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==Episode Transcript==
  
==Episode Transcript==
 
*[[Josh and the Big Wall!/Transcript|Transcript]]
  
*[[Josh and the Big Wall!/Transcript|Transcript]]
  +
==Credits==
  +
*[[Josh and the Big Wall!/Credits|Credits]]
   
 
==Gallery==
  
==Gallery==

Revision as of 20:51, 24 September 2020

This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the book.
"Hello! My name is Joshua, and God has given us this land!"
— Joshua giving his victory speech towards the people of Jericho
JoshAndTheBigWall
Josh and the Big Wall
Directed by

Phil Vischer
Chris Olsen

Produced by

Chris Olsen

Written by

Phil Vischer

Music by

Kurt Heinecke
Phil Vischer

Distributed by

Word Entertainment
Everland Entertainment

Released

November 18, 1997

Runtime

34 minutes

Previous episode

Larry-Boy! and the
Fib from
Outer Space!

Next episode

Madame Blueberry

Josh and the Big Wall! is the ninth episode of VeggieTales. This episode is a retelling of the Bible story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho.

Plot

On the Countertop,Bob the Tomato accompanied by Junior Asparagus in place of Larry the Cucumber, do the usual greeting to all the viewers at home. Bob then says that he bets the viewers are wondering where Larry is, with Junior looking a tad bit sheepish at the camera. Bob then explains to the viewers that ever since Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space!, he was a little tired. So the gang decided to let him sleep in for today. Bob then tells the viewers not to worry though, as Larry will show up pretty soon. & that in the meantime, Junior has very graciously agreed to help out.Junior then says "Hi" to the camera. Bob then explains to Junior that today they have a hand written letter from this random kid by the name of Victor Bartholomew who hails from Sausalito, California. Junior then says "Oh. Hi, Victor." Victor explains to both Bob and Junior that he has bit of a problem. He says that there is this kid named Louis in his class who hit him the day before. Junior then says "Oh,my." with Bob saying "Oh my is right." Bob then recaps that Victor explained in his letter that he just learned in church that God wants us to follow his directions & be nice to other folks,no matter how bad others treat us. However, Victor does not feel like doing that. Deep down inside of him, he actually wants to hit Louis back. & now, Victor is confused and is now asking Bob & Junior what on earth should he do. Should he do it his way & hit Louis back or should he do it God's way & be nice to him? Junior sympathizes with Victor, saying that sometimes,the stuff he learns in church doesn't sound so pleasant to him & that sometimes, he wants to do stuff his way too. Junior then asks Bob if they have any stories in regards to Victor's situation. Bob answers that question by asking Junior if he remembers the Israelites. Junior says that he remembers them, before asking Bob if the Israelites were supposed to be God's chosen people, which Bob confirms. Junior then confidently states that he bets that the Israelites had always obeyed God's directions, before Bob tells him that he'd think so. When Junior asks why that is, Bob then tells Junior that it would be better to show him than to tell him, which confuses Junior. Bob then tells Junior to close his eyes and not to open them until he tells him to. When Bob and Junior both close their eyes, they find themselves transported into the deserts of Israel.

Josh and the Big Wall

Once Bob and Junior have been transported to the deserts of Israel, Bob tells Junior to open his eyes. As soon as Junior does so, he is surprised & confused as to how they got there. Bob tells him that they are using their imaginations. There, the two find themselves in the desert, where the Israelites are tending to their sheep. When Junior asks what the Israelites are doing in the desert, Bob answers the question by telling Junior about how Moses (played by Mr. Nezzer) helped to lead his people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land, thanks to some guidance from a burning bush. At first, Junior thinks that they're in the Promised Land, but Bob tells him that they're actually in the desert, while the Promised Land is actually a wonderful place where you could grow crops and that there was lots of food. Of course, he then explains that because the Israelites kept on disobeying God's word, God had them stay in the desert for 40 years as punishment. When Bob also explains that Moses died after 40 years had passed, Junior is confused, thinking that the story was about Moses, but Bob corrects him, saying that the story is actually about Joshua.

