Fish and ships

Big Idea's Jonah stays afloat, despite a few theological problems | Hannah Eagleson

VEGETABLES HAVE LONG BEEN one of the trials of childhood, but thanks to Big Idea's Veggie Tales, kids now hug tomatoes and cucumbers along with teddy bears. Big Idea releases Jonah, the first full-length Veggie Tales movie, in theaters this week. The film provides a lot of fun and does a decent job of presenting divine and human nature, albeit with a few theological caveats.

The movie starts with a harried Bob the Tomato trying desperately to navigate a VW-style van full of vegetables singing kids' songs. They're on the way to hear the popular singer Twippo in concert, but when Laura Carrot and Mr. Asparagus accidentally cause mayhem and two flat tires, the veggies are stuck at a seafood restaurant. There they meet the friendly but shiftless Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. The pirates actually did do something once: They agreed to take a prophet named Jonah to Tarshish. Noting some unforgiving attitudes toward Laura and Mr. Asparagus, the pirates tell Jonah's story to the stranded group, emphasizing the need for mercy and compassion.