Duke and the Great Pie War

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Duke and the Great Pie War

DVD cover
Directed by Tim Hodge
Produced by David Pitts
Written by Robert G. Lee,
Jim Fisher,
Jim Staahl
Starring Phil Vischer,
Mike Nawrocki,,
Cydney Trent
Jacquelyn Ritz,
Tim Hodge,
Charlotte Jackson
Music by Kurt Heinecke,
Phil Vischer,
Mike Nawrocki
Distributed by Sony Wonder
Release date(s) 2005
Running time 45 minutes
Language English
Preceded by Sumo of the Opera
Followed by Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush
IMDb profile

Duke and the Great Pie War is the 25th episode in the VeggieTales animated series. It was released in early 2005 in both DVD and VHS format. Subtitled "A Lesson in Loving Your Family", it includes two stories aimed at teaching the value of family and the importance of putting others' needs ahead of your own.

Both features are based directly on accounts taken from the Bible. The first is retelling of story of the baby Moses and his sister Miriam from the Book of Exodus. The second story is derived from the Book of Ruth. In this account, Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi seek the protection of a distant relative named Boaz. Ruth and Boaz fall in love, but Boaz must first challenge a closer relative for the rights to the family estate. The story is recast to a medieval setting in this video.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Opening with the counter-top, Larry and Bob introduce the show with the letter, in which a older child is having difficulty coming to terms with the introduction of another sibling in her family. Larry answers by telling her about the stories he was told by his mother when he had a younger brother. Bob is surprised and slightly shocked that Larry never told him this, and he remains shocked as the camera fades to the first story.

In "Babysitter in De-Nile", Laura Carrot portrays Miriam, a big (and little) sister in Egypt who wonders why people in the village refuse to acknowledge that her new baby brother Moses is a boy. She is forced to look after the baby because her parents and elder brother Aaron are working in the brickyards. She finds babysitting tougher than she thought and complains about her plight. But when Aaron is almost run down by a chariot, she learns the value of family. Once she learns that the Egyptians are taking away all the hebrew baby boys, Miriam decides to hide Baby Moses in the Nile River. However, Moses drifts over to the princess who wants to keep him, but doesn't know how to take care of him.

In the Silly Song, Larry tries to sing the blues with Blind Lemon Lincoln playing guitar and harmonica. However, Larry is just too happy to sing the blues. This irritates Blind Lemon who leaves at the end. Larry is joined shortly thereafter by his pet poodle and Oscar the Polish Caterer.

In "Duke and the Great Pie War", Larry plays Duke Duke from the Kingdom of Scone. He is terrible at jousting and enrolls in “Ye Old Knight School” for training. While walking with his friend Lucas one day, he comes across the sweet Princess Petunia. Petunia is a Rhubarbarian who has been exiled from her own land and has taken refuge with her poor mother-in-law, Nona. Duke is smitten with the exiled princess and, when he learns that the arrogant Otis the Elevated is responsible for their poverty, he challenges him in an upcoming contest. Otis possesses the other half of their family crest; the winner of the contest would receive both halves of the crest and with it the key to the vault of the family castle. And, to quote Otis's assistant, Novac, "...if they act now, they'll receive this lovely set of Ginsu knives!"

The contest involves multiple challenges, among them an obstacle course and a riddle from the Abbott of Costello. Finally Duke and Otis are required to joust each other. Otis has superior skill, but when Duke hears Otis' boasting of selfishness and ruthlessness, he finds the motivation he needs to succeed. Duke's wits and dedication to family (Nona is his second cousin, twice removed) ultimately win him the competition and the crest (and most likely the knives). In the end, he and Petunia live happily ever after.

Returning to the counter-top, Larry introduces his brothers to Bob, who then sing a three-part harmonized version of the "What Have We Learned" song and promptly leave (Larry previously explained they did not talk much). Then Qwerty gives a Bible verse, and the show ends with Larry leaving to video-chat with his father, who is an astronaut.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast of Characters

[edit] Babysitter in De-Nile

  • Laura Carrot as Miriam
  • Baby Moses as himself (debut)
  • Miriam's Mom, Paura, as herself (debut)
  • Miriam's Dad as himself (debut)
  • Aaron as himself (debut)
  • French Peas as Egyptian Guards
  • Miss Achmetha as the Nile River Valley Girl
  • Jimmy Gourd as Lifeguard
  • Other Egyptians

[edit] The Blues with Larry

  • Larry the Cucumber
  • Blind Lemon Lincoln (debut)
  • Poodle (debut)
  • Oscar the Polish Caterer
  • Chris Baker the Korean

[edit] Duke and the Great Pie War

  • Larry the Cucumber as Duke
  • Bob the Tomato as Lucas
  • Petunia Rubarb as Princess Petunia (debut)
  • Madame Blueberry as Nona
  • Mr. Lunt as Otis the Elevated
  • Mr. Nezzer as Novac
  • Scallion #1 as the Abbott of Costello
  • Pa Grape as Irwin
  • Other Medieval villagers and knights

[edit] Segments

  • Opening Countertop
  • Babysitter In De-Nile
  • Silly Song: The Blues With Larry
  • Duke and the Great Pie War
  • Closing Countertop

[edit] Songs

In addition to the ubiquitous "VeggieTales Theme" and "What We Have Learned," this episode contains the following songs:

  • What Can a Baby Do?, sung by Miriam
  • The Blues with Larry (Silly Song), sung by Larry and Blind Lemon

[edit] DVD Content

Big Idea has consistently packed the VeggieTales DVDs with a variety of additional features intended to appeal to both children and adults alike. This section itemizes the content of the DVD.

[edit] Chapters

  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Babysitter In DeNile
  • 3. Big Sister To The Rescue
  • 4. The Blues with Larry
  • 5. Duke And The Great Pie War
  • 6. Duke Meets Petunia
  • 7. The Joust
  • 8. What We Have Learned

[edit] Bonus Features

Audio Commentary - Behind the Scenes - Jousting Documentary - Concept Art Gallery - Progression Reel - Deleted Scenes - Previews - Duke Trivia - Obstacle Course Game - Veggie Karaoke - How to Draw Petunia and Miriam - Family Activity - Interactive Storybook - DVD-ROM Fun Activities

[edit] Notes and Trivia

  • The title of the show was originally going to be The Princess and the Pie War.
  • The Great Pie War is similar to The Hundred Years War.
  • The show is really a prequel to King George and the Ducky.
  • The balcony where Duke challenges Otis to the joust is the balcony (the exact model) in King George and the Ducky.
  • This VeggieTales episode is rife with puns:
    • The Princess of Egypt speaks in the manner of a Valley Girl: she is a "Nile River Valley Girl" (instead of the San Fernando Valley).
    • The champion "Otis the Elevated" is a pun on Elisha Otis, inventor of the elevator, and also the Otis Elevator Company.
    • The term "Rhubarbarian" is a pun on the word "barbarian".
    • The "Three Dog Knights" are a pun on Three Dog Night, a rock band from the 1970's.
    • "Ye Old Knight School" and "Sleepless Knight" are also puns on the word "night".
    • The "serf music" heard by Duke and Lucas is a pun on surf music popular in the 1960's.
    • The "Abbott of Costello" is a pun on the comedy duo Abbott and Costello, and the riddle he posits is similar to their famous Who's on First? routine.
    • "Blind Lemon" is a pun on blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson.
  • The names of Miriam's mother and Pa Grape's character have been revealed on the DVD as Paura and Irwin.

[edit] External links