Veggie Tales: Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed

Larry Boy is ready to defend Bumblyburg from any menaces like space aliens or milk-money bandits! However, something is spreading that he, and no one else, is expecting. What could that be? A rumor weed!

A small misinterpretation of Alfred’s figure of speech has Junior and Laura believing that Alfred is a robot. They happen to mention it to a rumor weed that delights in spreading it all around Bumblyburg! Before you know it, the whole town is convinced that good, kind-hearted Alfred is really a dangerous robot that has lasers for eyeballs! As the rumor grows, so does the weed!

Borrowing from “Batman” and “Little Shop of Horrors”, Big Idea mixes familiar elements (for older movie goers) and new plot complications to create a film that is enjoyable by all ages. A three-year-old won’t get all the jokes like the Larrymobile’s airbag going off, but us older “kids” will. You also have to be quick to notice that the movie theatre is on the corner of Vischer and Nawrocki Streets. A question arises though… is plaid back in style (Junior and Laura’s attire)?

Regular Veggie-ites will notice that Bob the Tomato is missing from the entire half-hour episode (except for the opening and closing logos). There are lots of familiar characters though and some assuming new identities within Bumblyburg. For instance, the Mayor looks a lot like Madame Blueberry with blonde hair. Interestingly, there were several “extras” that appeared to be new. They were mainly portrayed as citizens in general. Specifically, there was a family of grey mushrooms and also a red apple that was wearing a Gourd’s Gym T-shirt. Following in the steps of the original Larry Boy video, there is no silly song. Instead, a music video is presented to further the story along.

The lesson to be learned by all in this video is that God wants us to speak well of people, not spreading rumors. This wonderful lesson applies to kids of ALL ages. It should encourage you to re-examine how you talk about people and the example you are setting. Parents should watch the video with their younger children as portions could come across a little scary for them.

Big Idea has done an excellent job on the animation, story line, and music! All spectacular. You will actually enjoy learning! A slogan on the video box sums it up nicely: “Sunday Morning Values, Saturday Morning Fun!”