When I announced that VeggieSins was going to end after Episode 26, I assumed that VeggieTales as a franchise was dead in the water; doomed to a life of half-baked podcasts, repackaged albums and general "content farming" for the rest of time. As such, I planned for the final episode to be "Everything Wrong With Jonah," the peak of Big Idea's success and the catalyst to its downward spiral. At some point in the video, I would've gone on a heated rant about every absurd business gamble Big Idea pulled just to make their first movie possible, how each gamble only served to put them so far in the red that "$26 million on a $14 million budget" wasn't enough to save them, and how Big Idea might be in a healthier position today (i.e. Phil Vischer would've maintained creative control) if the Jonah movie hadn't been rushed out the door. It's a rant that would've been in VERY poor taste if, say, modern Big Idea had the health and confidence to make another theatrical movie without Mr. Phil at the helm.
I mean.... ouch. Sure, Big Idea's collapse in 2003 brought Phil closer to God and strengthened his theology, but I guess when the Christians with all the money have a choice between God or capitalism, they'll choose capitalism every time. "Well, Phil Vischer lost his franchise fair and square, so he doesn't DESERVE to get it back. Kicking him out is the only way we can make more money!" What a cruel joke.
I already didn't have the heart to keep making fun of classic VeggieTales for longer than 26 episodes, but all this news around the LarryBoy movie finally crushed my resolve. I no longer plan to "cancel" VeggieSins, but I'll have to put it on indefinite hiatus until I see box office numbers. If LarryBoy comes out without Phil's involvement, and the film is somehow successful enough to make twice it's budget back, then everything is over.
So, what am I gonna do with this channel for the next two years? Well.... maybe I'll do something that I should've done all along. Let's start dedicating this review channel to actual reviews, eh?
I've seen this tweet floating around about Big Idea's current leadership, and it does explain a lot about the drop in VeggieTales' quality (especially after 2008.) However, I'll try not to jump on the same hate train as everyone else. It's not like classic VeggieTales WASN'T a show for preschoolers. I certainly enjoyed the show when I was that age. It's just that, over the years, NBCU has taken a preschool show that's smart and funny enough for parents to also engage with, and turned it into one of those preschool shows where you're expected (nay, encouraged) to plop your child in front of the screen and walk away. That is NOT freaking cool.
Now, I respect the show's limitations and understand that a series for preschoolers can't get too "scary" or too "mean." It's all entertainment at the end of the day. However, where I take offense is that the show can't get too "weird" or too "smart" anymore; that we can no longer have any jokes that might fly over a child's head, or minor plot details that a child probably won't understand. To that, I say.... So what if a child doesn't understand? As long as they can follow the main story, relate to the main characters and generally have a fun time, they aren't gonna lose interest if the Mayor of Bumblyburg rants about property values for a few seconds.
As for any concerns about the show being "too weird..." Well, if your child has already accepted the premise of walking talking food, I don't think "walking, talking food with a peculiar admiration for their own lips" is crossing the line.
So word got out that a new LarryBoy (Larryboy? Larry-Boy? How are they spelling it now?) movie is planned for 2026, and it’s highly probable that Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki will, sadly, not be invited to return. One person who IS returning, however, is Leslie Ferrell, the president and general manager of Big Idea since 2009. In some circles, I’ve called her the “Kathleen Kennedy” of VeggieTales, and I feel the need to explain myself.
What Kennedy and Ferrell have in common is they’re both in charge of legacy franchises they did not create, and while they both seem phenomenal at production, team management and generally keeping the studio healthy, their creative vision for the actual product is either “too much of the same thing” or “completely missing the point,” depending on the time of the day, and neither of them have much interest in asking the OG creators for help. Is it an ego thing? Do they see the creators as a threat to their own job? Who’s to say? What’s important is that they seem to want as little to do with the creator as possible, while simultaneously using all of the creator’s past work to boost their own career. It’s not a very good look.
Ferrell seems really proud of herself for “leading” VeggieTales as long as she has, but if the time ever comes to create her own faith-based children’s program (or any kind of film) without the VeggieTales name, it will no doubt crash and burn….. I suppose that part would be one thing I have in common with her, but hey, at least I don’t pretend I created the darn show.
I'm warning you in advance: VeggieSins will be ending after Episode 26. For a variety of reasons, I no longer have the heart to keep making it, but I at least want the series to go out with a bang, and I have very convoluted plans for how to wrap it up. Stay tuned.
Hey, everyone. Thank you for your kindness and patience over the last few months. I know I've been nowhere near as active as certain other veggie channels, but if you're seeing this, I'm glad you're still here.
