frustrated with Dad for singing songs and playing his guitar instead of helping him with the map. Laura's taunting distracts Dad and causes him to accidentally strike Bob on the head with his guitar, causing Bob to briefly lose control of the van and then leading Laura to lose her pass. More trouble ensues when Dad's guitar gets stuck in, and then breaks off, the steering wheel. A porcupine shoots out two of the van's tires with her quills in order to protect her babies, causing the van to veer off the road and careen down a hill, stopping short of a river.
In a nearby seafood restaurant, Bob blames Dad Asparagus for the crash and Junior tells Laura losing her pass was her own fault. While Bob goes to call a tow truck, Junior is met by The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (played by Larry, Mr. Lunt, and Pa Grape), who tell Junior he was being rather tough on his friend and encourage him to show some compassion. To emphasize their point, the Pirates tell all the Veggies a story about a man of God named Jonah.
Jonah (played by Archibald Asparagus) is a Prophet of ancient Israel who goes from town to town delivering God's messages. One night, God asks him to deliver a message to Nineveh, a town notorious for its corrupt citizens. Jonah resents God and decides to run away to Tarshish with The Pirates. After leaving port, a guilt-stricken Jonah goes below deck to rest where he meets a salesman caterpillar named Khalil, who agrees to go with Jonah to sell his merchandise.
After experiencing a nightmare, Jonah awakens to find the ship beset by a great storm. Pa concludes the storm has been sent because God is angry at someone on the ship. The group decides to play Go Fish to divine who is at fault. Jonah loses the game, causing him to admit why he wants to go to Tarshish and is forced to walk the plank. As soon as Jonah is off the ship, the skies clear. The Pirates attempt to reel Jonah back in, but before they can do so, Jonah is swallowed by a giant whale. The pirates attempt to attack the whale, using a bowling ball as ammo, but the whale merely swallows the ball (which Khalil was hiding in), disgorges Jonah's lifebelt, and swims away.
Inside the whale's stomach, Khalil finds a grieving Jonah and the pair are soon visited by a host of God's angels, who explain that if Jonah repents, God will grant him a second chance. Upon repenting, Jonah and Khalil are spit up onto the shore, and they ride Jonah's camel Reginald to Nineveh.
When Jonah is turned away at the city's entrance, The Pirates appear and help sneak him into the city under the guise of having won the Mr. Twisty's Twisted Cheese Curls sweepstakes. The group is soon arrested after Larry takes the King's Cheese Curls, mistaking them for free samples, and are sentenced to death. As a last request, they are granted an audience with King Twistomer. Jonah then delivers the message given to him by God warning that the Ninevites should immediately repent of their ways or Nineveh will be destroyed; along with the proof of surviving being inside a whale, Jonah convinces King Twistomer and the Ninevites, who quickly agree.
Still expecting God to destroy Nineveh for their past sins, Jonah watches and waits from a distance in the hot sun. God provides a plant to shade Jonah, only for Khalil to eat a single leaf off the plant, which kills it. Jonah laments the dead plant, and Khalil is disappointed Jonah shows compassion for a plant, but not the Ninevites. Khalil then tries to explain God is compassionate and merciful and that he wants to give everyone, both Israelites and non-Israelites, a second chance. Jonah refuses to accept this and states it would be better if he was dead. The story ends with Khalil and Reginald leaving Jonah to his sulking.
Back in the present day, the Veggies are disappointed in the anti-climactic ending, but come to understand the point of the story: God wants everybody to show compassion and mercy, even to those that do not seem to deserve it. Twippo, who bears a striking resemblance to Jonah, then appears in the restaurant unexpectedly and offers to give everybody a lift to the concert, while Bob forgives Dad Asparagus and Junior gives his Twippo ticket to Laura. The film ends with a song and the surprise arrival of the tow truck driver, who is none other than Khalil.
Cast
- Phil Vischer as Bob the Tomato / Archibald Asparagus (as Jonah and Twippo) / Mr. Lunt / Pa Grape / Mr. Nezzer / Apollo Gourd (as King Twistomer) / Jimmy Gourd / Phillipe Pea / Percy Pea
- Mike Nawrocki as Larry the Cucumber / Jerry Gourd / Jean Claude Pea
- Tim Hodge as Khalil
- Dan Anderson as Dad Asparagus
- Lisa Vischer as Junior Asparagus
- Kristin Blegen as Laura Carrot
- Shelby Vischer as Annie Onion
- Jim Poole as Scooter
Music
- "Billy Joe McGuffrey"
- "Bald Bunny"
- "Steak and Shrimp"
- "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything", sung by Relient K (soundtrack only)
- "Message from the Lord"
- "It Cannot Be"
- "Second Chances", sung by Anointed
- "Jonah Was a Prophet"
- "In the Belly of the Whale", sung by Newsboys
- "The Credits Song" (end credits only)
- "Billy Joe McGuffrey" (Single Version), sung by Chris Rice (soundtrack only)
