A couple weeks ago, I had a crazy idea. Rather than take the bus, I decided to walk to my job at the mall, a four-mile trek through several busy intersections, construction and, on this particular day, a torrential downpour. It wasn’t raining when I left, but the sky was threatening enough that a logical person would have stayed home. I kept going even though I tripped on the sidewalk and banged up my knees and scratched up my hand within the first fifteen minutes of the walk. In the end, it took me more than two hours to walk to work, and I got there soaking wet and aching. To reward myself for my tenacity, I stopped in the Christian bookstore and picked up the VeggieTales episode that had just come out a few days before. Ironically, the theme of The Sumo of the Opera turned out to be perseverance.

The episode starts with Bob on the countertop, explaining that Larry won’t be present because he is off helping kids at a toy drive. All too soon, however, we get a phone call from Larry, who trots out a long list of woes brought about by confusing bus schedules (am I ever with you there, mate!) and announces that he’s giving up and coming home. Appalled at this idea, Bob begs Larry to stay on the line while he tries to convince him to go through with his mission.

The first attempt comes courtesy of Lutfi, a sock puppet of indeterminate nationality who is assisting Bob in Larry’s absence. He proudly presents a short film about perseverance entitled Going Up!. This amusing little interlude features Larry, Mr. Lunt and Jerry Gourd as the bumbling employees of Mr. Nezzer. The three, decked out in Stoogesque garb, must get a piano to the top of a very large staircase in order to deliver it to the waiting recipient. As might be imagined, this is no easy task, and before long Larry is on his own to finish the job. While his friends fritter away the day at the foot of the stairs, he puts forth the necessary effort and reaps the rewards of persistence. Unfortunately, this little object lesson happens to be a silent film, so it is of no help to Larry, who is still on the line but rapidly running out of quarters.

As Bob searches for a more appropriate story, it’s a perfect time for Silly Songs With Larry. Except in this case, it’s Schoolhouse Polka With Larry, whose contents can be guessed at rather easily. This particular lesson involves homophones, and Larry boisterously rattles off pairs of homophones with his accordion in hand and Buddy Holly glasses firmly perched on his nose. After this schoolhouse rock parody, we get four previews of the next installment instead of the usual one, and Larry is quite exhausted by the time it’s all over. The announcer for the song never shows his face but is some distinguished British personage other than Archibald Asparagus, whom we do finally get to see in the main story.

Next up is Lutfi’s Fanciful Flannelgraph, which tells the story of St. Patrick in the traditional Sunday School format. I knew about this portion of the show but not its subject, so I was pleasantly surprised. The style is very different from typical Veggie fare, but it is enjoyable nonetheless – though its depiction of the Irish before their conversion as dimwits who bowed to twigs could be mildly offensive to some. It has less to do with perseverance than Going Up! but does applaud St. Patrick’s willingness to go back and preach to those who captured him as a youth.

At last, Bob produces the title story. Narrated by a chorus of Japanese wrestlers a la the Mikado, it follows the exploits of Larry in the role of the Italian Scallion, a goofball wrestler who never finishes anything he starts, including the repairs on his young friend Hadrian’s bike. When he learns that wrestling the monstrous Apollo Gourd could win him a state of the art Tiger bicycle to give Hadrian instead, he decides to take on the challenge. But he isn’t prepared for the work that accompanies such an undertaking.

The story is riddled with references to Rocky, including a very funny appearance by Po Tato, a Mr. T. look-alike. “I pity the clown!” he says of the Italian Scallion before succumbing to his madcap charm. Most of the major Veggie players are here in one form or another. Bob shows up as a local obsessed with collecting recyclables. Pa is the Scallion’s ornery trainer. Jimmy and Jerry are a sports commentator / cameraman team, and Archibald pops up now and then with exposition festively displayed on silkscreen. Like Rocky, Larry faces a formidable opponent and must train as hard as he possibly can if he ever hopes to prevail. “I’ve gotta keep my eye on the tiger!” he proclaims after Hadrian’s faith in him inspires him to continue. His training includes making his way up the down escalator and crushing recyclables with his hopping stomp. They also manage to sneak in references to The Karate Kid and The Princess Bride. All in all, a very well-done parody with a worthwhile lesson to boot.

I’m not sure if I like Sumo of the Opera quite as much as A Snoodle’s Tale; that one really knocked my socks off. But this latest Veggie installment is a fine one and leaves me eagerly awaiting the next effort by the most talented team of Christians around.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD