Reviewed by Haydon Spenceley

By now, most mainstream Christians, especially those involved in children's work, will have had some sort of experience of Veggie Tales, the smash hit kids' cartoon series from Big Idea. In my experience, the cartoons polarise opinion: whilst undoubtedly fun and extremely clever, some argue that there is a lack of depth to the Biblical teaching side of the package. This release, part of the VeggieTales Classics DVD series, continues that trend. A fun and suitably preposterous story, involving Larry Boy, a vegetable bearing a passing resemblance to Batman, and the Fib From Outer Space, a creature that grows every time Junior, a small asparagus, lies about breaking his father's prized plate. The creature grows to a terrifying height, and puts Larry Boy's city in danger and suspense is built up until Junior finally comes clean and admits he broke the plate, shrinking the lie until it disappears to nothing. Of course, this is an admirable sentiment to teach our young, but the reference to John 8.32b ("Know the Truth and it shall set you free") seems tacked on rather to the feature presentation, giving the programme the feel more of a positively-moralistic show than a Biblical teaching tool. All that being said, the DVD is good value, loaded with extras. There's plenty for kids and grown ups to enjoy, and it's better for the nippers to be watching this than some of the stuff that passes for entertainment these days. Just don't expect it to be more than it is.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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