Larryboy & The Bad Apple [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

It's been several years since LarryBoy has been sited, but he's come back. And it's just in time. Bumblyburg is getting ready to celebrate its 300th anniversary, but someone isn't happy about it.

Bad Apple has just moved into town and has a score to settle. With the help of her sidekick worm, she spins a web of temptation that traps people in what they love most. She wants to take over the town and has set her sites on the mayor, a news reporter, and LarryBoy himself. Will LarryBoy fall prey to her plot? Can he overcome his love of chocolate to save the day?

I'll confess, as much as I love the VeggieTales series, the LarryBoy episodes are some of my least favorite. I actually wasn't looking forward to this release, but I got it anyway. I'm glad to be proved wrong.

The plot, while predictable, is fun. Larry has never been the smartest of the Veggie characters, but they don't make his stupid here, a complaint in the earlier LarryBoy shorts. And the story is funny with several great lines and site gags along the way to entertain kids and adults alike.

While most Veggie videos cram two stories into their 45-minute running time, this episode only features the one story. They don't even break for a "Silly Songs with Larry" segment. However, they do include the counter top wrap around with Bob, Larry, and Archibald Asparagus. These scenes are easily some of the funniest they've done in several episodes. I was laughing the entire way through them. The video does include a new LarryBoy theme song, "Rock on LarryBoy." Performed by "Shux," they feature a new vegetable we haven't seen before. I bet you can guess what they might be.

The theme here is obviously temptation, and they do a great job showing both the power of it and our need for God and others to help us through. My only complaint is that all the temptations shown here are things that are ok in moderation like video games, TV, and chocolate. Of course, since previous LarryBoy episodes have dealt with lying and gossip, this is a minor issue. Still, parents will probably want to point out that some temptations should never be given into.

The DVD comes with the standard Veggie goodies. We've got an audio commentary and behind the scenes feature for the adults and storybooks and games for the kids. The animation continues to improve with each episode, and the full surround sound is great as always.

I may have to go back and give the previous LarryBoy episodes a chance. If they are as good as this one, I've written off a great character in the Veggie universe.

I saw this in a sneak preview edition (no bonus features, just Bob & Larry counter-top introduction and conclusion with the Larry Boy story and ending music video). I have to say that it is the best Veggie Tales product in years and even the best Larry Boy yet!

The opening banter/dialog between Bob and Larry (Boy) and its conclusion after the episode is great. During the entire show, the graphics are smooth. The music is enticing and well done. The story is compelling and, while at once simple, at the same time it is also cleverly crafted. There is obvious and effective humor for the kids and more subtle and equally effective humor for us adults. And the moral message is both clear and applicable to people of all ages.

I watched it with my wife and our almost seven year old son, and all three of us loved it.

This one's definitely a new Larry Boy classic!

The Fib and the Rumor Weed were some of the best VeggieTales videos ever, and ones which I watched over and over again. I expected this one to be just as good, and better---and I was not disappointed!

Having been seven years since the last computer-generated LarryBoy episode, Big Idea's animation has improved drastically. The animation is more lifelike, the colors are smoother and more realistic, and the lightning is better.

It's just as funny and as well-written as the others, with more "clueless" remarks from LarryBoy and more of his mixed-up metaphors. ("An apple in the hand is worth three bushes!")

The opening countertop begins similarly to the Fib with a technology joke concerning Bob. The vegetables on the countertop (not telling who) receive their first text-messaged letter.

Then opens the program. The beginning is strangely familiar. It is actually the teaser, which was made an entire year before the Bad Apple was even thought up.

The temptations are good, and even funny. LarryBoy's, as you can guess from the cover, is chocolate. I won't tell any of the others (I can't spoil everything for you!), but by the time the program is halfway through, you'll be laughing like mad at Alfred's.

The ending countertop has quite a surprise for anyone who hasn't peeked at the pictures on Big Idea's website. Bob is apparently tired of being left out of every LarryBoy episode. Oh yes, and the "What Have We Learned" song, which was stolen by the Sporks back in "Lord of the Beans," has returned! (However, they never explain who got it back.)

Be sure to look for flashbacks from other episodes, including Baby Moses from "Duke and the Great Pie War," the cell phone from "Minnesota Cuke," and Jimmy's outfit from "Sumo of the Opera." The Easter eggs are great, too, and don't forget to listen to the studio commentary.

Unlike "Lyle the Kindly Viking" or "Sumo of the Opera," there are only two songs. The first is the Bad Apple's song. This is short but catchy, and you'll probably find yourself singing it after two viewings. And keeping with the tradition of making a new theme for every LarryBoy video, the other song is a new LarryBoy theme song. This one is performed by Shux, a rocky corn band (aka Michael Farren). True, it's louder and quite a contrast to the old theme by Nicole C. Mullen, but I think it was well performed and is worthy of being put up with Nicole's. The lyrics are also easy to memorize. You have to agree with the line, "There's no hero quite like LarryBoy!"

So, my overall feelings on this? Absolutely fantastic! Hilarious, well-planned, and attention-catching. My siblings and I have been watching it everyday since it arrived.