The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's
| The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Brian K. Roberts |
| Produced by | J. Chris Wall |
| Written by | Phil Vischer J. Chris Wall |
| Based on | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum |
| Starring | Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki, Lisa Vischer, Joe Spadford |
| Music by | John Mark Painter |
| Editing by | Matt Ahrens |
| Distributed by | Big Idea, Inc. Word Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | October 9, 2007 |
| Running time | 49 minutes |
| Language | English |
The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's is the 33rd episode in the VeggieTales series, and was released on DVD on October 6, 2007 in Christian Bookstores and on October 9, 2007 in other stores. It is based on the parable from the Bible, The Prodigal Son, and a parody of The Wizard of Oz film adaptation rather than the 1900 L. Frank Baum novel like The Muppets' Wizard of Oz.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Darby resides at the O' Gill farm and is the son of a Kansas floss farmer who, more than anything else in the world, just wants to have fun. When he learns about the Wonderful Land Of Ha’s – an amusement park with all the fixins – and its mysterious Wizard who promises to make his dreams come true, Darby is determined to go. But when his father tells him he’s needed to help with the harvest, Darby decides that nothing is going to stop him and he makes a choice that will change his life forever. Mary Poppins (inspired by the 1964 live-action Disney film), as an onion, arrives in Kansas mistaking it for London during this scene as a cameo.
With his pet pig Tutu by his side, Darby flees the cornfields and sets off to find the Wonderful Land Of Ha’s (a tornado sweeps them away when they are inside the farmhouse where Mary Poppins is seen for a second cameo). Along the way he meets a bored scarecrow, a tin man who wants to ride roller coasters, and a lion that craves cotton candy. Each with their own dreams, they set off to see the Wizard in the Wonderful Land of Ha's, the funnest place on Earth. They spend a great deal of time there but then run out of money, whereupon they are forced to leave. The phony Wizard turns out to be a promotional showman. Realizing that the Land of Ha's is not their true goal, they eagerly return home.
[edit] Cast of Characters
- Junior Asparagus as Darby (Dorothy)
- Dad Asparagus as Farmer (replacing Aunt Em and Uncle Henry)
- Mr. Lunt as the Farmhand #1 and the Scarecrow
- Larry the Cucumber as Farmhand #2 and the Tin Man
- Pa Grape as the Farmhand #3 and the Lion
- Madame Blueberry as Splenda the Sweet (but non-fattening) Fairy (Glinda)
- The French Peas as the Munchies in Munchieland
- Gordon as the Bobby the Bully/Chester the Bully (the Wicked Witch)
- Old Yellow McToad as Himself
- Archibald Asparagus as the Wizard of Ha's
- Male & Female Gourds as the Bully's Parents
[edit] Soundtrack
Songs include:
- "Somewhere Beyond the Barn"(Over the Rainbow parody)
- "His Name is Darby"
- "Follow Old Yellow McToad" (Follow the Yellow brick road parody)
- "It's Time to See the Wizard" (We're Off to See the Wizard parody)
- "With a Ha Ha Ha and a Ho Ho Ho" (The Merry Old Land of Oz, parody lyrics by Phil Vischer)
- "You Can Always Come Home" (from the CD, "Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies")
- Mr. Lunt performs a cover version of Over the Rainbow during the end credits.
The DVD includes a brand new "Silly Song" entitled "Monkey". It is performed by Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. It was written by Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame who are both contemporary Christian artists and writers.
[edit] Production
The original script and story treatment of The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's, said Big Idea put the story in where Darby, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the hungry lion go in search of Munchieland in time to take Darby home - in L. Frank Baum's original tale they were in search of Glinda's castle in time to get Dorothy home. They would do several scenes were they walk through a hill on many snowstorms and where they glance and walk through millions of cottages, people and animals made of china when they climb up a ladder from a ladder cart, they were going this place and that, and many other things. But, yours truly; unfortunately, when they put it in the film, where it was; it was scrapped in the final version.
