Josh and the Big Wall!
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| Josh and the Big Wall! | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Phil Vischer, Chris Olsen |
| Produced by | Chris Olsen |
| Written by | Phil Vischer |
| Starring | Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki, Lisa Vischer, Jim Poole |
| Music by | Phil Vischer, Kurt Heinecke, Mike Nawrocki |
| Distributed by | Sony Wonder |
| Release date(s) | 1997 |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Josh and the Big Wall! is the ninth episode of the VeggieTales animated series. It was released in 1997. Subtitled "A Lesson in Obedience," it teaches viewers the importance of following God's Word even when we don't want to. The story follows the plight of the Israelites and, specifically, the Battle of Jericho.
The presentation is strikingly original however, and derives great humor from spoofing Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In addition, the Biblical tale is given the usual VeggieTales treatment with comical songs, outrageous humor, and unexpected anachronisms.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The opening countertop finds Junior Asparagus filling in for Larry the Cucumber (presumably due to his age and stamina), who has been permitted to sleep in. Junior and Bob the Tomato field a question about obedience and, using their imaginations, are transported to the Holy Land.
Bob acts as narrator and provides Junior (and the viewers) with some background information. The Israelites, having been held as slaves in Egypt, are liberated by Moses and led to the Promised Land (Land of Israel). However, they question God's methods and are banished from Israel for forty years. Upon the completion of their exile, Moses has died, and Joshua (played here by Larry) has become leader of the Israelites. Joshua leads them back to the Promised Land, but one thing stands in their way... Jericho.
The story is interrupted here by Larry's Silly Song. "Song of the Cebu," introduced as a "sequential image, stereophonic, multimedia event," finds Larry on the countertop with a slide projector and a captive audience comprising Jimmy and Jerry Gourd and Junior Asparagus. The song, about a boy and three cebu (and a hippo) frequently goes off track and is interrupted several times by Archibald Asparagus.
When the story resumes, the Israelites are met by the defenders of Jericho (the French Peas) who taunt them from atop the city's great wall. Joshua explains that God has given this land to the Israelites and that therefore the defenders will have to step aside. They are met by more insults and jeering. When a slushy falls and hits Jimmy, they fall back and regroup.
That night Joshua meets the Commander of the Army of the Lord who tells him how the Israelites are to take Jericho: they must march around the city once a day for six days; on the seventh day they are to march around it seven times, blow their horns, and all yell at the same time. At this point, the messenger states, the walls of Jericho will fall. Naturally this plan leads to some skepticism. Joshua must deal with dissent among his people, some of whom want to return to Egypt and some of whom want to attack the wall with might.
But they agree to try it God's way and proceed to Jericho the next day. The city's defenders insult them all the more, turning their taunts into a choreographed musical number while bombing them constantly with slushies. The end of the day finds the Israelites on the verge of rebellion. At this point, Junior, the co-narrator, intervenes and convinces them to continue with the plan God laid out. He explains that God's way doesn't always make sense, but provides examples of how it always works out in the end.
The Israelites agree to stick with the plan and, in spite of renewed counter-attacks, march around the city for seven days as specified. On the seventh day they blow their horns and yell; at first nothing happens. But then cracks appear and the wall crashes down, just as God said it would, and Joshua claims the land for his people.
Bob and Junior wrap up on the countertop, reiterating the lessons in the film. Larry appears in his pajamas at the end, but seconds later the lights go out and the show ends.
[edit] Cast of Characters
- Bob the Tomato as narrator
- Junior Asparagus as co-narrator
- Larry the Cucumber as Joshua
- Mr. Nezzer as Moses
- Pa Grape as an Israelite
- Tom Grape as an Israelite
- Jimmy Gourd as an Israelite
- Jerry Gourd as an Israelite
- Scooter Carrot as an Israelite
- Percy Pea as an Israelite
- Jean Claude and Phillipe as Defenders of Jericho
- Archibald Asparagus as Commander of the Army of the Lord
[edit] Segments
- Opening Countertop
- Josh and the Big Wall!
- Silly Song: Song of the Cebu
- Closing Countertop
[edit] Songs
In addition to the ubiquitous "VeggieTales Theme" and "What We Have Learned," this episode contains the following songs:
- Promised Land, sung by the Israelites
- The Lord Has Given (Part 1), sung by Larry and the Israelites
- The Lord Has Given (Part 2), sung by Junior Asparagus
- Keep Walking, sung by the French Peas
- Song of the Cebu (Silly Song), sung by Larry with Jimmy, Jerry, and Junior
[edit] Notes and Trivia
- The French Peas atop the Wall of Jericho are a parody of the French Soldiers in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In both versions the soldiers taunt and insult those on foot outside the wall. However in the Monty Python film, the soldiers hurl livestock instead of slushies.
- Larry is not present on the countertop because he is sleeping late as a result of being tired out from the previous show. The previous show was the first of the Larry-Boy series, Larry-Boy and the Fib from Outer Space!.
- When the priests play their horns on the seventh day, the song they play is "When the Saints Go Marching In".
- Although it is never made clear what a "cebu" really is (it's "like a cow" says Larry), it is possible that "cebu" is an alternate spelling for "zebu".
