Featured DVD

Pistachio

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dvd review

Pistachio

By Hannah Goodwyn
CBN.com Producer

CBN.com - VeggieTales’ take on the classic tale of Pinocchio, a wooden boy who wouldn’t tell the truth, is one that parents and kids will enjoy watching together. Fans of the story will remember the old toymaker Geppetto and how one day he made a toy that could walk and talk almost as well as a real boy. In this new version, the old toymaker’s name is Gelato and the long-nosed boy is Pistachio.

The creative team at Big Idea should be extra proud of this project. Pistachio is a funny and engaging cartoon full of valuable lessons for kids, specifically teaching them to listen to their parents. The biblical account of the shepherd who leaves his flock to search for his one missing sheep is interwoven through Pistachio’s story, reassuring children of their importance in the eyes of their parents and especially their Father in Heaven.

Seconds after Pistachio is created, he rebels against Gelato.

“You’re not the boss of me. I don’t have to listen to anybody. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.” – Pisatcho to Gelato

His outburst reminds me of what some kids revert to as they try to establish their independence. It’s also reminiscent of how sometimes our hearts are fickle toward God, even as adults. We innately desire our freedom, yet God knows what’s best. It takes time, but we usually wrap our heads around that fact, as Pistachio must learn to do. Even beyond listening, God (Gelato in Pistachio’s case) wants our obedience. Lies and disregard for a parent’s instruction only leads to trouble, as Pistachio soon finds out.

This new VeggieTales DVD includes a few extras that kids will love. Larry is center stage with another intermission tune. However, this time it’s not "Silly Songs with Larry"; it’s "Obscure Broadway Show Tunes with Larry". The DVD features even has a sing-along version of the show tune, “Where Have All the Staplers Gone?” Larry also takes kids to a real marionette theater for an inside look at how they work.

Pistachio is, like all VeggieTales productions, preachy. But, it’s a welcome change to the secular material kids are exposed to everyday. This is a pro-God voice in children’s lives that will encourage them in their faith and entertain them at the same time.

Hannah Goodwyn remembers watching some of the early -- now classic -- VeggieTales episodes with her college friends.