Lord of the Beans
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| Lord of the Beans | |
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 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Mike Nawrocki |
| Produced by | David Pitts |
| Written by | Phil Vischer |
| Starring | Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki, Lisa Vischer, Tim Hodge, Joe Spadaford, Charlotte Jackson |
| Music by | Kurt Heinecke, Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki |
| Distributed by | Sony Wonder |
| Release date(s) | 2005 |
| Running time | 52 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush |
| Followed by | Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler |
| IMDb profile | |
Lord of the Beans is the 27th episode in the VeggieTales animated series. Subtitled "A Lesson in Using Your Gifts", its goal is to teach viewers how they can use their talents to bring joy to others rather than merely bringing glory or satisfaction to themselves.
The story used to illustrate the lesson is a parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The parody is overt, taking character names and places directly from the source and changing them to fit the VeggieTales context. In spite of this, the plot takes many unexpected turns, and recognizable scenes are freely reinterpretted to create humor or underscore the video's message.
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[edit] Synopsis
On the opening countertop Larry the Cucumber comes wheeling in on this new unicycle ("ukelele", according to Larry) and announces that he will use this talent to make himself famous, to get on the cover of "Veggie Beat" magazine.
"Lord of the Beans" begins with Randalf's arrival in the Shire for Billboy Baggypants' 122nd birthday party. Billboy, who has experienced many adventures, talks about retiring and leaving, and uses a strange bean to produce a birthday cake. He returns to his home to find Randalf waiting in his living room. Randalf remarks on Billboy's impressive height, his fine clothing, and his luxuriously appointed home. He knows these gifts have come from the bean and warns his friend of using such things lightly. Billboy concedes that it has given him everything except for one special thing, which he intends to leave and find. He announces that he is leaving everything he owns, including the bean, to his nephew Toto and leaves.
Toto soon returns, and Randalf informs him that Billboy has already departed, leaving him everything, and draws his attention to the bean. Toto is curious as to why he would want a bean. Randalf sings about the origin of a magical bean that could produce clothing, consumables, and small kitchen appliances, and also change your appearance. They verify the bean's authenticity from an inscription left by the fire. Toto is anxious about accepting such a gift and tries to pass it off to Randalf, but Randalf explains that we cannot choose our gifts and must determine for ourselves how they should best be used.
He suggests that Toto travel to the Elders of Razzberry forest for insight, and has already gathered some friends to assist with the journey: the ranger Ear-a-Corn; the elf Leg-O-Lamb; the dwarf Grumpy; and "The Other Elf", Leg-O-Lamb's brother who had nothing better to do. The fellowship is born.
They trek through the Mountains of Much Snowia and eventually reach the Razzberry Forest. There, Randalf warns the others not to laugh as the Elders have long ago lost their sense of humor. The Elders welcome them and inform Randalf that they must travel to the Land of Woe. But the others burst into laughter upon hearing the native tongue of the Elders, which is blowing razzberries. This gets them sentenced to detention on a high platform forever. However, a Cockney Eagle "saves" them and they narrowly escape the Razzberry Forest.
They emerge upon the Blue Gate, entrance to the Land of Woe. Randalf observes that they must solve a riddle to gain entrance. Toto provides the answer (an elephant), and the Blue Gate opens, but Toto is the only one small enough to fit through. His desire to learn the purpose of his gift, the bean, compels him to proceed alone.
Randalf learns from the passing Umbrella Boy that the Sporks are after Toto, and have taken a shortcut through the Red Gate. The Sporks, minions of the evil Scaryman, seek to seize the bean for their master to fulfill his evil deeds. The fellowship pursues them to the Red Gate.
In the Land of Woe, Toto encounters a strange creature named Ahem, who seeks the bean for himself. He reveals that he was once a normal Flobbit and the former owner of the bean. The bean had given him the life of ease that he still covets. Ahem accompanies Toto into Woe as a guide.
Meanwhile, the others charge through the Red Gate, only to be trapped by the Sporks. The Other Elf bakes cookies which redeem the Sporks, who haven't eaten anything but maggoty bread for three days (taking a line from The Two Towers, in which the Uruk-hai complain about having had "nothin' but maggoty bread for three stinkin' days"), and the fellowship journeys on.
Toto and Ahem arrive in Woe to find a desperate people lacking the most basic necessities, such as food and water. Ahem wants Toto to leave them, to use the bean for his own creature comforts, but Toto recognizes that he can use it to help the people of Woe. The fellowship arrives just ahead of Scaryman, who steals the bean. However, Billboy suddenly reappears, recovering the bean and returning it to Toto. Toto throws the bean into the well, bringing water back to the Land of Woe and restoring it to its fertile and beautiful state.
Back on the countertop the Sporks steal the "What We Have Learned" song, but Bob and Larry wrap it up anyway in usual fashion.
