Rating: 
Summary: Same Dull Gag Over and Over
Review: The Movie Jonah typifies what happens when good TV shows or short programs try to become feature movies - they frequently fail - unable to deal with the timing and unable to fill the full hour and umpteen minutes. Jonah drags. The time delay from gag to gag and scene to scene is tedious. The film seems to just wander. The scenes dont flow all that well, just meandering through the story instead of a good production. And then by the end you feel like it is the same game 1000 times over. Someone says something preposterous - someone else gives them a blank stare. OKAY, I GET IT. It would have made a great short - lots of it needed to end up on the cutting room floor - but this makes one lousy movie.
Rating: 
Summary: 'Toon in and VEG OUT!
Review: My kids and I are huge VeggieTales fans, but I must admit that I was just slightly disappointed with "Jonah" when we saw it during its theatrical run. How could I not be? Expectations run pretty high with VT, and the prospect of a feature film raised the bar that much higher. However, while not as funny as some of the home video releases, repeated viewings have allowed this film to grow on me quite a bit.The great detail and care that went into the look of the film is very apparent on this DVD. The animated menus are gorgeous and offer entertainment in their own right. The inclusion of both widescreen and pan-and-scan on the same disc doesn't reveal many compression artifacts in either transfer, but it does bother me that widescreen is not the default and that to select it I need to navigate through 3-4 menus. It's a minor quibble, but I wonder why they couldn't offer the viewing options once "Play" has been selected as with other films. Viewers need to be educated on what widescreen is all about. The 3 included commentaries are a mixed bag. The first, with Nawrocki and Vischer, is entertaining in their (un)usual goofball boys' club kind of way, but also manages to provide some insight into the production as well. The second, with producer Owens and animation director Vulcano, is probably the best of the bunch as they stick mostly to technical details and shy away from the goofiness. If it's total goofiness that you're looking for, however, you can't go wrong with the third commentary by the characters Larry & Mr. Lunt. I haven't been able to get through much more than 15 minutes at a time because it's a bit strange hearing the disembodied character voices ad-libbing about everything under the sun knowing that something will eventually stick to your funny bone. Disc 2 contains just about everything else. Informative behind-the-scenes features, a funny tour of Woolworth's... er, the Big Idea studio, and a Biblical history of Jonah. The music section is good and even contains unadvertised extra videos from the Newsboys and Chris Rice. The "outtakes" are funny, but not as much as Pixar's. All of the bonus materials are good and informative, but I sometimes wished that they went a little more in-depth. Don't get me wrong, they've packed so much stuff on here that compression artifacts are very noticeable throughout. However, in their effort to include something for everybody, they've had to skimp a little on everything. All in all, this is a great first feature effort from Big Idea. The movie is beautiful, stands up to repeated viewing and there's enough bonus material to keep you busy for days. There are a few minor issues, but it's better than most releases. Don't throw this one back; it is definitely a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: Not historically accurate but a heck of a good time
Review: So Big Idea took a lot of liberties with this movie. But you know this is a kid's flick so it's supposed to be fun and interesting. And if they stuck just to the story they would have been done in twenty minutes. The guys at Big Idea put a motor, go fish, ping pong, root beer, cheese curls,and croquet into the story. These are very much historically innacurate, but hey we're supposed to be having fun.
The story is very good and sticks with the orginal ending. Jonah didn't get it. Most stories of Jonah end with him getting it or with the Ninevahites repenting. Many lack the fact that Jonah never really got the lesson about mercy. I think more people in the world including myself need to learn show real mercy to people who despise us or hurt us.
The DVD is packed with extras including commentary by Larry and Mr. Lunt. This alone makes the DVD worth the price. To hear them comment on football fields, Krispy Creams, and how they are the actual producers (actually they were the writers and directors) is very funny. I also like the outakes and the music videos by Newsboys and Chris Rice. And remember that God wants everyone to have a second chance.
Rating: 
Summary: Top notch in every respect
Review: A suprisingly accurate retelling of the story of Jonah, including the end, where Jonah learned NOTHING. Not the happy ending most would expect. Luckily, the kids in the contemporary wrap-around story did. The animation was excellent, the music outstanding.
The negative reviews (there are very few...) are confusing. Some seem to confuse the story of Jonah with the story of Job. Others seem bothered that a movie about a bible story is too "preachy". Huh? It's a BIBLE STORY.