So... remember how I planned to make my next video "Everything Wrong With Cheating Scales," but the moral sorta hit me like a truck? The video's been scripted and fully voice acted for a while, but I can't bring myself to finish editing it. It's kinda like how the scattered pieces of "Everything Wrong With Madame Blueberry" were just sitting on my hard drive for years before I finally put it together.
In both situations, I had a hard time going back to VeggieSins as a series, but here's the difference: The message of Madame Blueberry made me ask, "Is it right for me to keep complaining about the problems with this show, even if it's just a joke?" I got past that hurdle by adding disclaimers and striving to make my criticisms (whether they're real or fake) as non-threatening as possible. However, the message of Cheating Scales is making me ask, "Is it right for me to base my entire channel, and it's outrageous success, on riffing an animated series I do not own in a format I did not create. Is it unfair to Big Idea? Is it unfair to CinemaSins? Would it be unfair to any other show I dare to make videos about?"
Now, I'm not saying I won't make review videos anymore. These are questions I struggle with, meaning I don't have a firm Yes/No answer yet. What I'm saying is I can no longer guarantee when (or where) those videos release. I know, it's a tough thing to hear, but some feelings have been weighing on me for far too long and they need to be expressed in full.
I don't want to be known as "the CinemaSins + VeggieTales guy" for the rest of my life. I want to branch out and do more "original" things, but I also don't want to disappoint you guys by abandoning what you seem to love about this channel. I've been stuck on what to do for a long time, but lately I've grown tired of doing nothing. Expect more videos on this channel spread throughout 2024. It won't all be veggie stuff (or even veggie-adjacent stuff,) but whatever I end up posting, I want to make sure I can call it 'my own.' I hope you stick around for the ride.
Okay, this is probably going to sound like a terrible excuse to delay video production for ANOTHER few weeks, but I assure you everything I say in this post is the absolute truth:
Three weeks ago, I got a full-time desk job for the first time in YEARS that is eating up a lot of my time already, but as soon as I GOT that job, I was struck with seasonal allergies that escalated into bronchitis, which is NOT a good thing to have when you’re ALSO participating in a marathon of choir concerts for the Christmas season, on TOP of numerous other church commitments, and it’s right at this EXACT point in time that SAG-AFTRA decides “Okay, work is no longer struck. You’re allowed to promote it now!” But I have absolutely NO time and ZERO energy to post videos on this channel anymore. I can’t do the job AND the choir AND the church AND the other choir AND the other church AND the OTHER other choir AND manage this YouTube channel all at the same time. I just can’t. It would probably destroy me if I’m not destroyed already.
tl;dr You wanted a new VeggieSins video for Christmas? Too bad. Life’s unfair. Go teach London to love with lightbulbs until January.
I abstained from “promoting struck work” for SEVEN MONTHS, only for all the unions to turn around and say “Never mind, AI-generated voices without consent are a GOOD thing actually, and if you don’t agree then nobody’s gonna hire you! Thanks for all the picket signs!” GROAN…
Whatever. The strikes are over. The work to be promoted is no longer struck. I can finally start making VeggieSins again… unfortunately.
Since you’ve waited this long for the next VeggieSins, I’ll at least tell you what it is. It’s “Everything Wrong With The Cheating Scales of Bullamanka.”
I know, that probably sounds underwhelming, but that’s part of why I waited this long. I’ll admit, it wasn’t just the WGA strike that kept me from working on VeggieSins. For whatever reason, Big Idea films have this way of hitting me with their morals at exactly the right time in my life, and right now, as Hollywood and media culture have become more hostile than ever, I want to make absolutely sure that reviewing cartoons in the CinemaSins format isn’t in any way “cheating.” How will I know? I’m sure I’ll find my answer in due time.
Just letting you know, this hiatus wasn’t spurred by procrastination or depression or anything like that. I was cleaning up a lot of chaos in my personal life, and now all that’s left are a few signs from God that it’s safe to return to videos. If for any reason it ISN’T safe, I’ll let you know before Halloween. In the meantime, always buckle up for landing.
Leaf Razor Storm
Leaf Razor Storm
“Rack, Shack & Benny Re-molded” hit 100,000 views in just a week! Truly deserved. That team put their all into it.
8 months ago | [YT] | 30
View 3 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
Spread the word! The tomato is animating again! This is not a drill!!
also the video was marked for kids so if I try to embed it YouTube will disable comments on my post so yagQX3RqEJA
8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 66
View 23 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
Sigh... Well, now I'm at a crossroads.