The camera then Whip Pans over to Joshua (played by Larry the Cucumber) while Bob explains to Junior that Joshua was Moses' helper, and when Moses had passed away, Joshua was appointed as the new leader of the Israelites. Josh then asks Bob if he knows him, but Bob tells him that he's the narrator. Bob then tells Junior that while the Israelites were sad about Moses' death, it was also a happy day for them, because at last, it was finally time for them to leave the desert. Once all of the Israelites (played by Pa Grape, Tom Grape, Percy Pea, Scooter Carrot, Jimmy Gourd, and Jerry Gourd) find out about this, they become joyous, singing the song "Promised Land" about how they're happy to be finally heading for the Promised Land at last after so long. After the song ends, the Israelites, led by Josh, head off towards the Promised Land. However, they find that there is one obstacle standing in their way. The mighty walls of the city of Jericho!

Silly Songs with Larry

Larry is showing Jimmy and Jerry Gourd and Junior Asparagus his vacation slides in what the announcer calls "a sequential stereophonic multimedia event". Larry then sings "The Song of the Cebu", telling Jimmy, Jerry, and Junior a story about a boy who had three cebu (a sick cebu, a sad cebu, and a mute cebu), along with a hippo. During the song, Larry also shows them pictures of his Aunt Ruth, and pictures of him at a bullfight, along with the bull's cousin, which is a cebu. Archibald then shows up, demanding to know what a cebu is, before Larry explains to him that it's kind of like a cow. Once Archibald sees the similarities, he then decides to let Larry resume. Larry then resumes singing, before Jimmy, Jerry, and Junior also join in the song as well, singing about how the boy rode into a town in his canoe with his cebu. However, Larry ends up messing the slides, as Archibald shows up asking a flurry of questions and wanting to know what on earth happened next in the song. He was wondering if the hippo sees them, if the poor mute cebu is successful in communicating the imminent danger to the other passengers, if the boy is injured, Why is the sad cebu sad & is the canoe made out of wood or aluminum. When Larry shows more of his vacation slides, Archibald says that what Larry is doing is quite disappointing and wants to speak to Bob about this. Larry then finds a picture of what he thinks is a cebu, before realizing that it's actually a water buffalo. Jimmy, Jerry, and Junior then hop off while singing about how the song needs another verse or 2, before Jimmy states that he wants his money back, which Jerry agrees with.

Act 2

The Israelites find that Jericho is standing between them and the path to the Promised Land, before two of the Jerichites (played by the French Peas, Jean-Claude and Phillipe) look down to notice the Israelites down below. When Josh tells the Jerichites that they need to get through, the Jerichites just taunt them (in a jab to that of Monty Python and the Holy Grail), telling Josh that they have a wall but he does not. Josh then threatens the Jerichites that if they don't let him and the Israelites through, they'll have to come in after them, which the Jerichites laugh at, before one of them accidentally knocks his slushy off the edge. Jimmy ends up getting hit with the slushy as a result, as he states that they should fall back and regroup. The Israelites then go back the way they came, while Bob explains to Junior that Josh and the others needed to figure out a way to get past the wall, so they talked it over that night.

That night, while the Israelites are gathered around the fire, they discuss about how to get past the wall. Pa Grape wants to go back to Egypt, thinking that it was paradise there, and when Tom states that they were in slavery, Pa responds that nothing is perfect. Jimmy then says that the land is rightfully theirs and that the only way they can get through to it is to take out the wall, before asking Jerry if he agrees with him, which Jerry does rather hesitantly. Josh then decides to go out a ways to do some thinking, before he is approached by the Commander of the Lord's Army (played by Archibald Asparagus), to which Josh then (literally) falls face down to the ground in reverence. The Commander then explains to Josh about the Lord's plan to take out Jericho once and for all. He then explains that for the first six days, Josh and the Israelites are to march around Jericho once a day, and on the seventh day, to march around the city seven times. Also on the seventh day, they are to have priests blow some horns while they march, and once they've marched seven times around the city, and when the priests blow a loud blast on their horns, all the people are to give a loud shout and the walls of the city will collapse, and Jericho will be theirs.

