Customer Reviews

Veggie Tales: The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Larry the Cucumber has a problem. He's broken something of his dad's. In fact, he's considering running away from home so he doesn't have to face his dad. Fortunately, Bob the Tomato has a solution for him, our story for this episode.

In Kansas, Darby (Jr. Asparagus) is bored with life on his father's floss farm. He wants to go to Ha's, an amusement park in the area. When his father says they can't go, Darby runs away with his pig, er dog, Tutu. But before he gets far, he is swept up and taken to Munchieland. From there, he sets out to follow Yellow McToad to Ha's, along the way making friends with a Scarecrow (Mr. Lunt), a Tin Man (Larry the Cucumber), and a Lion (Pa Grape). But what will happen when he runs out of money? Will his father forgive him?

We also get a new silly song, "Monkey." By the time it is over, you will definitely know the difference between a monkey and an ape. Just don't take it as far as Larry does.

I guessed that Phil Vischer wrote this episode, and I was right. This is an absolutely hilarious show. Many of the jokes will probably go over the heads of the intended audience. In fact, they will go over the heads of anyone who hasn't seen the movie version of Wizard of Oz. Even the songs are spoofs of the songs from that movie. But if you have seen the film, the puns will constantly crack you up. There is only the one story in this episode, but trust me, there's enough going on for 50 minutes. They even introduce a few potential new characters.

Even with the spoof of Oz, the story also tells the story of the Prodigal Son. Not sure how that works? Trust me, the two actually work very well together. And the ultimate moral is that God loves us very much. Nothing new for the Veggies, but a great new way to remind us.

So if you're like me and anxiously await every video the VeggieCrew gives us, rest assured you will love this installment.

So, can I just tell you that the Veggie Tales Rock? We just recently purchased this DVD and my kids, 6, 4, & 2 have watched it no less than 50 times. We've traveled between states the last two weeks, and the kids watched this in the car. The second this DVD is over my kids yell, CAN YOU START IT AGAIN? I am telling you, they watch it 3 or 4 times in a row. I have only heard it while driving and have not even been able to watch it, yet, and I laugh the whole way through. They jokes are so funny, and my kids don't even realize where they come from, ('Tin man. Rusted!') So funny!
I personally am not uber-religious, but I am determined to raise my childred to be good people, and always to be kind and think about the consequences of their actions, and effects on others, and these videos each have several good lessons in them that the kids don't even realize they are learning. We also have some really good conversations about WHY things are happening in the movies, which sparks my kids to think, which is always my main goal. The Veggie Tales movies do that. They teach kindness and understanding, and my kids really think about what is happening and why, even my two year old has verbally expressed positive messages from the movies.
I can't say enough about these movies. These are a definite buy. If you have young children and are looking for another way to help them understand the importance of kindness towards others, and any other life lessons, these are excellent tools...and funnier than heck for you to watch, too.
And for the less 'religious' types, but 'I am still a good person' types, like myself, who have found themselves a little lost in the whole religion shuffle, you should know that these are not sickly 'dripping' with religous gobbledy gook.(No offense to any religions, people, or races here, whatsoever!) But these DVDs have simple lessons, with a bible verse thrown in at the end that actually help in the undertanding, in a very nonthreatening, non pushy way - and trust me, if it was pushy, I would feel it...
As I said before, my children are 6, 4, & 2, and they all love this DVD enough to watch over and over, literally, once it ends, they watch it again. I highly recommend this DVD, and I hope this review was helpful!

In this latest story from the people at Big Idea, the VeggieTale gang takes on the parable of the prodigal son by parodying THE WIZARD OF OZ. At the beginning of the segment, Larry is fretting about having broken his father's toy water buffalo and what his reaction will be. Later Bob reads a letter from a viewer who is afraid that God will no longer love him because of the things he has done in life. Thus Bob begins the tale of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF HA'S. The story follows young Darby O'Gill (another shout out to the folks at Disney) as portrayed by Junior Asparagus. Darby lives on a dental floss farm with his father. Times have been tough and they are having difficulties bringing in the crop. Darby really wants to go to a new amusement park that has just opened up, The Land of Ha's. His father explains that they just don't have the money. Darby insists that he can go with the money that his father has been saving for him, but his father reminds Darby that that money is for his future. Feeling alone and deprived, Darby takes the money and sneaks out of the house with his pet pig, Tutu. As they make their way to the park, a Kansas tornado comes through. They seek shelter in a small trailer that is lifted off the ground by the twister. After a flying cow and Mary Poppins fly by, the trailer eventually crashes in a world that looks like the board game Candy Land. It is Munchy Land. Greeted by the Munchies and the fairy Splenda Sweet (Madame Blueberry), Darby and Tutu set out to visit the Land of Ha's by following a giant Scottish amphibian, Yellow McToad. Only the way they meet a scarecrow (Mr. Lunt), a tin man (Larry), and a lion (Grandpa Grape). The strange entourage makes its way through a field of puppies until they reach the Land of Ha's and meet the Wizard (Archibald Asparagus). They ride the rides and eat the junk food and have a great time. But frivolities don't last if you don't have the cash, as Darby and his friends soon discover and Darby finds himself at the bottom of a garbage dump.