[edit] Cast of Characters
[edit] Lord of the Beans
- Junior Asparagus as Toto Baggypants
- Archibald Asparagus as Billboy Baggypants
- Mr. Nezzer as Randalf
- Larry the Cucumber as Ear-a-Corn
- Jimmy Gourd as Leg-O-Lamb
- Pa Grape as Grumpy
- Jerry Gourd as "The Other Elf"
- Scallion #1 as Scaryman
- Mr. Lunt as Ahem
- Charlie Pincher as Umbrella Boy
- Sporks
- A Cockney Eagle
- Other Flobbits
- Citizens of Woe
[edit] My Baby Elf
- Larry the Cucumber as Ear-a-Corn as an Elvish Impersonator
- Miss Achmetha as the Elf Girl
- Jimmy Gourd as Leg-O-Lamb
[edit] Segments
- Opening Countertop
- Lord of the Beans
- Silly Songs with Elves: My Baby Elf
- Closing Countertop
[edit] Songs
In addition to the ubiquitous "VeggieTales Theme" and "What We Have Learned" (the latter cut very short by the Sporks thievery), this episode contains the following songs:
- A Little More of This, sung by Billboy Baggypants
- This Bean, sung by Randalf
- I'm a Lucky Fella, sung by Umbrella Boy
- To Have a Gift (Part 1), sung by Toto Baggypants
- My Baby Elf (Silly Song), sung by Ear-a-Corn
- To Have a Gift (Part 2), sung by Toto, Billboy, and the Fellowship
- It's About Love, sung by Wynonna
[edit] DVD Content
Big Idea has consistently packed the VeggieTales DVDs with a variety of additional features intended to appeal to both children and adults alike. This section itemizes the content of the DVD.
[edit] Chapters
- 1. Opening Countertop
- 2. Journey Begins
- 3. Flobbit Hole
- 4. Not an Ordinary Bean
- 5. Travelling Fellowship
- 6. The Razzberry Forest
- 7. Blue Gate
- 8. My Baby Elf
- 9. Chase to Red Gate
- 10. Land of Woe
- 11. What We Have Learned
- 12. Credits
[edit] Bonus Features
Behind the Scenes - Wynonna Music Video - Interview with Wynonna - Bob & Larry's Playhouse - (Video Trivia - Sing Along with Larry - Lord of the Beans Game - Toto's Family Activity - The Other Elf's Cookie Recipe - How to Draw Toto and Leg-O-Lamb - Computer DVD Features) - Creating Lord of the Beans - Veggie Commentary - Studio Store - Previews for Larry-Boy and the Bad Apple and Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler
[edit] Notes and Trivia
- The names of the characters in Lord of the Beans are derived directly from their counterparts in The Lord of the Rings:
- Randalf was derived from Gandalf.
- Billboy Baggypants was derived from Bilbo Baggins.
- Toto Baggypants was derived from Frodo Baggins.
- Ear-a-Corn was derived from Aragorn.
- Leg-O-Lamb was derived from Legolas.
- Grumpy was derived from Gimli.
- Scaryman was derived from Saruman.
- The Sporks were derived from the Orcs.
- Flobbits were derived from Hobbits.
- Ahem was derived from Gollum.
- Cockney Eagle was derived from The Eagles.
- Center-Earth was derived from Middle-earth.
- Umbrella Boy (the guy on the unicycle with his umbrella that they meet at the blue gate) appears to be derived from Tom Bombadil.
- The "baby elf" that Ear-a-Corn sings about was probably derived from Arwen.
- Twice during the episode, a bumble-bee flies past Randalf (a reference to the moth in Peter Jackson's film trilogy). Look closely and you will see that it is a yellow and black striped Snoodle from A Snoodle's Tale.
- "The Other Elf" is a parody of a Keebler Elf: his dress is nearly identical and he ducks into a tree at one point to make cookies.
- The Red Gate is actually yellow; Randalf claims it was named for the colors of the sunset on the day they hung the doors. The joke also refers to Larry mentioning why the Blue Gate is called so. Larry references sorrow and troubles, but Randalf says, "No. It's just blue."
- The mood of the ending borrows heavily from The Scouring of the Shire, a chapter of the book which was not adapted into movie form.
- Guesses for the answer to the riddle include:
- This is the first DKP-animated show to be double-length.
- This is the first DVD to have the fun and games as a part of a "playhouse" menu in the Bonus Features.
- Toto is wearing the Elven Brooch at the beginning of Lord of the Beans but in The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship gets the Elven Brooches later in the video.
- Really, Toto should have been able to use the bean again after he fixed the Land of Woe.
- When Ear-of-Corn gives water to one of the townspeople, Grumpy gives Samson's hairbrush to Ahem from the previous VeggieTales episode Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush.
- This episode of Veggie Tales has been deemed to violate Australia's parody laws, and so it cannot be purchased in Australia
- In the story of Lord of the Beans, Larry the Cucumber's voice was sillier.
- In the part (Lord of the Beans) airs on Qubo, Larry the Cucumber went slow on Qubo countertop, let Jimmy the Mailgourd finish his Mail Song.
[edit] External links
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