Veggie Tales: Moe and the Big Exit

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Great gags transport the Biblical story to a new setting

Cons: Animal animation, silly song, moral

The Bottom Line:

Not quite up to par

But fun Bible retelling

Your kids will enjoy

The Lone Stranger Rides to Dodgeball City

When you sit down to watch a new VeggieTales video, you never know what you'll find. These computer animated veggies have done everything from literary spoofs to Bible stories with lots of fun jokes and great lessons. Unfortunately, Moe and the Big Exit doesn't quite live up to their usual high standards.

This particular episode is a follow up to The Ballad of Little Joe. That 2003 release gave us the story of Joseph and his many colored coat with a Western setting. And just in case you missed that particular episode, they recap the highlights at the beginning of this one. Now, Little Joe's descendants are threatening to take over Dodgeball City, and the mayor isn't too happy about it.

Moe (Larry the Cucumber) is a descendant of Little Joe who was lucky enough to be adopted by the mayor's daughter when the rest of the young were sent up the river. As a result, he lives a life of luxury while his kin are forced to work building the Grand Canyon. All that changes when he is forced to defend a worker struggling with a heavy load. Moe takes off for the Rockies. But after several years, God appears to him as a burning tumbleweed and tells him to go back to Dodgeball City to free the rest of his kin. Can he follow directions to do it?

I rewatched Little Joe recently, and it really built my expectations for this video. While there were fun parts, it wasn't up to par. The biggest problem was the moral. Unlike other episodes, this one seemed forced. Surely there were better stories to demonstrate the importance of following directions.

Now don't get me wrong, there were some great gags. Since Moe is a wanted man, he must wear a mask when he returns to Dodgeball City, so he becomes known as "The Lone Stranger." He nicknames the stick that he uses to perform the miracles Sliver, and cries "Heigh ho Sliver away" many times. There's a great gag with Bob the Tomato when the river turns to tomato juice. And, instead of crossing the Red Sea, they must cross Death Valley.

Still, even with all these gags, I got bored in parts. Everything from the Biblical story in Exodus is here, with the exception of one or two plagues. Something needed to be shortened or left out for the video to work better.

The story is narrated by a group of carrots sitting around a campfire. Every so often, they break into Western style songs that help tell the story. While none of them are especially noteworthy, they do help tell the story and are fun to hear.

And what was up with the buffalo and bear? These two animals were so poorly animated they looked horrid. It took me out of the video. And we know they can do better bears since the one is "The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps" looked better.

Speaking of Silly Songs, the new one was disappointing. Since Boyz in the Sink (Veggie's spoof of boy bands) made their debut on Little Joe, it was appropriate to bring them back here. But the song this time was a rap. I really don't like rap. I did enjoy the fact that it spoofed the "Fresh Prince" theme. But it wasn't worthy of the spot.

I know this sounds harsh, but I really did enjoy it. I just didn't love it. And usually loving a new VeggieTales is easy. Even if it isn't their best work, Moe and the Big Exit is still a video that will entertain kids of all ages.