Customer Reviews

Veggie Tales - Larryboy and the Bad Apple

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 a chance. If they are as good as this one, I've written off a great character in the Veggie universe.

I saw this in a sneak preview edition (no bonus features, just Bob & Larry counter-top introduction and conclusion with the Larry Boy story and ending music video). I have to say that it is the best Veggie Tales product in years and even the best Larry Boy yet!

The opening banter/dialog between Bob and Larry (Boy) and its conclusion after the episode is great. During the entire show, the graphics are smooth. The music is enticing and well done. The story is compelling and, while at once simple, at the same time it is also cleverly crafted. There is obvious and effective humor for the kids and more subtle and equally effective humor for us adults. And the moral message is both clear and applicable to people of all ages.

I watched it with my wife and our almost seven year old son, and all three of us loved it.

This one's definitely a new Larry Boy classic!

The Fib and the Rumor Weed were some of the best VeggieTales videos ever, and ones which I watched over and over again. I expected this one to be just as good, and better---and I was not disappointed!

Having been seven years since the last computer-generated LarryBoy episode, Big Idea's animation has improved drastically. The animation is more lifelike, the colors are smoother and more realistic, and the lightning is better.

It's just as funny and as well-written as the others, with more "clueless" remarks from LarryBoy and more of his mixed-up metaphors. ("An apple in the hand is worth three bushes!")

The opening countertop begins similarly to the Fib with a technology joke concerning Bob. The vegetables on the countertop (not telling who) receive their first text-messaged letter.

Then opens the program. The beginning is strangely familiar. It is actually the teaser, which was made an entire year before the Bad Apple was even thought up.

The temptations are good, and even funny. LarryBoy's, as you can guess from the cover, is chocolate. I won't tell any of the others (I can't spoil everything for you!), but by the time the program is halfway through, you'll be laughing like mad at Alfred's.

The ending countertop has quite a surprise for anyone who hasn't peeked at the pictures on Big Idea's website. Bob is apparently tired of being left out of every LarryBoy episode. Oh yes, and the "What Have We Learned" song, which was stolen by the Sporks back in "Lord of the Beans," has returned! (However, they never explain who got it back.)

Be sure to look for flashbacks from other episodes, including Baby Moses from "Duke and the Great Pie War," the cell phone from "Minnesota Cuke," and Jimmy's outfit from "Sumo of the Opera." The Easter eggs are great, too, and don't forget to listen to the studio commentary.

Unlike "Lyle the Kindly Viking" or "Sumo of the Opera," there are only two songs. The first is the Bad Apple's song. This is short but catchy, and you'll probably find yourself singing it after two viewings. And keeping with the tradition of making a new theme for every LarryBoy video, the other song is a new LarryBoy theme song. This one is performed by Shux, a rocky corn band (aka Michael Farren). True, it's louder and quite a contrast to the old theme by Nicole C. Mullen, but I think it was well performed and is worthy of being put up with Nicole's. The lyrics are also easy to memorize. You have to agree with the line, "There's no hero quite like LarryBoy!"

So, my overall feelings on this? Absolutely fantastic! Hilarious, well-planned, and attention-catching. My siblings and I have been watching it everyday since it arrived.

This video returns the plunger headed hero back to the animation format that he should be done in. The cartoon LarryBoy did not really get the approval from my child. I can't say that I was too crazy about the cartoons either.

That's in the past now! This LarryBoy is full of more adventure than was done with him before. I like the way they employ the use of his plungers more. The Bad Apple is a classic villian too. Thank you, Big Idea, for bringing LarryBoy back to the format he belongs in.

If you are a VeggieTales fan, this is one for the collection. If you aren't a fan, get it anyway. There is always a good message about God, Jesus and the great message that is offered to those who believe. Enjoy!

My kids and I absolutely love this DVD. It is applicable to kids and adults alike. Big Idea has made another great video. I would give Larryboy and the Bad Apple 10 stars if I could. We are big VeggieTales fans and this has quickly become one of our most favorites. It is definitely Sunday morning values - Saturday morning fun!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, this was a nice story, with good morals, but it's (obviously) based on a very fictional world. What happened to the old VeggieTales shows where they based their story off of a real Biblical story?

This series is quickly becoming just a 'good' show to watch, and not one where your children are going to learn about stories from the Bible.

I loved this movie alot,it is simple but shows how everyone has a weeknes spot for temptation. it helped me as a mom and it helped my kids too.

My two-year-old loves this movie as much as (possibly more than) any of our other Veggie Tales DVDs. The music in it is a little more contemporary and less childish than most VT flicks, and most of it has a beat that my daughter can dance to (which is very important to her since she loves music and dancing)! Whereas many of the other VT videos keep her attention for about half of the show, it isn't rare for her to be captivated from start to finish with this one, which is significant since she is usually a wild, spirited, energetic child. I'm not sure if it's the different music or the bright colors or even the apple (since it's her favorite fruit), but she is totally in it!

All the temptation areas presented in the show - video games, appearances, and chocolate (and even gambling when they flash back to Bumblyburg in olden days) - are all common struggles for kids and adults alike. My daughter isn't old enough to have conversations about this, but it has sparked some good talks with children I've worked with in Sunday school at my church. I look forward to being able to have these discussions with her eventually!

Finally, I know some reviewers of Larry Boy movies have argued that they aren't as good as other VT movies since they're not based on Bible stories, but I prefer Larry Boy and other original stories for a couple reasons: 1) the stories are always rooted in Biblical principles, so it still teaches them God's word and 2) I often find myself un-teaching the VT-version of a Bible story in Sunday school when a child tries to argue that it was different in Veggie Tales so my version (from the Bible) must be wrong.

Absolutely wonderful! This is entertaining, funny and has a great moral lesson. Something the entire family can enjoy again and again.

You want my honest opinion? THIS MOVIE IS AWESOME!!! Even at [..], I still love VeggieTales - and its much more intelligent humor than other videos. Though the action is, well, about as action-filled as vegetables can get, the jokes are funny, the lesson is well-thought out, the story line is excellent, and the animation continues to get better and better! The first two Larryboy videos, were, well, kind of funny in parts (more the first than the second), but they weren't as well made - though they were very good at the time. This newest LarryBoy release, however, does tribute to the incredibly creative people at BigIdea! At any rate, I'm a big VeggieTales fan, who has nearly the whole collection, and, I must say, VeggieTales just keeps getting better and better, especially with this release. One of the best parts about all the VT videos is the fact that they're geared towards the whole family - in fact, some of the jokes are more geared towards teens and adults! However, the videos don't go over the kids' heads - what kid wouldn't love the beautifully done animation, the slapstick humor, or the great music - for that matter, what adult wouldn't?
My only complaint about the video is that the action scene at the end falls a little short of what they were aiming for - it was a little short, and the "urgency" of the situation escaped me. However, the animation is so well done in everything else (especially LarryBoy's much more realistically animated plungers - way cooler!), that one can't help but love this funny, engaging, well-done video!