There is an interesting story there, where Phil Vischer, the Christian guy who started “Big Idea” (the production company for Veggie Tales) basically drove the company into bankruptcy. It has been bought by Classic Media, a secular but family-oriented company, and Mr. Vischer is a consultant and sometime writer.
One interesting thing he says in the piece is something I’ve often thought when I hear very successful Christians talking about how “blessed” they are and how great it is that their super-stardom (or CEO-hood or whatever) was God’s plan for them. Because if you read any interviews with Vischer from back when Big Idea was poised to be a huge success, he sounded just like that. Ain’t God’s will great, and all that. But today, his perspective is far different. He notes, “When I watch it (Jonah, Big Idea’s last movie] now, I can smell my ambition—the drive to do as much as I could with Big Idea as fast as I could. We were in financial trouble actually before we went into production. The movie became about me wanting God to put a stamp of approval on my ambition.”
It is so easy for us to convince ourselves that success on the world’s terms must be God-willed, because it feels so darned good. It is one of the hardest things to overcome.
Mr. Vischer did write this pirate film. and sees it as a Christian-themed film, but more like a parable than an explicit Christian story. I haven’t seen it so I couldn’t say. But maybe he hasn’t altogether escaped selling himself a bill of goods when it comes to the world vs. the kingdom.
Honestly, I’ve always been troubled by any depiction of Biblical stories which are cartoony. For the most part, kids do not view cartoon characters as corresponding to any person outside the cartoon world, so to present people (particularly Christ) as a cartoon is (in my opinion) to subtly undermine the historical time-and-space reality of the Biblical stories.
I am glad to see that plenty of men understand that teaching your children Bible Stories through cartoon vegetables is dangerous. Not only does it teach them to associate Christianity with this kind of fiction, but it definitely undermines the Almighty God of History, and His work!
Did anyone happen to see the Veggie Tales Nativity which has the Baby Jesus portrayed as a Baby Carrot?!
Yes, it is a terrible idea. I have not personally watched any Veggie Tales (or let my kids do so) ever since Queen Esther was played by what appeared to be a scallion.
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16 January 2008
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Wait, Veggie Tales is doing stories that aren’t ripped out of the Bible? Does that mean they might make good family films now?
There is an interesting story there, where Phil Vischer, the Christian guy who started “Big Idea” (the production company for Veggie Tales) basically drove the company into bankruptcy. It has been bought by Classic Media, a secular but family-oriented company, and Mr. Vischer is a consultant and sometime writer.
His sadder but wiser take on the debacle can be read here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/philvischer.html
One interesting thing he says in the piece is something I’ve often thought when I hear very successful Christians talking about how “blessed” they are and how great it is that their super-stardom (or CEO-hood or whatever) was God’s plan for them. Because if you read any interviews with Vischer from back when Big Idea was poised to be a huge success, he sounded just like that. Ain’t God’s will great, and all that. But today, his perspective is far different. He notes, “When I watch it (Jonah, Big Idea’s last movie] now, I can smell my ambition—the drive to do as much as I could with Big Idea as fast as I could. We were in financial trouble actually before we went into production. The movie became about me wanting God to put a stamp of approval on my ambition.”
It is so easy for us to convince ourselves that success on the world’s terms must be God-willed, because it feels so darned good. It is one of the hardest things to overcome.
Mr. Vischer did write this pirate film. and sees it as a Christian-themed film, but more like a parable than an explicit Christian story. I haven’t seen it so I couldn’t say. But maybe he hasn’t altogether escaped selling himself a bill of goods when it comes to the world vs. the kingdom.
Honestly, I’ve always been troubled by any depiction of Biblical stories which are cartoony. For the most part, kids do not view cartoon characters as corresponding to any person outside the cartoon world, so to present people (particularly Christ) as a cartoon is (in my opinion) to subtly undermine the historical time-and-space reality of the Biblical stories.
I am glad to see that plenty of men understand that teaching your children Bible Stories through cartoon vegetables is dangerous. Not only does it teach them to associate Christianity with this kind of fiction, but it definitely undermines the Almighty God of History, and His work!
Did anyone happen to see the Veggie Tales Nativity which has the Baby Jesus portrayed as a Baby Carrot?!
Yes, it is a terrible idea. I have not personally watched any Veggie Tales (or let my kids do so) ever since Queen Esther was played by what appeared to be a scallion.
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