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Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie - 2-Disc Collector's Edition

Whether or not you warm to the idea of Biblical stories being told from the point-of-view of a cast of vegetables, there's no denying that Big Ideas' VeggieTales can be infectiously funny, given the right material. In this first feature film debut, "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie," the subject of the story is the prophet Jonah (taking the form of an asparagus), sent by God to preach His word to the people of Israel. Remaining true to its source, Jonah, after an encounter with the "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (they narrate the story), is swallowed by a whale after refusing to travel to Ninevah and spread the word. Once he realizes the error of his ways (with the help of a choir of singing sprouts, no doubt), he is burped up and sets out to learn the ways of compassion and mercy. ***

I'm not so sure that "Jonah" is as universal in its appeal as some of the previous family fare of 2002, but that's beside the point. The long-running concept of characters like Junior Asparagus, Laura Carrot, and Bob the Tomato learning the lessons of life through vignettes from the Bible has apparently taken root (pardon the pun), and the film doesn't lose touch with that success. The humor is clean and aimed mostly at the kiddies, although there are points of interest that even the adults will find amusing. The film's moral center is always in clear focus, making it irresistible for parents who want to plant a seed of virtue in their children early on. A delight for vegetarians and carnivores alike, "Jonah" is one veggie platter that doesn't need dressing.

A very good transfer, though not one of the better computer animated movies on DVD. "Jonah's" 1.85:1 theatrical ratio is replete with good color saturation, perfectly sharp edges devoid of enhancement artifacts, and good contrast enriched by solid blacks, but there are problems with the image's shadow detail. Look closely at the vegetable characters, particularly the green ones, and you'll notice lines running vertically along their bodies. This can also be found in various exterior night sequences, which look good in every other respect, but still exhibit this blocky, digital pattern that becomes bothersome after some time. This doesn't usually tend to be a problem afflicting DVDs for movies made with computer animation, and really, the intended audience isn't going to give a hoot. Everything else about the transfer earns it a passing grade. ***

Much more exciting is the Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which is expansive and ambient to say the least. The wonderful score is brilliantly recorded for maximum effect, wrapping elegantly into the surrounds while holding strong in the front channels and emitting deep, clean, powerful bass from the .1 LFE, which also adds life to the various sound effects. The songs bring the entire soundfield to life in a most glorious manner, while the dialogue is terrific and works into the rest of the track nicely. Very impressive!

Before we begin, take note: when I played the movie disc on my system, it had a tendency to skip and freeze many times! Maybe it was just my player, or the disc I received; just a fair word of warning for those out there who experience similar problems. Now on to the extras. ***

The rest of the bonus material after the commentaries is found on Disc Two, and begins with "Behind the Scenes," which is full of some interesting stuff. Three featurettes adorn this section: "Making the Movie" is a basic intro to the birth of the idea and its execution, with interviews from various collaborators who recall coming up with the concept as far back as 1998, and leaving it for a year to gather a worthy crew. "The Studio Process" features producer Owens outlining the various stages of the processes of storyboarding, story pitching, and animation, while "Jonah and the Bible" compares the source story with its presentation in the film. Following these brief looks at the film, we get a guided tour of Big Idea studios, four voice-casting auditions for the character Khalil that failed miserably, and some extensive character bios that are quite amusing. ***

Next up is "Music," which kicks off with the featurette "The Score," in which composers Vischer and Heinecke talk about their working together to come up with the music for "Jonah." This is followed by two scenes in which you can listen to four different audio tracks as the musical creation progressed, and three music videos. Then there's "Bonus Materials," containing outtakes available in English and Spanish, progression reels for three scenes that demonstrate the various stages of animation, concept art, digital dailies hosted by the film's characters, and an extra countertop sequence promoting the film. ***

The more kid-oriented material comes in "Fun!," which starts off with Khalil's Answering Machine, in which you can listen to either his message, or the replies left by various callers. Then there's a Jonah sing-along session with audible lyrics or none at all, a trivia game, interactive storybook that allows you to read or be read to, some ideas for family fun, and six DVD-ROM games. All pretty much aimed at the younger set, but I'll admit to enjoying the trivia questions, which aren't as easy at times. The disc closes out with some trailers and previews for other VeggieTales adventures.