When I announced that VeggieSins was going to end after Episode 26, I assumed that VeggieTales as a franchise was dead in the water; doomed to a life of half-baked podcasts, repackaged albums and general "content farming" for the rest of time. As such, I planned for the final episode to be "Everything Wrong With Jonah," the peak of Big Idea's success and the catalyst to its downward spiral. At some point in the video, I would've gone on a heated rant about every absurd business gamble Big Idea pulled just to make their first movie possible, how each gamble only served to put them so far in the red that "$26 million on a $14 million budget" wasn't enough to save them, and how Big Idea might be in a healthier position today (i.e. Phil Vischer would've maintained creative control) if the Jonah movie hadn't been rushed out the door. It's a rant that would've been in VERY poor taste if, say, modern Big Idea had the health and confidence to make another theatrical movie without Mr. Phil at the helm.
I mean.... ouch.
Sure, Big Idea's collapse in 2003 brought Phil closer to God and strengthened his theology, but I guess when the Christians with all the money have a choice between God or capitalism, they'll choose capitalism every time. "Well, Phil Vischer lost his franchise fair and square, so he doesn't DESERVE to get it back. Kicking him out is the only way we can make more money!" What a cruel joke.
I already didn't have the heart to keep making fun of classic VeggieTales for longer than 26 episodes, but all this news around the LarryBoy movie finally crushed my resolve. I no longer plan to "cancel" VeggieSins, but I'll have to put it on indefinite hiatus until I see box office numbers. If LarryBoy comes out without Phil's involvement, and the film is somehow successful enough to make twice it's budget back, then everything is over.
So, what am I gonna do with this channel for the next two years? Well.... maybe I'll do something that I should've done all along. Let's start dedicating this review channel to actual reviews, eh?
11 months ago | [YT] | 53
View 18 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
I've seen this tweet floating around about Big Idea's current leadership, and it does explain a lot about the drop in VeggieTales' quality (especially after 2008.) However, I'll try not to jump on the same hate train as everyone else. It's not like classic VeggieTales WASN'T a show for preschoolers. I certainly enjoyed the show when I was that age. It's just that, over the years, NBCU has taken a preschool show that's smart and funny enough for parents to also engage with, and turned it into one of those preschool shows where you're expected (nay, encouraged) to plop your child in front of the screen and walk away. That is NOT freaking cool.
Now, I respect the show's limitations and understand that a series for preschoolers can't get too "scary" or too "mean." It's all entertainment at the end of the day. However, where I take offense is that the show can't get too "weird" or too "smart" anymore; that we can no longer have any jokes that might fly over a child's head, or minor plot details that a child probably won't understand. To that, I say.... So what if a child doesn't understand? As long as they can follow the main story, relate to the main characters and generally have a fun time, they aren't gonna lose interest if the Mayor of Bumblyburg rants about property values for a few seconds.
As for any concerns about the show being "too weird..." Well, if your child has already accepted the premise of walking talking food, I don't think "walking, talking food with a peculiar admiration for their own lips" is crossing the line.
11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 54
View 24 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
So word got out that a new LarryBoy (Larryboy? Larry-Boy? How are they spelling it now?) movie is planned for 2026, and it’s highly probable that Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki will, sadly, not be invited to return. One person who IS returning, however, is Leslie Ferrell, the president and general manager of Big Idea since 2009. In some circles, I’ve called her the “Kathleen Kennedy” of VeggieTales, and I feel the need to explain myself.
What Kennedy and Ferrell have in common is they’re both in charge of legacy franchises they did not create, and while they both seem phenomenal at production, team management and generally keeping the studio healthy, their creative vision for the actual product is either “too much of the same thing” or “completely missing the point,” depending on the time of the day, and neither of them have much interest in asking the OG creators for help. Is it an ego thing? Do they see the creators as a threat to their own job? Who’s to say? What’s important is that they seem to want as little to do with the creator as possible, while simultaneously using all of the creator’s past work to boost their own career. It’s not a very good look.
Ferrell seems really proud of herself for “leading” VeggieTales as long as she has, but if the time ever comes to create her own faith-based children’s program (or any kind of film) without the VeggieTales name, it will no doubt crash and burn….. I suppose that part would be one thing I have in common with her, but hey, at least I don’t pretend I created the darn show.
11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 61
View 38 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
I'm warning you in advance: VeggieSins will be ending after Episode 26. For a variety of reasons, I no longer have the heart to keep making it, but I at least want the series to go out with a bang, and I have very convoluted plans for how to wrap it up. Stay tuned.
