Back in my college days, I always made the round trip from my parents’ home to university—a distance of 650 miles—by car. We never flew. I guess it was all about the money. I say “we” because it was quite easy to fill a vehicle with fellow students, everybody pitching in for gas at 62 cents a gallon (I just checked online, I really can’t remember that far back).
Because we typically traveled at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break, we often had icy roads and hazardous conditions to contend with. This was before cell phones, so I’m not sure how my parents emotionally handled these long treks. Fortunately, in my four years of college, we never had a wreck. (Though one time I did wake up in the middle of the night to discover the person driving had been heading in the wrong direction for an hour. That was fun!) The worst storm we ever went through forced us to spend the night (along with about 20 other stranded drivers) in a church in Oakley, Kan. Thank you, pastor, after all these years!
I bring up my blizzard experience because that’s the scenario that befalls a veggie-family in Beauty and the Beet, a new VeggieTales video that Focus on the Family is partnering with to help get the word out. (It’s available here). But instead of getting stranded in Kansas, they find themselves stuck in the Beet’s Alpine Suites.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
As the video begins, a musical family (all vegetables, of course) enters a talent competition. That leads to a paying “concert” gig—humble as it is—at a car lot. Then they go on to perform at a wedding anniversary party. Eventually, after paying their dues, the singing veggies (now called the Veggietones) get gigs in Spinachusetts, Squashington and even Okrahoma. But it’s only after they get an offer to play at Veggie Square Garden that they feel they’ve hit the big time—a chance of a lifetime so big that it’s worth driving through a pending snowstorm. So the seven family members board the tour bus and papa (Larry Dill) gets behind the wheel.
The snow gets so deep that they wind up seeking shelter to escape the storm. They find a mountain chalet hotel managed by the rude and belligerent Mr. Beet, who has no desire to make the Veggietones feel at home. But Mirabelle, the Veggietones’ lead singer, believes she should pass on God’s love no matter how others act—even when that person is as ill-mannered as Mr. Beet. Is it possible Mirabelle can help soften his horseradishy heart?
Once again, the folks at VeggieTales have corn-ered the children video market with a compelling and original story. But will families turnip to watch it? I could carrot less if another kids’ video garners a larger audience, but I do want this vid to fare well, providing word leeks out. There’s really no negative content here that would squash little minds. In fact, it might help gourd their little hearts and bring about some inner peas.
Recent Comments