Disc Details
Special Features:	Full-screen and widescreen anamorphic formats Chapter selection 2 DVD set Commentary by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki Commentary by producer Ameake Owens and director of animation Marc Vulcano Commentary by Larry the Cucumber and Mr. Lunt Spanish-dubbed version Outtakes Behind the scenes: Making the Movie Behind the scenes: The Studio Process Behind the scenes: Jonah and the Bible Behind the scenes: Big Idea Tour with Phil Vischer Behind the scenes: Scoring a Movie Music video: "Billy Joe McGuffrey" (Chris Rice) Music video: "In the Belly of the Whale " (Newsboys) Music video: "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything " (Superchic[k]) Music video: "Billy Joe McGuffrey" (Chris Rice) Movie script Progression reel Score Progression reel Character bios Khalil's Answering Machine Failed Khalil auditions "Jonah Was a Prophet" karaoke Six DVD-ROM games "Even Fishslappers Need a Second Chance" storybook Digital dailies Extra countertop scenes Two family fun activities Trivia Weblinks Previews Concept art Hidden Easter eggs
Video Format:	Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) [SS-DL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 5.1) English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles:	English.
Captions:	Yes
Casing:	2-Disc Keep Case

"Veggie Tales" is an animated series of Christian cartoons and books from "Big Idea Productions." The successful series has presented Christian values to small children with wit and humor for several years. "Veggie Tales" turns your garden-variety salad into several funny characters that lead kids through the most painless Sunday School you will ever experience. "Jonah" is the first feature film from "Veggie Tales."

Regular "Veggie Tales" characters Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato, Laura Carrot, Pa Grape, Mr. Lunt, Archibald Asparagus and Junior Asparagus are joined by new-comer Khalil (he's a bug!) to present the tale of Jonah in a very fun way.

When adapting Bible tales for the screen, the folks at "Big Idea" make sure to not change anything that is considered central to the message God intended to get across. What makes "Veggie Tales" so good is the way they mess with everything else to bring the story to life.

I was on a long drive with my 5-year-old daughter Lauren. We have a DVD player in the car. As I drove, I listened to "Jonah" as my daughter watched. I found myself laughing quite a bit at the great vocal interpretations and offbeat humor. "Big Idea" feels that there is no reason that teaching children about God can't be fun. "Jonah" makes modern references that kids will recognize. "Jonah" also contains more than enough humor to keep the adults interested. While the movie is aimed at Believers, it can be enjoyed by others. As the Book of Jonah is in the Old Testament, people of the Jewish faith may enjoy it, but in all fairness to them, there are Christian references during the modern day scenes.

The animation is very good. I was surprised, this being a non-Disney movie. The storm scene is outstanding. "Jonah" is also fun of some catchy songs. "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" is a standout.

Picture Quality: 8/10
Archibald Asparagus AKA Jonah wears a monocle ALA Col. Klink. This small detail adds tons of extra work to making a movie like this. I kept being drawn to the monocle to see if the glass was always there or reflecting the things around it or distorting objects seen through it. I couldn't find one monocle error. Great animation. As this movie is entirely CGI, the digital transfer is flawless. The lower rating is due to some spots of bland animation. The guys at "Big Idea" are to be commended for the great facial animation. None of the main characters have arms or legs. The animators overcome that disadvantage with some very memorable characters. Many of the animators worked on "Ice Age" and "Jimmy Neutron."

Sound Quality: 10/10
Great sound. The 5.1 soundtrack pushes the limits of your home sound system. Nice balance between the front and back speakers. The score and specialty songs all sound great. Excellent use of the surround sound feature during several scenes, most notably the ocean storm.

Menu: 10/10
Very nice animated menus. The menu is very complex in its design. It is based on the restaurant the characters stop at in the beginning of the film. Fun, colorful, easy to navigate. Easter eggs abound.

Extra Features: 10/10
This DVD has some of the funniest extras and Easter Eggs you will see (I'm including mainstream DVDs in this statement.) There are several commentary tracks. Everyone involved is very pumped to be doing the track. The filmmakers are proud (justifiably so) of the finished product. They share the details of the technical, artistic and spiritual journey involved in bringing "Jonah" to the screen. The commentary tracks are informative from a filmmaking point of view, and uplifting from a spiritual point of view.

I especially liked the Digital Dailies. This feature shows why this DVD should appeal to anyone who likes good entertainment, spiritual beliefs aside. The "Digital Dailies" is a 15-minute sequence, which includes animation containing computer glitches. The voice actors playing the characters from the movie goof on the mistakes ALA Mystery Science Theater 3000. There is no mention of spiritual matters in this segment. It’s just a bunch of folks who happen to be Christians goofing off. The jokes are funny. The end result is a 15-minute segment, which might fly over the heads of the kids the movie is aimed, but will please older folks. This segment, as well as many other segments (including the film itself) contains in-jokes for movie fans.

The "Character Bios" are another example. Each of the film's edible stars include their favorite movie quotes. One quotes "You had me at Hello" from "Jerry McGuire."

There are progression reels, which show the animation from sketch to film screen. Another progression reel deals with the musical score. Speaking of music, there are three great music videos.

Easter Eggs: The Easter Eggs are hit and miss. There is one hilarious Easter Egg found on the Bonus Materials menu. It involves the characters being busted recording the movie with a video camera at a theater. The visuals show what the camera is capturing. Like so much else in this movie, the vocals make the scene work. A movie usher with a thing for Elvis tries to stop the Veggies from making the bootleg tape. Other Easter Eggs involve an interview with Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato on "The Rusty Sprockets Show."

There are five featurettes covering the making of the film, the company "Big Idea" and adapting the Bible to the screen.

The Final Word:
I've seen a lot of Christian films. Some are designed to inform and entertain Believers. Many are designed as a way for people to share their faith with non-believers. A majority of Christian films don't really succeed because, while they may contain a good message, they are cinematically inept of just plain dull. Others like "The Omega Code" are just downright terrible cinematically and dangerously untrue to the Bible. "Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie" is probably the best Christian film I've ever seen that uplifts, entertains, is true to the Word of God and is a great tool for sharing faith. Some folks will be turned off by the idea that this is a Christian film. In fact, those folks probably didn't get past the first paragraph of this review. That's their choice. God gave us free will. Those of other faiths, or without faith who take a chance on "Jonah" will be pleasantly surprised by how much they will enjoy this film. Like grandma always said, the medicine goes down easier with a sweet. In this case, the message makes more of an impact with a smile.

Rusty White