The Star of Christmas (2002 Video) User Reviews

One of the best VeggieTales videos of them all

[darren-166 · 12 November 2004]

"The Star of Christmas" is perhaps my favourite in the VeggieTales series. The two strongest characters, Bob and Larry, take the largest roles as Cavis and Millward, a couple of two-bit commercial producers in London circa 100 years ago. They get an opportunity to produce a big musical production for Christmas that will "teach London how to love".

For those familiar with the Veggies, there are no surprises, just the characters playing their parts perfectly. Bob is wonderfully indignant and stubborn, Larry is (as usual) silly and innocent. The supporting cast is great too (with my favourites, the French peas, in fine form).

Bar none, the scene of Cavis and Millward being chased by Moyer the Destroyer (Scooter the Carrot) is my favorite from every one the Veggie videos. Trying to explain it can't do it justice, so I won't try, but listening to Moyer's diatribe while the chase is on is just priceless.

Also outstanding about this video is not just the good funny bits and the usual Christian values, but the emotional kick is a good deal stronger as well. Especially the final scene. Lisa Vischer's rendition of "Oh Come, Emannuel" is breathtaking, and darned-near brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear it.

I can't help but think that they produced this video with the intention of trying to get it on broadcast TV. There is no leading or trailing scenes from the kitchen as in most of the videos, no Silly Song intermission, and very distinct "breaks" in the story that could be used for commercial interruptions. Oh, and the duration of the video is 44 minutes, perfect for making into a 1 hour television special.

Anyways, this remains my favourite in a very good series. Always looking forward to the next one, though.

Starts out great but fizzles...

[bigsleepj · 30 September 2004]

Bob the Tomato is trying to produce a play (co-written by Larry) only to find that their opening night competition is a small church play. So they plan to sabotage the their competition. Oh yes, and the opening night is Christmas Eve.

The Star of Christmas has everything you'd want and expect from Veggietales videos: Silly songs, obnoxious humor, French Peas and a Christian message. Even some of the setpieces are great like the rehearsals for the play, and Larry and Bob's attempts to escape from the "hands" of Moyer the Destroyer. Or, in fact, the usual lines like that ring with silly humor. The Star of Christmas delivers up to a point.

Then the producers attempted one final "comic chase scene" in a rocket powered motorcar. This unfortunately fails to be funny and seems rather desperate for laughs. In all honesty the movie could have done without; it adds very little to the story. In the scene there are great moments but they don't help.

Other than that, the Star of Christmas is great entertainment. 7/10

The Best Veggie Tales Christmas Special.

[filmbuff-05706 · 10/10 · 1 December 2020]

If you go through my review page, you will know that I am a huge fan of Veggie Tales, a Christian video series for kids. The series has 5 Christmas specials, the first being The Toy That Saved Christmas, which I reviewed last year on my old page. This one, The Star of Christmas, came out next, and to this day I consider it to be the best one.

The video stars the "hosts" of VeggieTales- Bob and Larry- who respectively Cavis and Millward, 2 playwrights similar to Gilbert and Sullivan. They live in 1880's London, and notice how the news is filled with acts of hatred. They decide to remedy this by putting on a play on Christmas Eve called The Princess and the Plummer. They have the script, set, and actors, but the show will only succeed if the prince sees the show and gives it a positive review. No problem, right?

Well, it will be- because the local church has a Christmas pageant the same night- and a hidden relic- The Star of Christmas- will make it's first appearance in 79 years. Cavis is so determined to have the prince come to their show that he ends up taking drastic measures to make it happen.

The Star of Christmas succeeds on many levels. Big Idea, the company that makes VeggieTales shows, clearly do not have big budgets, however, this episode has some nice looking animation, especially when compared to The Toy That Saved Christmas.

This is also one of the funniest episodes with numerous little jokes and funny scenes. For example, there is a scene where Cavis says he has an idea to make the show even bigger, and Millward excitedly asks: "You got a monkey that can yodel?"

There is also a scene where there is a chase to get to the church in time for the pageant, and many hilarious things happen along the way.