Extra stars for all the extra stuff on the DVD. Big Idea went all out to give you your money's worth... three different commentary tracks, "blooper" reel, music videos, interviews, easter eggs... wow.
Enjoying Veggietales runs very deep in my family.
Buy it, enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie - Better DVD
Review: If you are already a VeggieTales fan you will thoroughly enjoy this DVD. Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie is the first VeggieTales movie that was released theatrically. And the CG animation for Jonah is head and shoulders better than the videos VeggieTales has produced so far. The story of Jonah (played by Archibald Asparagus) is very true to the Old Testament book and even includes the same rather puzzling ending. The story doesn't hold many surprises for those familiar with the Bible story, but their are a sufficient number of additional characters and plot points to make the story interesting even for the Biblically literate. Jonah can get preachy in parts, but I think succeeds in treating the story with a healthy irreverence. But, the DVD extra features makes this a must have for your collection. The quirky ad lib dialogue for the animated menus can be down right hilarious and usually at least humorous. The folks at Big Idea Productions put a lot of effort into making the DVD features and it shows. Some of the extra features include a behind the scenes tour of Big Idea Production (FYI they are located in a shopping mall), Videos for the Newsboys, Chris Rice, and Superchick, and a hilarious look at some of the Dailies highlights some of the rendering difficulties they had during the production of this movie. Also, if you buy the DVD you will find out what words like dailies and rendering means!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: The animation was not bad, the sound track OK, but it was outright boring from the start, and save for a few brief moments here and there, it never took off. A Christian friend of mine recommened Veggie Tales videos a few years back. They were, well, boring. When a feature film came to DVD, and we were looking for something for our son to watch, I picked this one up. What a mistake! ...
Rating:
Summary: Animation, yes. Animated Story... no.
Review: This movie was not the best it could have been, not by a longshot. the biggest reason is simply because the writing of the story was weak. The characters were belittling, annoying and at the end the whole moral of the story was negated by the narrarator. The bible and the story of Job is full of strife, drama and trials of life. The story of Job is not a placation to the parents of Christian children who want to feed their young palatable stories that can be easily referred to in Sunday school. Example; the next time your best buddy chastises you during and after your wreck your car full of children see how easy it is for you to forgive him. I would think that most (self respecting) people would say: "Take a long walk home... ya pickle!" Big Idea made this movie for 13 million. The box office take was over 26 million. Add sales with this DVD, video and other merchandise and it is safe to say that we will see another animated movie coming from Big Idea again. Hopefully they will learn from the modern masters at Pixar and Studio Ghibli that the story is the foundation that the rest of their craft is built upon. The bible is rich with stories of morals, human endurance and experience. Let's see if Big Idea can pull a better rabbit out of its' hat next time.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Story in a Great Package
Review: Myself, my wife, and my 3yo daughter saw this in the theater and loved it. We bought it as soon as it hit the shelves here on the east coast, and we were not disappointed. I would have to say that the DVD release is the most feature-filled package I've ever owned or rented! This thing is busting at the seams! 3 commentaries (including a hillarious character commentary track that will have parents and older children rolling on the floor), a great studio tour by Phil, outtakes and rendering error... you name it! The movie itself was really good itself. Jonah is a hard story to follow, and if you're not christian and you're shocked by the religious content - hey, it's Jonah. I mean, c'mon... You're watching a bible story and you're surprised by the religious angle? I thought Big Ideas did a good job of bringing the story to kids without corrupting it. I think they did an even better job of bringing the story to our homes in a way that'll keep us poking through the features for weeks!
Rating:
Summary: DVD Jonah is worth buying just for extra features...
Review: I initially did not want to spend this kind of money on an 80-minute movie for kids. However, the extra features are great. An entire second disc is packed with behind the scenes views, making-of-the-movie, outtakes, three music videos, etc. These features are probably more enjoyable for adults than for children, but they make the DVD worth every penny.
Rating:
Summary: jonah: a great splash!
Review: We are estatic that Big Idea has come back with anouther " classic" Veggie movie. How we've missed them! Jonah is a hit with our whole family, even my 1 year old! How refreshing to have GOD in a movie. Possitive values and a touching story, with oh so much humour for even a seasoned 6 year old. I would recomend this to anyone looking for a refreshing change from the mainstream. Yeah!
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