Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Veggie Tales: Are You My Neighbor?

Reviewed by: Tim Emmerich
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Excellent!
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: 3 to Adult
Genre: Computer Animation
Length: 30 min.
Year of Release: 1996
USA Release:
Bob and Larry
Featuring
Director
Producer
Distributor

This episode in the unique, funny “Veggie Tales” series includes two seperate stories to present the same lesson of the Good Samaritan. [Editor’s Note: The parable of the GOOD SAMARITAN in Luke is probably the most misunderstood parable. What is it really about? Answer] The first is a zany tale of two towns where the citizens of town #1 are rude to town #2, and vice versa. The Biblical lesson portrayed here is to love your neighbor. This means that you lend a hand if one is needed. Also, if you feel that you would want that person to help you if you were in their situation, then that person is your neighbor.

The second story is one where Junior Asparagus has a “Spacey” encounter! Here the concept of “neighbor” is emphasized to include those people that are different from you, because God loves them too and so should you!

Poor green Larry Boy (the cucumber, remember!) ends up being robbed and tossed in a hole by some crooks (head first into the hole no less!). To add insult to injury, two citizens from his home town of Flibber-o-loo, the mayor and doctor, don’t help him out of his predicament. Instead, a fellow from the other town (the town Flibberians don’t get along with) lends a hand.

A very interesting insight for us “older children” (adults) is how a mayor and a doctor pass Larry by and don’t lend a hand. Their excuse? “Too busy, we’re important, have things to do, people to heal, etc.” A sad testament to many Christians and their approach to serving God. In the midst of our “activities” to serve God, we often miss God’s message. To bring this home for you, remember when the Sabbath was a day of rest? On Sunday, how many of you will attend church twice, go to a potluck and a meeting of some sort?? I’m not saying those things are bad, but don’t be TOO busy to listen to God and obey (and there was probably some Wisdom in the rest business).

The second story has Junior making a list of friends to invite for his birthday party. His father asks about Fernando, a new kid in the neighborhood from a different country. Junior isn’t too sure about Fernando as he is weird and funny-looking, but Junior’s father points out that Fernando is just different. Later, instead of getting sleep, Junior is requested to help the USS ApplePies (a spaceship). Bob and Larry who fly into his open bedroom window in a smaller space shuttle (no worries, the shuttle is quite small and seems to have a shrinking capability to fit our heros into the craft). Junior learns an important lesson from his adventure.

You will love the animation and the music! While some of you may say, “Why is there a song for everything?” remember, putting lessons to music makes them much easier to remember.


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