Mindy: A VeggieGirls Movie

**Mindy: A VeggieGirls Movie** is a 2002 American computer-animated Christian musical comedy adventure film produced by Big Idea Productions and released by Artisan Entertainment (with the 2000 and 2003 releases of Terminator 2 Judgement Day (1991) through its F.H.E. Pictures label (which is also made the Barbie series including "Barbie in the Nutcracker", "Barbie as Rapunzel" and "Barbie of Swan Lake"). It is the first feature-length film in the *VeggieGirls* series. The themes for the film are compassion and mercy, using two stories as illustrations. The first takes place in the current day and concerns a mishap with Tulip Brown and Fred O. Brown on the way to a concert; the second, set in ancient Israel, is based directly on the biblical story of Princess Mindy. Through both stories, compassion and mercy play a role in giving people a second chance. The film also features the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything in both segments who were first seen in the Silly Song of the same name in *Very Silly Songs!*.

Most of the animation was done in house by Big Idea Productions, with additional animation being provided by Calabash Animation. *Mindy: A VeggieGirls Movie* premiered on August 14, 2002, at a Hollywood movie theater and came out as a regular release two months later on October 4, 2002. The film also came out on VHS and DVD on March 4, 2003, as a worldwide home video release in both full-screen and anamorphic widescreen formats with a two-disc collector's edition. A DVD reprint with the feature and bonus features was released on January 29, 2008, by Word Entertainment and on Blu-ray in 2011 by Lionsgate (Artisan's successor), another reprint was released in 2018 by Universal Pictures (Big Idea's current parent company). It received mixed to positive reviews from critics and grossed $25.6 million against a $14 million production budget.

## Plot

Tulip Brown and Fred O. Brown are driving Sally Brown, Bonnie Patty, Alisa Boubenweir, and Marcie Carlin to a concert hosted by the kids' singer, Twippo. Bonnie Patty, who has won a contest to see Twippo backstage, keeps taunting her friends about it, particularly annoying Sally Brown. Meanwhile, Tulip Brown is frustrated with Fred O. Brown due to him singing songs and playing his guitar instead of helping him with the map. Despite Fred O. Brown telling her not to tease her friends about her ticket, Bonnie Patty continues to taunt Sally Brown, waving her ticket around in his face. Fred O. Brown accidentally hits Tulip Brown and Bonnie Patty then loses her ticket, after which the group runs into a family of porcupines in which they pop out the tires. They crash at the bottom of a hill and become lost. Luckily, as everyone gets out of the van, they see a seafood restaurant.

They head to the restaurant to call a tow truck and grab a bite to eat. Upon entering, arguments break out: Tulip Brown angrily berates Fred O. Brown for hitting him with his guitar and making the van lose control in the forest (for which it just an accident), and Sally Brown also berates Bonnie Patty for taunting her about her ticket. As she sits down, she is greeted by The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, who tell her that what he said was merciless. They emphasize on their stance by telling him the story of Jonah.

Jonah (played by Princess Mindy) is a Prophet from Israel who goes from town to town delivering God's messages. But when God asks her to deliver a message to Nineveh, she resents her and runs away to Tarshish with the Pirates, who reluctantly agree to take her on their ship when he pays them. Below deck, she meets Fifi, a traveling Persian rug salesman, who rants about how great Princess Mindy is and decides to travel with him.

After waking up from a nightmare, Princess Mindy finds the ship beset by a really big bad violent storm! After a losing game of Go Fish, he admits to fleeing from God and is forced to walk the plank when Fifi sends their outboard motor overboard. With Mindy off the ship, the skies clear immediately. The Pirates attempt to reel her back in, but a whale swallows him (with the lifebelt attached to her). The Pirates fire their cannon at the whale but are forced to use a bowling ball (with Fifi inside it) as ammo. The whale merely swallows the ball, disgorges the lifebelt, and swims away.

Inside the whale, Fifi finds Princess Mindy saddened that she is going to die for disobeying God, but they are visited by a host of God's messengers. They explain that if Mindy repents, then God will grant him a second chance too. She and Fifi are spit up onto the shore and are met by Princess Mindy's camel Reginald. Together, they ride to Nineveh.

After Princess Mindy is denied entrance to the city, the Pirates appear. They explain that they spent all the money Mindy gave them on Mr. Twisty's Twisted Cheese Curls and won a sweepstakes, giving them free access to Nineveh where the Cheese Curls are produced. They sneak Mindy into the city disguised as winners of the sweepstakes, thought they are all promptly arrested for Lucy Van Pelt's theft of the King's personal Cheese Twists. After being sentenced to death by "the Fish Slap of No Return", they are granted an audience with King Twistomer (played by Randy Marsh). When King Twistomer hears that Princess Mindy has survived inside a whale, she reluctantly agrees to listen to his message. Mindy delivers the message given to her by God. He tells them they should repent and amend their ways, or Nineveh will be destroyed. King Twistomer and the Ninevites quickly repent.

Still expecting the Ninevites to be destroyed, Princess Mindy watches and waits from a distance. Fifi is disappointed in Mindy, and tries to explain to him that God is compassionate and merciful. But Mindy, feeling pathetic and self-important, can't accept that. The story ends with Fifi and Reginald leaving Jonah alone on a cliff overlooking the city.

Back in the present day, the girls are disappointed in the anticlimactic ending but come to understand the point of the story - that God wants everybody to show compassion and mercy, even to those that don't seem to deserve it. Twippo (also played by Princess Mindy) appears in the restaurant unexpectedly and offers to give everybody a lift to the concert, while Tulip Brown forgives Fred O. Brown and Sally brown gives her Mindy ticket to Bonnie Patty. The film ends with Mindy and the Pirates performing a musical number as well as the arrival of the tow truck driver (played by Fifi), whom Mindy and the Pirates seem to remember meeting during the Mindy story.