I’ve been watching Veggie Tales since I was in high school, and I’ve seen almost all of them. When offered the opportunity to review the latest release, Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men, of course I said, “Yes!”
The DVD arrived in the mail and we set aside Saturday evening for a family viewing. Since my kids have grown up with Veggie Tales, they were pretty excited, too. Following their standard pattern, this episode features a shorter story (“Lenny and the Lost Birthday”) along with the longer Robin Good tale. Both stories speak to the same theme: God can help you with the hurt in your life. In between the two stories you’ll fill a “silly song” from Larry the Cucumber, which, as usual, steals the show. It was the “silly song” that pulled in the strongest response from our audience, which included myself and my wife, along with our four kids, ages 13, 11, 9, and 7.
Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men kept the attention of everyone in the room, including my 13-year-old. This, I am sure, is at least in part due to the fact that we’re a pretty big Veggie Tales family, but I think it also speaks to the continuing high-level of quality that the Veggie Tales franchise produces. The stories were entertaining and carried a worthwhile, applicable message, though I’m less concerned about my kids needing to hear that message than I am glad that I don’t have to worry about what other messages might be foisted upon them. My kids know that they’ll be getting a “moral” to the story in Veggie Tales and, in unison, were ready to beat me at my own game when this one was over; I asked, “What did you learn from the movie tonight?” and they replied, “Never trust a plastic hippo.” You’ll have to watch it to get that one!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions provided are those of the author, who was not paid for this review. A complimentary review copy of the DVD was provided by Big Idea Entertainment.
Ben Martin is the CEO of THE FATHER LIFE. He lives with his wife and five children in the Rochester, NY, area.