VeggieTales: Esther - The Girl Who Became Queen DVD

Veggie Tales: Esther the Girl Who Became Queen

Veggie Tales: Esther the Girl Who Became Queen is a children's rendition of the story of Queen Esther. Created with vegetables as characters, Veggie Tales allows children to understand Bible stories in a format that is appealing to them.

The story begins at a palace in Persia where the King's right hand man, Haman (Mr. Lunt), is throwing Queen Vashti out of the kingdom for her insubordination. She refused to make the king a sandwich at three in the morning, and she is thrown into the street. A search has begun throughout the kingdom to find a new queen.

The next day, Esther is talking to her cousin Mordecai (Pa Grape) about a serious situation. One of Esther's friends has stolen an apple, but she is too afraid to confront her for she does not want to ruin their friendship. Mordecai advises her to do the right thing, even if she doesn't think she has the courage to do it. This piece of advice is vital to her story later on. Before she can carry out his advice, Haman pulls up in a wagon to collect all the eligible females in the kingdom. He sees Mordecai and commands that he bow before him. Mordecai respectfully declines, saying that he bows only to God and the King. Upset, Haman moves on and collects Esther to go to the kingdom. He is unaware that she is related to Mordecai.

After arriving at the palace, King Xerxes holds a talent show for the young maidens to see who is going to be his new bride. After being disappointed with many of the women, Esther takes her place on stage and begins to sing. The King is shocked and declares that she will be the new queen. Esther very much does not want to be queen, but she does as she is told and is crowned. She is very afraid that she will not be reunited with her family ever again, and desperately wishes to return to a normal life.

One day in the throne room of the palace, one of the Peaoni brothers (the French peas) pays a visit to the king. He has brought a large cake as a present. Usually, unannounced visitors are not permitted to see the king, but he decides to make an exception. Peaoni entices the king to come and take a closer look at the cake. Unbeknownst to the king, the other Peaoni brother is holding on to a rope suspending a large grand piano above the cake.

Mordecai sees all this from a corner of the throne room in which he has been hiding to avoid Haman, and he quickly informs Esther. She rushes to the throne room just in time to save the king from danger. The piano crashes harmlessly onto the cake, and the king thanks Esther profusely. She insists that all the credit must go to Mordecai and that she did nothing.

After attempting to murder the king and entering the throne room uninvited, the Peaoni brothers are banished to the Island of Perpetual Tickling. The king believes he is safe and wants to continue on as normal, but Haman convinces him that there is a greater threat lurking just around the corner. He persuades the king into believing that there is a family who wishes the king great harm and that they must be banished immediately. Not realizing that Haman is lying and talking about Mordecai, King Xerxes issues an edict that this entire family must be banished to the Island of Perpetual Tickling.

Later, Mordecai becomes quite distraught as he finds the edict posted in the street. Haman has blatantly lied to the king and is trying to get him to unlawfully banish innocent people. Mordecai rushes to Esther and begs her to tell the king the truth. She is terrified and once again lacks the courage to do the right thing. She knows in her heart what she should do, but she cannot bring herself to be brave enough. Mordecai informs her that she is stronger than she thinks and that having courage will always be hard, but it is imperative that she do the right thing.

Even with his inspiring speech, Esther is still afraid to tell the king of Haman's plans. She attempts to be brave and enters the throne room unannounced, ready to do the right thing. However, fear cripples her once more, and she lamely invites the king and Haman to dinner. Mordecai explains to her the urgency of the situation, and she tries again. Once more, however, her courage fails her and she does not tell the king. Instead, he and Haman come to her house again to eat dinner.

Meanwhile, Haman attempts to convince Mordecai to bow to him, but is once again refused. He threatens to banish him immediately, but Mordecai does not shy away. Haman's attempt to throw him out of the land as quickly as possible is foiled when the King declares a parade in Mordecai's honor, because he saved him from the Peaoni brothers.

Esther prays fervently that she will receive the courage that she needs to approach the king and stop Haman's evil plans. On her third attempt, she speaks boldly and tells the king what is to become of Mordecai. She informs him that she is related to Mordecai and will be banished from the kingdom as well. King Xerxes deeply respects Mordecai and loves Esther, so he believes her story. Instead of having Mordecai and his family thrown out of the kingdom, the king banishes Haman to the Island of Perpetual Tickling for lying. Mordecai is promoted to right hand man, filling Haman's position.

Because of Esther's courage, Mordecai and their people were saved. Esther the Girl Who Became Queen teaches lessons of bravery and overcoming trials. With God, anything is possible. This film reinforces the principle that we need only call on God to overcome our trials. He will sustain us and bless us for doing the right thing.

Veggie Tales: Esther the Girl Who Became Queen is not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. It is considered suitable for all audiences. It is recommended that parents preview all content to determine what is suitable for their children.