VeggieTales Review: Princess and the Pop Star

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good story and moral

Cons: Ending is too sappy sweet

The Bottom Line: 

The ending weakens

What could have been a good disc

About contentment

Can a Farmer's Daughter Become a Pop Star?

As creator Phil Vischer gets more and more involved in his new projects, VeggieTales seems to be losing the sparks of creativity and fun he brought to things.  Don't get me wrong, they are still good, Biblical lessons for kids.  They just aren't as fun as they once were.  Princess and The Popstar is the newest entry in this long running series and a perfect example of what I'm talking about.

This episode in the long running straight to DVD computer animated series opens to find our host Larry the Cucumber attempting to show a little girl how to be content by using some quick drying green paint on the countertop to illustrate the grass is always greener cliché.  Not making sense to you?  Don't worry, it doesn't seem to work for anyone else to comic results.  As that falls apart, his co-host Bob the Tomato steps in with our feature story to better illustrate the point.

Princess Poppyseed (Laura Carrot) is not happy with her life on the farm.  She has too many brothers and sisters and doesn't like her chores collecting the eggs and milk that her family uses to grow pies.  Princess wishes she had the life of her favorite singer, Vanna Banana (also Laura Carrot but a different voice actress).  Vanna, meanwhile, is lonely and wishes she could have a normal life.  When the two meet by chance on a playground, they decide to switch lives.  But will that bring them the happiness they are seeking?

Based on the title, I figured this would be a take on Twain's famous story The Prince and the Pauper.  Really, other than the title and the switching places plot device, it shares very little in common.   I did quickly get over them naming one of their main characters Princess to make the title work, and I loved the name they gave their pop star.

The movie actually works fairly well for the first two thirds.  While it misses some wit, there are also good gags with the pie growing trees and a pogo stick that Princess' father is trying to program.  For the first time in several videos, I find the songs to be fun and actually feel like part of the story.  Okay, so they're teen pop, but they also really capture the characters' thoughts at various points in the story.  They get a tad too preachy at one point, but it passes quickly, so I'm willing to let that go.

Then we come to that last third.  Things just fall apart in the climax.  For one thing, it's stretched out way too long with a plot complication that ultimately goes nowhere.  Then it becomes sickeningly sweet.  Yes, I was expecting a happy ending, but tone it down some.

Part way through, we do get a new Silly Song.  This time, Archibald Asparagus actually hosts.  It's educational, as he gives us a history of fashion lesson on "Astonishing Wigs."  The song itself isn't one of the best silly songs, but the ending is pretty funny for long time fans of the series.

I guess my complaint with this VeggieTales entry is that it feels like it is aimed straight at kids.  Yes, the pre-school, early elementary school audience has always been their target audience, but they've always managed to keep it entertaining for the parents who must watch it over and over again.  That magic is lacking here, and it's a very rare thing to find in the series overall these days.

Still, Princess and The Popstar will appeal to the target age, especially girls.  Couple that with another good Biblical message, and you'll find reasons to like this one even if it isn't a classic in the long running series.