DVD
REVIEW
A VeggieTales 'Big River Rescue'
By Belinda Elliott
CBN.com Senior Internet Producer
CBN.com
- On the banks of the mighty Mississippi is where we find our favorite Veggie characters in their latest episode, Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue. In this clever take on Mark Twain’s classic tales, Larry and Bob star as Huckleberry Larry and Tomato Sawyer, two friends living alongside the river.
Though not as witty as their last project, The Wonderful Wizard of Ha’s, this new tale from VeggieTales has all the elements that fans have come to love. The tale begins with a letter to Bob and Larry from a boy asking advice about a situation at his school. His classmates are making fun of another kid in the class, and he feels bad for him. However, if he stands up for the boy at school, he could lose his friends or risk being made fun of himself.
Bob and Larry seek to find a solution to his problem, and the story begins. The tale’s narrator is reminiscent of Mark Twain and looks somewhat like Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “Colonel Sanders.” The narrator explains that in those days of America’s history, pioneers would choose plots of land and camp out there. If they could live there for five years without starving or being run off the land, it was theirs to keep.
 Huckleberry Larry and Tomato Sawyer are two friends that have set up camp along the river in the hopes of soon owning the land and making their homes there. Larry dreams of developing an amusement park, and Tom plans to establish a tax preparation business. But their plans are interrupted when a stranger shows up.
Little Jimmy is searching for his mom and needs to travel to another city to find her. Helping him will mean embarking on a long trip on the river and possibly forfeiting the land that the two friends have worked so hard to own. They are days away from completing the five-years of “homesteading” required by the government to make the land theirs. If they are not there when the government official comes to check on them, they will have to give up the land.
 The pair hesitantly sets out to aid Little Jimmy, but as they begin to encounter obstacles along the way Tomato Sawyer wonders if helping their new friend is really worth the trouble it has caused them. The bonds of friendship between Larry and Tom are tested as they each struggle with what is the right thing to do.
The story is a fun adventure that mixes a taste of American history with sound biblical teaching. Though Big River Rescue is not a Bible story, it is based on biblical truth found in James 4:17: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.”
The story offers a poignant lesson about helping others even when it is not easy. Not doing the right thing to help someone, the characters learn, is just as bad as actively doing something to hurt them.
 Big River Rescue features the typical humor and fun antics that fans of VeggieTales expect including a new Silly Song, “The Biscuit of Zazzamarandabo.” Other songs include “The Mighty Mississippi” and “She’s My Friend.”
The DVD is also packed with numerous bonus features including a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Big River Rescue, a studio commentary, an interactive storybook, an art gallery, video trivia, and family activities.
The bottom line: Big River Rescue does not disappoint. Children and adults will both enjoy it.
Purchase your copy of Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue.
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