The main story is broken up by a Silly Song with Larry. The song is entitled "If It Doesn't Have a Tail, It's Not a Monkey." It involves Larry and Bob on a jungle sight-seeing trip looking for monkeys and not apes.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable VeggieTales episode. This is only one of two VeggieTales that Phil Vischer, co-creator of VeggieTales has written since loosing the rights to VeggieTales a few years ago to bankruptcy. Vischer always did write good material with stories that flowed smoothly. THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF HA'S is another great example of this. Including the intermission of the Silly Song with Larry, THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF HA'S clocks in near fifty minutes. Stick around through the credits for a bonus of Mr. Lunt singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." A great video for children and for fans of VeggieTales, especially those who like THE WIZARD OF OZ.

For the last few years, the VeggieTales have been hit-or-miss (Gideon:Tuba Warrior was a hit; Moe & the Big Exit was a miss). I'm happy to say that The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's is a hit. Phil Vischer is in fine form here, writing a touching and funny version of the Prodigal Son story. Also, "Monkey" is instantly one of the all-time greatest silly songs! If you're a Veggie fan you've already got this title. If you're not ... this is a great place to start!

I've been a fan of Veggie Tales since long before I had kids. In fact, when I got married and became the dad of 2 kids, I had more Veggie Tales videos than both kids combined! Since then, most Veggie Tales releases have really impressed me - but there have been a couple of weak ones. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with the Lord of the Beans, but this new one, The Wizard of Ha's, renewed my faith in Bob and Larry!! The 3D rendering, textures, and animation have really improved with this release as well.

The way the Big Idea gang takes the story of the Prodigal Son and combines it with the Wizard of Oz is priceless! From Mr. Lunt's Scarecrow to the whirling tornado scene on the way to Ha's, the keen Wizard of Oz fan will not be disappointed. Stay tuned for a memorable rendition of "Somewhere over the rainbow" during the credits. My wife is a Big Idea Ambassador, so they send us preview copies of each video, that's how I've seen this one so early. Keep up the good works, Big Idea!

PS: Bonus points if you detect the obscure Star Wars reference!

This movie teaches unconditional love. Or as my daughter says, "If you do something that your parents don't want you to do. Don't be afraid to go back to them after you have done it because they will still love you anyway." The kids liked the songs and the new silly song. Definitely worth buying!!!

This is one of the best of a great lot. It tells kids that running away is not a good idea-which is good for my kids to hear (they are at that age)! For adults, it reminds us that we can reconnect with God any time-always a nice reminder.

Some of the other reviewers have given away some of the gags, so I hope those reading this will still be able to enjoy the jokes as our family did, not knowing what was coming up. As always for Veggie Tales, the video is full of unexpected references and spoofs.

Veggie Tales has been doing it the right way all along, and that's God's way! Phil Vischer once had his setbacks, and he wasn't afraid to admit that in his book. The Muppets have always been misguided, yet put on a good show. The Muppets out-did themselves with "Muppet Christmas Carol," and "Muppet Treasure Island." Then they got the brilliant idea to do "Wizard of Oz." That should've been the best Muppets ever, right? HA!! I don't think so. It was pathetic! In fact, if my daughter wouldn't have gotten up in the middle of it to play, I would've turned it off and said, "NUH-UH! We ain't watching this crap!" Well, it was just a few weeks ago that we learned that Veggie Tales had attempted "Oz," and turned it into, "The Wizard of Ha's. Ok, Big Idea, you've got my attention. The story deals with The Prodigal Son. Now I know that this isn't just something that will be great, it will be something very special. Anybody else who guessed this would be special was right on the money! I loved it!

So, getting down to the story. Darby (Junior) is the son of a simple dental floss farmer. He gets wind of something pretty cool. The Wonderful Land of Ha's, where they have the coolest stuff, and you can do whatever you want. Dad simply says, "Not this time, son. The floss comes first." And without giving much away, Darby says, "Oh yeah? I think I come first this time!" So he sets out with his "dog," Tutu, and they go for the fun!! And of course, they meet a scarecrow, (Mr. Lunt) a tin man, (Larry) and a lion (Pa Grape) who scares them at first. Hey, you want to go on the roller coaster or get some cotton candy, Darby's paying the way! So what happens when you enter Ha's? You have a blast!!! But what happens when you run out of cash? HMM! Is daddy so stupid after all?

I'm here to tell you that this is special. The songs hit home every time. The silly song, "Monkey," just hits the funny-bone, and you just shake your head and laugh! The lessons in this are not just for our little ones. We can learn a lesson from Darby, because whether we admit it or not, we've all felt like Darby. And in the end, we've all wanted to just go home and beg for forgiveness, and that's because we felt so unworthy. But guess what? Your father might have other ideas. Our Heavenly Father certainly had other ideas, and He said, "I KNOW you are worth it!!" There's no place like home! Watch this, and you'll believe that. You'll know that we are indeed a special people, and God's just waiting with open arms!! Thank you so much, Veggie Tales!

I ordered this once and when I received it in horrible packaging, it was broken. When you shake it it the DVD was flying all around and plastic pieces were rattling all over. I returned it and got another. Same horrible packaging and this time the DVD was still flying around but no plastic pieces. I gave it as a gift so I hope its not broken or all scratched up. NOT HAPPY.

This movie was rather slow and uninteresting. My three and five year-old daughters like Veggie Tales. Unfortunately, they watched this movie only once and weren't really interested in seeing it again.

As a parent, I didn't feel that it captured the point of the Prodigal Son narrative. Other Veggie Tales offerings are much better on average. I still give it three stars because it is clean, and it does have some good songs. The Silly Song about monkeys and apes was quite entertaining; my daughter and I sang it for a couple days.