VeggieTales Review: LarryBoy and the Bad Apple

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Hilarious counter top scenes

Cons: Theme only applies to one type of temptation.

The Bottom Line:

Temptation to watch?

Give in and learn how to fight

Larry-Boy is fun

With Great Chocolate Comes Great Temptation

VeggieTales is a popular straight to video series that using talking computer animated vegetables to teach moral values. Hosted by Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, they use Bible stories and classic works to illustrate their theme.

One popular character they've created is LarryBoy. Played by Larry the Cucumber, he's a super hero who fights sin in the town of Bumblyburg. He's mostly a spoof of Batman with a little bit of other superheroes (most noticeably Spiderman) thrown in for good measure.

It's been several years since LarryBoy has been sited, but he's come back. And it's just in time. Bumblyburg is getting ready to celebrate its 300th anniversary, but someone isn't happy about it.

Bad Apple has just moved into town and has a score to settle. With the help of her sidekick worm, she spins a web of temptation that traps people in what they love most. She wants to take over the town and has set her sites on the mayor, a news reporter, and LarryBoy himself. Will LarryBoy fall prey to her plot? Can he overcome his love of chocolate to save the day?

I'll confess, as much as I love the VeggieTales series, the LarryBoy episodes are some of my least favorite. I actually wasn't looking forward to this release, but I got it anyway. I'm glad to be proved wrong.

The plot, while predictable, is fun. Larry has never been the smartest of the Veggie characters, but they don't make his stupid here, a complaint in the earlier LarryBoy shorts. And the story is funny with several great lines and site gags along the way to entertain kids and adults alike.

While most Veggie videos cram two stories into their 45-minute running time, this episode only features the one story. They don't even break for a "Silly Songs with Larry" segment. However, they do include the counter top wrap around with Bob, Larry, and Archibald Asparagus. These scenes are easily some of the funniest they've done in several episodes. I was laughing the entire way through them. The video does include a new LarryBoy theme song, "Rock on LarryBoy." Performed by "Shux," they feature a new vegetable we haven't seen before. I bet you can guess what they might be.

The theme here is obviously temptation, and they do a great job showing both the power of it and our need for God and others to help us through. My only complaint is that all the temptations shown here are things that are ok in moderation like video games, TV, and chocolate. Of course, since previous LarryBoy episodes have dealt with lying and gossip, this is a minor issue. Still, parents will probably want to point out that some temptations should never be given into.

The DVD comes with the standard Veggie goodies. We've got an audio commentary and behind the scenes feature for the adults and storybooks and games for the kids. The animation continues to improve with each episode, and the full surround sound is great as always.

I may have to go back and give the previous LarryBoy episodes another chance. If they are as good as Larryboy and the Bad Apple, I've written off a great character in the Veggie universe.