Quickie DVD Review: "VeggieTales: The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's

Rated: G (Canada)
Starring: Phil Vischer, Lisa Vischer, and Mike Nawrocki
Released: October 9, 2007

Synopsis: Young Darby (Junior Asparagus) is tired of life at his father's floss farm; he wants to journey to the land of Ha's, where, he believes, he can do whatever he wants.  Darby defies his father's wishes and takes his money for college, when a tornado whisks him away to Munchie-Land, where he meets the Tin Man (Larry the Cucumber), the Lion (Pa Grape), and the Scarecrow (Mr. Lunt), who journey with him to Ha's.  When Darby's money runs out, he gets kicked out of Ha's...but is afraid to face his father because of what he has done.  Will Darby be forgiven for using up his college money? Meanwhile, Bob and Larry sing a Silly Song about being on safari!
Based on the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son.

My Review: The story of the Lost Son and The Wizard of Oz are a weird mix, but this Veggie episode makes it work really well.  The animation is outstanding, and most of the songs are really cute and fun; some of them are spoofs of tunes from the old-school Judy Garland film.  As usual, positive elements abound, and a great moral is driven home.  The only problem I had was with the Silly Song; after it ended, I wondered: Is that the best they could do? It was a far cry from the old-school numbers like "His Cheeseburger" and "The Hairbrush Song".  Other than that, though, I enjoyed it.

Content Concerns:

• Sex: None. 5/5
• Nudity: None. 5/5
• Language: None. 5/5
• Violence: Mild slapstick. 4/5
• Drugs: None. 5/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: A bit of emotional intensity. 4/5
• Other: Like the original Wizard of Oz, this episode deals with magic...but only slightly. 4/5

Score: 4/5