The next morning, Josh then explains the plan to the Israelites. After Josh explains this plan, the plan is met with some skepticism, particularly from Jimmy who says that the plan would work better if the walls were made out of jello, before Jerry gleefully states that they could eat them. Jimmy then tells Josh that their plan is a bit more sophisticated, before revealing that he and Jerry have built a rocket, which they christen "The Wallminator 3000". The rest of the Israelites praise the two Gourd brothers for the rocket, while Junior is worried that the Israelites are going to ignore God's directions again. Fortunately, Bob tells him that Josh has something to say. Josh tells the Israelites that they've forgotten something, before he starts singing about how the Lord knows what he doing and that they should follow him. The Israelites have no other choice now but to reluctantly go along with the plan, before they start marching around Jericho.

Jean-Claude and Phillipe look down in time to notice the Israelites marching around the city, before they ask them what they're doing. When Jimmy explains what they're doing, the French Peas then start taunting them by singing the song "Keep Walking", before a bunch of other peas join in the song. After the peas finish singing, they then bombard the Israelites with a multitude of slushies, forcing the Israelites to retreat. That night, as Josh and the Israelites discuss about the plan once again, the Israelites are now on the verge of rebellion, as Josh tries to talk them out of it, to no avail. Fortunately, Junior is able to convince the Israelites to stick to the plan, and that even though God's directions don't always make sense, the least they could do is remember that God's way is the best way. After Junior sings to the Israelites about how God's way is the best way, he then asks who's ready to go back to Jericho. Soon, the Israelites decide to give the plan another chance.

The next morning, the Israelites are able to march around Jericho once again, despite the French Peas still throwing slushies at them. On the seventh day, the Israelites then march around the city seven times, while the priests blow their horns. Once the Israelites have marched around the city seven times and when the priests blow on their horns, everyone then yells really loud, but after several minutes of yelling, nothing happened. Jean-Claude and Phillipe start laughing, thinking that they're off the hook, before a single brick suddenly jumps loose from behind them. Once the French Peas realize what's going on, Josh and the Israelites then back up just as Jericho then collapses. After the French Peas regain themselves, they run off in terror when Josh appears in front of them. Bob then tells Junior that the Israelites finally did what God told them and the walls fell down, and that after 40 years, the Israelites were finally able to make it to their new home. During this explanation, Jimmy laments that he picked a lousy day to wear his contacts. The Israelites then journey on through Jericho, while Jimmy asks if anyone has any saline.

Countertop Outro

Back on the Countertop, Bob asks Junior what he thought of the story, which Junior says that it was amazing; although Junior asks Bob if what just happened back there was legitimate (particularly the slushies being dropped and the rocket being built), to which Bob replies that the two things didn't actually, and that they were just using their imaginations in their version. Bob then explains to the viewers that if they want to learn more about Joshua, they can look him up in the bible under the book of Joshua. Junior is impressed that Joshua even had his own part in the bible. Bob and Junior then hop on over to Qwerty, saying that it's time to talk about what they've learned, before the "What We Have Learned" song plays again. Bob goes off to turn off the song, before a slushy falls right in front of his path, thanks to the French Peas, who state that they love that song. After the song ends, Junior explains that the Israelites learned that God's way is the best way and that God wants us to follow the directions that he gives us. Bob and Junior then consult Qwerty for a verse, to which Qwerty brings up the verse, which is "As for God, his way is perfect. 2nd Samuel 22:31a". Bob then tells Victor to remember what God told him, that it ain't easy being swell to someone who's been really nasty to you; but you should do it, anyways. Bob also tells Victor that maybe Louis doesn't need a punch in the nose. & that perhaps Louis just needs someone to be his buddy, which Junior totally agrees with. Bob then tells the viewers that he & Junior are out of time for today, and that the viewers should always remember one thing. Junior then says: "God made you special & he loves you very much." Bob & Junior then say bye to the viewers at home before leaving the counter-top. But then, Larry shows up on the counter-top in his pajamas (which are the same ones that he wore in "Oh, Santa" from "The Toy That Saved Christmas) before asking if it is time for the show. The lights then go dim and Qwerty turns off, leaving Larry's eyes in the dark as he says "Aw, nuts!" before the episode ends.

