My Movie Review on Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie · 1:55am Jan 2nd, 2023
Ahoy, Mateys! And a very Happy New Year to ye too!
This be yer jolly film, TV show, and episode buccaneer here with another shilling of a review.
Today, for me first film review of 2023, I be given ye scallawags me third take on a member of the VeggieTales franchise: "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie".
*clears throat to quit talking like a pirate*
Outside of the fact that the movie is basically the VeggieTales-telling of Jonah from the Bible, I hardly think that a summary for it is necessary. But, I would like to note that the story is told by the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, who tell it to Junior Asparagus, his Dad (Mike), Laura, Bob the Tomato, Annie, and Percy Pea.
I'm gonna come clean about this:
Ever since I reviewed "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie", I've immediately been wanting to review its predecessor: "Jonah". Out of all the two VeggieTales movies, this film was the one I grew up with the most, and I've had so many fond memories of it since childhood. I was also craving to review another movie that directly honors God, so that's another reason. And hey, what better time to review the movie than Sunday on New Year's Day?
Having finally reacquainted myself with "Jonah" last year (a little while after Christmas, to be exact), I really can't deny that it's still what I consider to be an amazing gem.
For instance, the direction and story by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki were fantastic!
In many ways, the film did feel like an extended episode of the direct-to-video series, particularly in terms of its execution. That's perfectly okay, though, because Vischer and Nawrocki worked the narrative into something that paced itself both smoothly and evenly, and I could tell that they put a lot thought into how to make this project bigger than what they did before it. The humor throughout the movie was very entertaining, in that the gags carried an innocent quality that could appeal surprisingly well to all ages; and there was enough heart and emotion to help the film be far from a soulless effort.
The themes and morals the film had about compassion and mercy, and second chances, were well-done too. Not only does this movie openly address how compassionate and merciful God truly is, but it also teaches that we as people need to let go of our anger and hatred in exchange for sharing God's grace, which is something that even those who don't believe in God should do. In a world where tempers easily flare and grudges form, the messages this movie has are ones that should definitely be taken to heart.
The animation was astonishing, if I may add.
I don't know about you guys, but I believe this movie is one of the all-time best independently-made computer-animated films I've ever watched! Working with a budget of $14,000,000, and entirely using a software called Autodesk Maya, the animators managed to directly capture the spirit and style of the film's usually 30-minute predecessors while taking everything to a larger level. I also could tell that the involvements of Artisan Entertainment as distributor, and F.H.E Pictures as co-production company, enabled the animators to ensure that the character animation would move smoothly and there wouldn't be too many signs of everything being computer-animated. The film's underwater sequences, and the whale (or "Great Fish" as the Ninevites called him), were undoubtedly the animation team's best works.
The voice acting, characters, and character development were awesome as well.
As with the other VeggieTales installments I reviewed, Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki nailed it with their individual character portrayals. The thing that constantly amazes me regarding their voice work in the VeggieTales series is that they're not only able to completely change their voices and differentiate their portrayals from one another, but they'd incorporate a sense of love and passion too. Their work doing so in this movie is no exception, that's for sure. It makes me wonder why Vischer and Nawrocki haven't ever been listed in the best voice actor catalogues, really.
Plus, the performances of Lisa Vischer as Junior Asparagus, Shelby Vischer as Annie Onion, Dan Anderson as Mike, Kristin Blegen as Laura, Jim Poole as Angus, and Tim Hodge as Khalil, were wonderful too. Hodge in particular was the biggest scene-stealer out of everyone with his comedic-timings and Indian accent, especially to where you could see why he was nominated an Annie Award.
The character development in articulation was phenomenal. Granted, it may not have been powerful on a Pixar-level, but the individual growths matched perfectly with the film's lessons and messages. They were very genuine and well-executed, that's for sure.
Finally, the music by Phil Vischer and Kurt Heinecke, and the songs by them, Mike Nawrocki, and David Mullen, were magnificent.
For as long as I can remember, I've frequently enjoyed listening to the soundtrack as I watched the movie, with every melody immediately catching my ears. I loved how Vischer and Heinecke were able to capture the spirit of the direct-to-video shorts while going bigger and deeper with the whole thing on an emotional level. I particularly enjoyed their use of chorus-vocals during the scenes that were dramatic, suspenseful, and tension-filled; the melodies they created for the scenes taking place in the Biblical times were also wonderful, because they flawlessly captured the Middle Eastern setting and time period.
To top it all off, the musical numbers and sequences were too extraordinary to pass over. The lyrics were smooth-flowing and mixed brilliantly together like peas in a pod, and the melodies were enchanting beyond compare. My all-time favorite songs played during the movie were "Message from the Lord", "Second Chances", and "Jonah Was a Prophet". Another favorite of mine is "In the Belly of a Whale", which was the first song that played during the credits, was written by Steve Taylor and Peter Furler, and was performed by the Newsboys.
In conclusion, "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie" is an amazing computer-animated Christian movie, and one of the VeggieTales franchise's very best installments. It showcased talent at its finest, carried incredible faithfulness to the actual biblical story regardless of the Veggie flair, and is worthy of being ranked among the best of the Christian movies ever made, such as "The Prince of Egypt" and "Joseph: King of Dreams".
So, I rate "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie" a solid five out of five stars.
eh, a decent one for me, but not my favorite. just didn't speak to me as much.
The one thing that I do find to be tragic about this movie (which I hold dear to my heart by the way), is how it continues to spread the misconception that it was a whale that swallowed Jonah. The fact, is that the Bible says it's a fish and the Hebrew words for fish and whale are in fact very different.
Now while I could talk about all the reasons why it can't be a whale, I will instead offer my opinion on the fish that probably did swallow Jonah.
The Rhincodon typus, also known as, wait for it... The Whale Shark.
Not only do these sharks have the mouths and digestive tracts that can swallow a human, but they are actually known to traverse the Mediterranean... And there are documented events where Whale Sharks have accidentally (they're pretty gentle but it's really hard for them to se what's in front of them) swallowed humans.
Diver partially swallowed by Whale Shark
But we also have to remember that it was God who sent the fish, the same God who created the beautiful universe we live in, so if he just wanted to create a fish in that moment to swallow Jonah, then there's truly nothing to could stop him from doing so.