Several years ago, the creators of the computer-animated Christian video
series VeggieTales decided to branch out into slightly different
territory with a series of regular 2-D animated videos starring
superhero LarryBoy, an amalgam of Batman’s gadgetry and Larry the
Cucumber’s goofiness. His faithful butler, portrayed by Archibald
Asparagus, provides another tie to the Batman series, though these
videos also borrow from Superman by placing him in the news room and
introducing characters comparable to Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. The
third of these videos is Leggo My Ego.
Aside from an
opening song, which frankly isn’t all that memorable, there’s no music
in this video, and the flat style takes some getting used to. It has a
retro feel to it, like the original Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon or
Powerpuff Girls. The look is a lot simpler than that of the regular
series, but it’s still fun to watch. I do find it a little curious that
the landscape is populated by characters who resemble established Veggie
characters but aren’t. There’s a pair of what I take to be beets who
function much like Jimmy and Jerry Gourd, particularly in regard to
their huge appetites, and instead of a Scottish carrot for a cop we have
a Swedish gourd named Olaf. Vicki is a bit punchier than Petunia
usually is but basically serves the same role she does in several Veggie
videos.
The main story is pretty short at just about 20
minutes, and it’s not very complicated. A dastardly pair of villains
plans to take over Bumblyburg, and to do that, they have invented a
substance that shrinks citizens. The gas cloud is activated when
LarryBoy says something that belittles one of his friends. The villains
goad him into these assertions by playing on his insecurities, and the
more he diminishes others, the easier it gets. The story demonstrates
the link that often exists between low self-esteem and egotism,
emphasizing the fact that tearing others down to make yourself seem more
important is a very bad idea.
There’s some humor to be found in
the spectacle of the various characters becoming teeny-tiny, with
voices to match, and The Alchemist, despite his rather imposing name, is
a pretty wimpy excuse for a villain. His mother is the one pulling all
the strings, and I almost get the sense that if it weren’t for her, he
wouldn’t be in the super-villain business at all. He’s really not very
good at it. In fact, like LarryBoy, he mostly seems to be
overcompensating for the lack of appreciation he feels from others – in
this case, his own mother. While she is more intimidating, she too is
more comical than scary. The dynamic between the two reminds me of Gru
and his mother in Despicable Me.
The
video is filled with slapsticky moments like LarryBoy getting caught in
an explosion of cotton candy and annoying his Superhero School
classmate to the point that she sets a gale-force wind on him, tearing
apart the classroom. It’s fun, but the humor here generally isn’t as
clever as it is in the main series. That’s especially true in the short Cuke of All Trades,
a silly cartoon that goes along with the theme of Larry not feeling
very appreciated. It’s his birthday, but instead of being celebrated,
he’s left in charge of a bakery and a candle shop while the owners head
off on enigmatic errands and customers suddenly swarm in. This is a very
predictable short, though I found it fairly amusing.
Leggo My Ego
has a great title and some entertaining elements, and it seems likely
to fare well with a very young audience. However, I don’t think it has
quite the multi-generational appeal that most of the videos in this
series do. Considering how few of the videos were released, I’m guessing
I’m not alone in thinking that.
No comments:
Post a Comment