They-y-y're Ba-a-ack!!!

I've been a huge fan of Veggie Tales for the past four years, and I eagerly await each of their new releases. I was especially anxious for this one, though, because their last video, Esther, seemed to be a major departure from the Veggie Tales I know and love. It was still very good, but many key characters were missing and it was far more serious than normal. I hoped that Lyle would bring back the silliness I know and love. It did.

Ironically, this video is an attempt by Archibald Asparagus to present a classy and cultured show. After all, if Jimmy and Jerry Gourd, could host a show, why not him? And so Archie begins his presentation in a cozy Masterpiece Theater setting which the French Peas provide for him. Unfortunately for him -- but fortunately for us -- that's about the only thing they get right. Unable to locate Hamlet at the local library as they were instructed to do, the peas bring back Omelette, which they vow is a very similar play. It certainly has a very Shakespearean feel to it, and there are several distorted quotes from various Shakespeare plays. In this production, Prince Hamlet is a hapless gourd desperate for light and fluffy eggs. Sadly, his breakfast is comprised of the last eggs in the kingdom. Will Omelette's concern for his kingdom outweigh his concern for himself? Will he share his eggs?

This entertaining excursion into olde English theatre is complemented by an ongoing barrage of cardboard props of a quality only slightly superior to those found in The Englishman Who Went Up the Hill and Came Down With All the Bananas (King George and the Ducky). One thing I noticed here was that Scooter, who played the cook, seemed to have a different voice. Other than adjusting to that, it was smooth sailing through the first portion of the video.

Next comes Silly Songs With Larry, which Archie hastily changes to Classy Songs With Larry. The song, Larry's High Silk Hat, has the tune of a famous opera (I don't know the name of it, but it's the same one used in the commercial for the board game The Grape Escape). It begins like Forrest Gump, with a feather floating down to the ground, landing upon a fellow sitting on a bench, waiting for the trolley. That fellow is Larry, a proper gentleman with an impressive top hat and a box of scrumptious chocolates. As more and more veggies come (including the Art Bagodi of Larry-Boy and the Fib from Outer Space fame), Larry continues to brag about his hat and his candy, annoying the others. This trolley takes a long time to arrive, and the hot sun begins to worry Larry. His head is getting hot from his hat, and his chocolates are beginning to melt.What will Larry do to avoid their demise? Will he come to his senses and share before it's too late? The hilarious ending may surprise you, but you'll be left once more with the impression that sharing is a good thing. This is a very enjoyable song, but it is sung very fast so it's hard to catch some of the words. You may have to watch it a few times before you completely understand what is being sung.

And now we come to the feature presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan's lost musical. The playbook is a pop-up, and from the scene in the book we automatically go to the actual scene of the village where the Vikings live. The musical begins with two Viking wives complaining about their husbands' lives; the Vikings, who are arriving home from a raid, then take up a second verse by saying how terrific their lives are. When they arrive, the raiders are most perturbed to find Lyle (Junior Asparagus) coming towards them contentedly with a box of pot-holders. He never participates in the raids; instead, he ventures off on his own after his comrades return. What's worse, as the Viking leader Olaf (Mr. Nezzer) darkly remarks, "he leaves with his boat loaded down and brings it back here empty."

So this time, when Lyle leaves, two of the Viking crew decide to follow. Sven and Ota (Bob and Larry) pursue Lyle miraculously undetected, as they spend the whole trip loudly arguing about how close they should be to Lyle's ship. Larry's personality clearly shines through his Viking mask as he spends much of the show singing (very loudly and badly) his spoken lines because this is a musical; Bob's reminders that singing is not always necessary are of little avail. When Lyle arrives at his destination, his Viking pals are shocked to discover that he has come to return his share of the loot to the monastery that they had raided the day before. This explicitly violates the Viking code, and Sven and Ota are eager to confront Lyle about his mis-doings.

When they do, however, Lyle convinces them that by sharing, he gets lots of friends, which are worth a lot more than gold. They vow to keep Lyle's transactions secret. Unfortunately, this is not possible for long. On one of their next raids, Sven and Ota spot Lyle on the shore talking with the monks. Despite their desperate and hilarious attempts to distract Olaf, the leader spots the miscreant and vows to make an example of him. As a vicious storm brews, Olaf steers his mighty vessel toward's Lyle's Viking dinghy and hops aboard to relieve him of his sail and oars. Luckily for Lyle, his monk friends rush to the rescue when his boat capsizes. But the waves are too strong even for the mighty Viking ship, and Olaf, Sven, Ota, and the others all wind up in the water. What will happen to them? Will Lyle find it in his heart to share the life preserver with those who persecuted him?

This musical fun fest teaches yet again that God wants us to share, and it notes that when we share, we have more friends. Highly enjoyable for everyone concerned -- except for poor Archie, who discovers that the play was written by the wrong Gilbert and Sullivan. Oh, well. He tried. The video concludes with Bob and Larry wrapping up the show amidst the cries of the outraged asparagus and the mischievous peas and the crashes of cardboard sets. Archie may have missed the point, but we get it, and we sure have a lot of fun along the way.

This video was everything I expected and more. More? A couple years ago, my brother and I were brainstorming about other videos Veggie Tales should make. One that we came up with was Jonah, with Archibald as Jonah. Whaddya know? It happened. Not only that, Jonah will be released in theaters next year. Imagine it: Veggie Tales on the big screen! I can't wait! Till then, though, I've got 15 great Veggie videos at my side, which I'll have to review in order to decide on my favorite Silly Song so I can vote for the next video, which is the ten best Silly Songs ever. Silliness is back with a vengeance!