However, TSOC is also a very touching episode. Every VT video has a moral, and this one is what it truly means to love someone. In a jail cell, Cavis and Millward meet a prisoner named Mr. Pincher, who gives a touching speech on what it really means to love, and the church Pastor shows him such an example afterwards.

Because this is a Christian video about the meaning of love, and the setting is Christmas Time, Cavis learns how the Nativity of Jesus is the start of how God showed His love to mankind. As he says to the Pastor: "There is only one story to show us how to really love. And this is it."

In conclusion, The Star of Christmas is a wonderful video for the holidays. Not only is it brief(at only 48 minutes), but it's filled with heart and humor, and even though it's aimed at kids, adults will have fun too and be touched by the moral. Even if the birth of Jesus isn't a big part of your Holiday celebration, this animated special deserves a shot to be.

12/16/20 Edit: This month I have reviewed the subsequent VeggieTales Christmas Specials and Elf. I have decided to not review any other Christmas movies, apart from an edit of A Christmas Carol from 1938. Instead I will be editing some of my old reviews for a while.

Right up there with Buzz-Saw Louie, and twice as funny!

[LizReviews · 9/10 · 30 June 2020]

"The Star of Christmas" is the first episode in a two-part mini series (the sequel being "An Easter Carol") which takes place in 19th century London, this episode explaining Christ's birth and the sequel explaining His death and resurrection. It stars the jingle-writers-for-dental-wax turned playwrights Cavis Appythart (Bob the Tomato) and Millward Phelps (Larry the Cucumber), along with their inventor friend Seymour Schwenk (Pa Grape).

Cavis is disillusioned by he and his business partner's career of writing jingles, and aspires to achieve something grander with his life-- teaching London how to love. He and Millward write a play called "The Princess and the Plumber", intending to invite the Crown Prince to see the show, but they have competition. St. Bart's Church is holding their Christmas pageant the same night as their play, and they're using one of the most valuable treasures of London in their show. You guessed it, the Star of Christmas. That only leaves one option for Cavis-- stealing, er, borrowing the star from the church!

This episode is an absolute riot from start to finish, and is pure VeggieTales humor at its prime. To give you an idea of how much you'll be laughing, here are some of the funniest lines from the special (out-of-context):

"It looks like a turtle."

"I'm praying to be delivered from the mighty and fearsome hand of Moyer the Destroyer."

"Short of kidnapping, which I hear is ILLEGAL now..."

"Your toilet exploded, you're flushing in vain!!!"

"You're trapped like a dog hanging on to a big juicy steak that has somehow... become trapped... in some way..."

"Tra-la-la-la-lossum!"

For how hilarious this show is, however, it also has a ton of heart. It explains the Christmas story and the true meaning of love in such a poignant way, which is rarely seen in most Christmas specials. I won't spoil the ending for you, but it may be one of the sweetest moments ever to be placed in a VeggieTales episode, and as one reviewer pointed out, Lisa Vischer's rendition of "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" is absolutely gorgeous.

This episode is available legally to watch on YouTube, so give it a try. Whether it's Christmas or not, you'll be laughing, crying, and learning about the true meaning of Christmas in such an effective and thought-out way.

One of the greatest Veggie Tales shows.

[cinephile-27690 · 10/10 · 20 August 2018]

On You Tube, I saw a video of a guy who ranked every Veggie Tales video. This is the only one he gave a perfect 10. He later explains why. I watched the show afterwards and agreed that this was the greatest VT show.

Allow me to put my own input on why. The movie's moral is about what it means to love. The Bible has many elements of love, and that's the main message(examples- Christ dying, 1 Corinthians 13). This is the best illustration of it.

The humor is great too. One example is Cavis tells he has something London has never seen before. Millward excitedly asks: "You've got a monkey that can yodel?" It's just a hilarious line. (And that's not what Cavis has.) The Moyer chase and ride to the church near the end is hilarious as well.

The music is catchy too, the song Plugged Up Love is one of my favorite Veggie Tales songs.

Great humor, catchy songs, and an important message. That's where Veggie Tales shines, and here's where it excels.