Characters

Major Characters

Minor Characters

Silly Song cameos

Songs

Home media

Main article: Josh and the Big Wall!/Home Video

Other Languages

  • صة شعب الله وارض (Arabic)
  • Das Abenteuer von Josua (German)
  • 여호수아와 여리고성 (Korean)
  • 沙漠先鋒隊 (Mandarin) (Taiwanese)
  • Joshua og den store muren (Norwegian)
  • Jozue in veliki zid (Slovenian)

Fun Facts

Moral

  • God's way is always the best way, no matter what.

Explanations

  • Saline is a mixture of sodium chloride (salt and sterile water). It's commonly used for contact lens solution and nasal irrigation sprays.

Trivia

  • This is the first episode for these things:
  • This is the last episode for these things:
  • According to the concept art, there were a few differences between that and the final.
The Morning Star Sun Nov 23 1997

The original title of the episode.

    • According to a The Morning Star November 23, 1997 newspaper article, the episode's original title was going to be "Joshua and the Battle of Jericho".
    • The ark was going to be on wheels.
    • The helmets on the army of Jericho were going to be colanders and something to an Asian straw hat. Also, the helmets would've covered the Peas' eyesight, but they'd still see (ala Tom Grape and Mr. Lunt).
    • The wall was going to be extendable, meaning, starting as a low wall and folding up to become bigger.
    • There was going to be a motorcycle involved.
Josh1999PrototypeCover

The 1999 VHS reprint cover was going to look similar to the original one, but never made it into the final reprint.

Remarks

  • The lighting has changed from what was from the previous episodes, despite the fact that Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space! was the first episode with a lighting department. Phil stated this because they had a new lighting technician after the previous episode.
    • This is also the first time the characters had a different color look, which results from them not as shiny. This was done by their lighting director at the time, Jon Gadsby.
  • The sun shown is actually a lens flare.
  • Unlike the Biblical version of the story, God's directions don't start at Egypt.
  • The German dub's title refers to Josh as "Josua", but the dialogue in the actual episode refers to him as "Joshua."
  • In the 1999 Word Entertainment VHS reissue and further reprints of this episode, the axis positioning and height of the characters was edited for some scenes.

Goofs

  • After God tells Moses about the Promised Land, you can still see part of the clothing after he leaves the screen.
  • After the Israelites get scared of the Pickle family and run away, Percy's escaping from the tree was rendered at a lower frame rate, which technically counts as a rendering glitch.
  • As you'll notice in some shots, the legs on the sheep don't touch the ground, making them float in mid-air.
  • In the first of Jericho, the slushie cup isn't there until it shows up in the closeups of the Peas. It then vanishes again after the Peas ask Joshua who he is. It then reappears after Joshua tells the Peas to leave.
  • One shot shows Jerry's eyes positioned too high.

Inside References

  • This episode has a few nods to Dave and the Giant Pickle, such as:
    • It's a retelling of a Bible story that takes place in the desert, the Israelites are in the story, and the costumes the characters wore (Jimmy, Jerry, Pa, Tom, and Junior) were recycled.
    • Goliath and the sheep are in it.
    • The French Peas were portrayed as the bad guys.
  • A few mentions of lack of body parts, such as:
    • Tom stating to his father how they're clapping.
    • Jimmy saying he has slushy in his ear.
  • Larry has his pyjamas from Oh, Santa! at the end.

Real-World References

  • Like Dave and the Giant Pickle, this episode contained a small nod to the Monty Python series. Here, the French Peas taunt Josh and the Israelites from above the wall. This is reminiscent of Holy Grail, where the French taunt King Arthur and his men from their fort.
  • As Phil confirmed, the moving arrow action on the map is similar to what the Indiana Jones films did.
  • The sunrise in the climax is similar to the one from the opening in Disney's The Lion King.

Fast Forward

  • Junior would become co-host and break the fourth wall to say hi to the kid in which they get the letter from again for a later episode, even the opening for this episode where they imagine themselves in the story.
  • This episode, along with Dave and the Giant Pickle, was turned into a touring live show in 2002. Both episodes were combined into one 90 minute stage show.

Episode Transcript

Credits

Gallery

Josh and the Big Wall Logo

VeggieTales episodes
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