A Snoodle's Tale
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| A Snoodle's Tale | |
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 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Marc Vulcano |
| Produced by | David Pitts |
| Written by | Phil Vischer Mike Nawrocki |
| Starring | Phil Vischer Mike Nawrocki Jim Poole Tim Hodge Philip Spooner Charlette Jackson |
| Music by | Kurt Heinecke |
| Editing by | John Wahba |
| Studio | Big Idea Productions |
| Distributed by | Sony Wonder |
| Release date(s) | May 10, 2004 |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Snoodle's Tale is the 22nd episode in the VeggieTales animated series and released in November 2003. Subtitled "A Lesson in Self Worth", the episode focuses on teaching viewers that they are special in God's eyes, that they don't need to have extraordinary talents or resort to gimmicks to be worthy individuals.
The episode contains two main features. The first is a parody of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The second is the story of a small whimsical creature called a Snoodle who is suffering through a crisis of self-esteem. The narration is done in the style of Dr. Seuss, deftly capturing his iconic cadence, rhyme schemes, nonsense phraseology, and fanciful sense of place with the overall theme closely following the story of the Wemmick "Punchinello" in Max Lucado's book You Are Special!.[1]
This episode was the first to be animated by Starz (at the time known as Dan Krech Productions).
Contents |
Plot [edit]
Bob the Tomato is eagerly awaiting Larry the Cucumber's return from "Danish Immersion Camp" as the episode begins. But when Larry shows up, he informs Bob that he never really went there, ending up instead at "Overdone British Literary Adaptations Camp". Bob is dismayed because Larry's knowledge of Danish was critical to the scheduled show intended to address a viewer's question about self-worth. Larry comes up with an alternate plan though, one based on his experience at the Camp he did attend. The result is a parody of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
In "The Strange Case of Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly", we first encounter an English gentleman named Mr. Butterbun (Scooter Carrot) and his butler Poole (Larry). Butterbun is obsessing about a flashy disco dancer who appears on the street at night with a boom box to perform. The neighbors, including Poole, seem to enjoy his performances, but Butterbun is deeply suspicious. When the dancer disappears into the home of Dr. Jiggle (Jimmy Gourd), he insists that they warn the doctor. Dr. Jiggle also admits to being impressed by the Mr. Sly's fantastic moves, and confesses a desire to be a dancer himself. Unfortunately for him, his portly stature makes this impossible with his jiggly belly being a target for ridicule. When Butterbun requests an audience with Mr. Sly, Dr. Jiggle becomes frantic and quickly shows his guests the doorstep.
Butterbun is determined to find out who Mr. Sly really is and why he keeps disappearing into Dr. Jiggle's house. He enlists Poole to set a trap for him, to detain him while he dances and remove his disguise; but this plan fails when Poole instead gets caught up in the dance. The following night, Jiggle didn't need to hide in a disguise because he's special just the way God made him.
The Silly Song "Sport Utility Vehicle" follows, in which Larry and Miss Akmetha sing in admiration of each other's vehicles. Although, they lead sedentary and mundane lives, they dream of one day having the opportunity to perform daring rescues (or even just go camping) in their SUV's.
In the main feature, "A Snoodle's Tale," Bob narrates the story of a whimsical little creature known as a Snoodle. The Snoodles live in Snoodleburg, a town which features prominently a large clock tower in the center. Every fourth Tuesday, it spits out a new Snoodle which slides down a chute to join the Snoodle society. We then witness the birth of one such creature named Snoodle Doo. He is born without any knowledge of her talents or abilities, but has on his back a backpack which contains paints, a paintbrush, and a kazoo. He also discovers he has wings. Attempting to figure out her purpose in life, he tries to utilize these gifts: first flying and then painting. But his attempts are met with ridicule by the older, more experienced Snoodles. Making matters worse, they paint him pictures of his failures and stuff them into her backpack. The weight of these pictures (and figuratively their ridicule) drag him down, making him feel worthless.
She decides to leave Snoodleburg and, observing the finches flying freely over Mt. Ginches, decides that he too will go there. After an arduous climb she eventually reaches the peak. There he meets a Stranger, the Creator of the Snoodles (which is a representation of God himself), who lives in a cave high above the clouds. The Stranger asks the Snoodle why she is so dejected, and the Snoodle explains that it's because he is no good at anything. The Stranger invites him in for tea and throws the hurtful pictures into the fire, assuring him that they looks nothing like him. The Creator then draws him a new picture, one that shows him confident and proud, which encourages Snoodle Doo to not just fly, but to soar. Snoodle Doo's own picture, the one ridiculed by her elders, in then hung by the Stranger on his fridge. The story ends as the young Snoodle flies back to Snoodleburg and tells of her journey to the others.
Cast of Characters [edit]
The Strange Case of Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly [edit]
- Jim Poole voices Scooter Carrot as Butterbun
- Mike Nawrocki voices Larry the Cucumber as Poole
- Phil Vischer voices Jimmy Gourd as Dr.Jiggle / Mr.Sly
A Snoodle's Tale [edit]
- Phil Vischer voices Bob the Tomato as the Narrator
- Philip Spooner voices Snoodle Doo
- Tim Hodge voices The Stranger (Creator) as himself
Songs [edit]
In addition to the ubiquitous "VeggieTales Theme" and "What We Have Learned," this episode contains the following songs:
- I Want to Dance, sung by Dr. Jiggle
- I Want to Dance (Disco Reprise), sung by Dr. Jiggle, Butterbun, and Poole
- Sport Utility Vehicle (Silly Song), sung by Larry and Miss Akmetha
References [edit]
- ^ Lucado, Max (1997). You Are Special!. Crossway. p. 32. ISBN 1581348940.
External links [edit]
- A Snoodle's Tale at the Internet Movie Database
- A Snoodle's Tale at Families.com
| Preceded by An Easter Carol |
VeggieTales episodes | Succeeded by Sumo of the Opera |
