Product Description

Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 08/16/2004

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36695 in DVD
• Brand: GENIUS PRODUCTS INC
• Released on: 2002-06-18
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 30 minutes

Amazon.com
The latest in an animated Christian children's series, this video teaches kids the importance of standing up to peer pressure through a thinly disguised Bible story. When Bob the Tomato, our host, sees that Larry the Cucumber is trying to fit into what's "cool" by wearing an oven mitt as a hat, he tells Larry that it's important to be true to yourself no matter what the consequences. Bob tells Larry a story about three vegetables, Rag, Shack, and Benny, who are held hostage in a factory and forced to make chocolate bunnies. When the owner, Mr. Nezzar, takes a liking to them, he offers to promote them if they will only worship a giant chocolate bunny.

The story is based on the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, in which three friends stand up to King Nebuchadnezzar, refusing to worship a false idol. The slavery and death themes may be too dark for kids under 7, but the animation and songs are fun. --Elisabeth Keating

Customer Reviews

Crisp Bible Storytelling From Big Idea's VeggieTales
Fans of "Toy Story," The Bible, or fresh salads (guess that covers everybody) will enjoy VeggieTales, half-hour videos telling faithful (ungarnished?), fun Bible story adaptations starring a tomato (Bob), cucumber (Larry), carrot (Laura) and asparagas (Junior) aimed to kids'(and adults')pressures and problems.

"Rack, Shack, and Benny," (aka Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) is one of the series' best. It retells the story of the Fiery Furnace as a parable about peer pressure with catchy songs ("The Bunny Song" is a favorite despite its intentionally inappropriate message, "Dance of the Cucumber" is a hilarious "silly song" and tension breaker), cute one-liners ("What does being a junior executive mean?" "It means you have to wear a tie.") and kid-friendly suspense leading to God's climactic rescue where the three ("Now there's four, and one looks real shiny") are saved. The lesson is summed at the end with a pinch of good humor.

Kudos (Bacos?) to Phil Vischer and his merry band at Big Idea for creating a series which, like its stars, are good and good for you. It's a series to relish, and HIGHLY recommended.

In with the old out with the new.
Rack Shack and Benny brings many fine moments to the Veggie Tale franchise. It boasts the first appearance of Mr. Lundt, Mr. Nezzer, Laura the Carrot and George,the security guard narrator who also narrates the Toy that Saved Christmas. With Dave and the Giant Pickle, which came out the same year, Rack Shack and Benny departed from the previous and current Veggie format of two stories regarding the episodes theme by telling a longer story interspersed with a silly song at intermission. And what a silly song at that: An Argentinean cucumber folk ballad sung in Spanish by Larry, translated in to English by Bob; often at the interpreters expense.

The story itself adapted from the book of Daniel takes Shadrach (Bob) Meeshach (Junior Asparagus) and Abednego (Larry) from captivity to cavity prone by making them workers at a chocolate factory. It capably tells the story of standing up to persecution for doing what you know is right. The boys are commanded to bow down to a chocolate bunny and sing the bunny song. They know that many of the words in the song are wrong and refuse to bow or sing. As a result they are sentenced to be thrown in the incinerator with the rest of the "bad" bunnies. I hate to leave you hanging on the plot line but you'll have to watch the video or read the bible to see how it comes out.

The only problem I have with my copy of Rack Shack and Benny is that Big Idea broke one of my favorite credos. That credo being is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

You see there are two versions of Rack Shack & Benny: the original and a re-release, with the only difference being lines of dialogue in the Bunny song. You would not think that switching lines in a song would make much of a difference but in this case it's like watching a video without actually putting in the VCR, it alters the entire presentation.

One of the lines I am referring to sung by Nebby K. Nezzer is:
I won't go to church and I won't go to school that stuff is for sissies but Bunnies are cool. In the re-release they change the first part of the line to: "I won't eat beans and I won't eat tofu". Another change is I don't love my Mom or my Dad just the bunny to something much more benign.

The problem with the line changes is that it undermines and all but obliterates the entire conflict of the plot. It makes Rack Shack and Benny seem to be willing to give their life over gastronomical differences.

Now I understand that the line change may well be in order not to have children singing such bad lines. But the point is that the kids in the story would not sing it. I thought the matter was resolved in the first sing a-long video when a reformed Nebby performs a new improved version of the song advising not to make the bunny an idol.

In all, I would still highly recommend Rack Shack and Benny to veggiephiles everywhere. And if at all possible try to get your hands on the original version and if you can, please send one to me!

Larry is my hero!
Don't be fooled: Another VeggieTales video, "LarryBoy and the RumorWeed," was shown to an excited group of college freshman at Grace University and everyone danced to the music video! This is more than children's entertainment. Its funny, its clean, and those Silly Songs will stick in your head for ages. I've been known to sing "The Pirates that Don't Do Anything" at the top of my lungs while driving down the highway.

I grew up on Christian entertainment like "Psalty the Songbook" and "The Music Machine." This is FAR better. "Rack, Shack, and Benny" is my favorite of the series, but see them all! They are the BEST!