11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 49
View 15 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
Hey, everyone. Thank you for your kindness and patience over the last few months. I know I've been nowhere near as active as certain other veggie channels, but if you're seeing this, I'm glad you're still here.
So... remember how I planned to make my next video "Everything Wrong With Cheating Scales," but the moral sorta hit me like a truck? The video's been scripted and fully voice acted for a while, but I can't bring myself to finish editing it. It's kinda like how the scattered pieces of "Everything Wrong With Madame Blueberry" were just sitting on my hard drive for years before I finally put it together.
In both situations, I had a hard time going back to VeggieSins as a series, but here's the difference: The message of Madame Blueberry made me ask, "Is it right for me to keep complaining about the problems with this show, even if it's just a joke?" I got past that hurdle by adding disclaimers and striving to make my criticisms (whether they're real or fake) as non-threatening as possible. However, the message of Cheating Scales is making me ask, "Is it right for me to base my entire channel, and it's outrageous success, on riffing an animated series I do not own in a format I did not create. Is it unfair to Big Idea? Is it unfair to CinemaSins? Would it be unfair to any other show I dare to make videos about?"
Now, I'm not saying I won't make review videos anymore. These are questions I struggle with, meaning I don't have a firm Yes/No answer yet. What I'm saying is I can no longer guarantee when (or where) those videos release. I know, it's a tough thing to hear, but some feelings have been weighing on me for far too long and they need to be expressed in full.
I don't want to be known as "the CinemaSins + VeggieTales guy" for the rest of my life. I want to branch out and do more "original" things, but I also don't want to disappoint you guys by abandoning what you seem to love about this channel. I've been stuck on what to do for a long time, but lately I've grown tired of doing nothing. Expect more videos on this channel spread throughout 2024. It won't all be veggie stuff (or even veggie-adjacent stuff,) but whatever I end up posting, I want to make sure I can call it 'my own.' I hope you stick around for the ride.
1 year ago | [YT] | 46
View 7 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
Okay, this is probably going to sound like a terrible excuse to delay video production for ANOTHER few weeks, but I assure you everything I say in this post is the absolute truth:
Three weeks ago, I got a full-time desk job for the first time in YEARS that is eating up a lot of my time already, but as soon as I GOT that job, I was struck with seasonal allergies that escalated into bronchitis, which is NOT a good thing to have when you’re ALSO participating in a marathon of choir concerts for the Christmas season, on TOP of numerous other church commitments, and it’s right at this EXACT point in time that SAG-AFTRA decides “Okay, work is no longer struck. You’re allowed to promote it now!” But I have absolutely NO time and ZERO energy to post videos on this channel anymore. I can’t do the job AND the choir AND the church AND the other choir AND the other church AND the OTHER other choir AND manage this YouTube channel all at the same time. I just can’t. It would probably destroy me if I’m not destroyed already.
tl;dr You wanted a new VeggieSins video for Christmas? Too bad. Life’s unfair. Go teach London to love with lightbulbs until January.
…I’m sorry.
1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 33
View 5 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
Freaking SAG-AFTRA…
I abstained from “promoting struck work” for SEVEN MONTHS, only for all the unions to turn around and say “Never mind, AI-generated voices without consent are a GOOD thing actually, and if you don’t agree then nobody’s gonna hire you! Thanks for all the picket signs!” GROAN…
Whatever. The strikes are over. The work to be promoted is no longer struck. I can finally start making VeggieSins again… unfortunately.
1 year ago | [YT] | 20
View 9 replies
Leaf Razor Storm
Since you’ve waited this long for the next VeggieSins, I’ll at least tell you what it is. It’s “Everything Wrong With The Cheating Scales of Bullamanka.”
I know, that probably sounds underwhelming, but that’s part of why I waited this long. I’ll admit, it wasn’t just the WGA strike that kept me from working on VeggieSins. For whatever reason, Big Idea films have this way of hitting me with their morals at exactly the right time in my life, and right now, as Hollywood and media culture have become more hostile than ever, I want to make absolutely sure that reviewing cartoons in the CinemaSins format isn’t in any way “cheating.” How will I know? I’m sure I’ll find my answer in due time.
Just letting you know, this hiatus wasn’t spurred by procrastination or depression or anything like that. I was cleaning up a lot of chaos in my personal life, and now all that’s left are a few signs from God that it’s safe to return to videos. If for any reason it ISN’T safe, I’ll let you know before Halloween. In the meantime, always buckle up for landing.
1 year ago | [YT] | 53
View 12 replies
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