Mr. Cuke's Screen Test was an animation test done by Phil Vischer when he was working on the production of VeggieTales. This test was done sometime around January 1991.
Synopsis
As this is an animation test, there is no plot. It starts off with a camera panning over the countertop, before Larry pops his head out and looks around from inside a bowl. He then hops towards the camera and smiles.
Fun Facts
Trivia
- This marks the first introduction of Larry, but his name is not in the final cut.
- This was the first time when the countertop is rendered in Softimage.
- The canisters in the background have labels on it: Tea, Sugar, and Flour. These said labels are taken off after Take 38 because of diabetic themes.
- The eye rig here is different from the type that would be used in the series. The eyelids are much thinner than the eyeballs and the eyes are rigged in a more wackier style.
- According to Phil Vischer's autobiography, he actually pitched this animation test to Nickelodeon, but they turned the idea down because they did not accept computer animation at the time. Ironically, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius premiered on Nickelodeon in 2002, 11 years after it was pitched.
- This video was found in a behind-the-scenes feature known as "Early Animation Tests' at the end of the 2004 VHS release of Where's God When I'm Scared?, which is also on the 2003 10th Anniversary Edition DVD of said episode. This screen test, along with the Take 38 promo, was not featured on future DVD releases.
- This and Take 38 were the only pre-VeggieTales screen tests that were restored in high quality (the walking Nerf Ball animation was only available in VHS quality).
- This is one of the few works from Big Idea created during the time when the U.S. president George H. W. Bush was in office. By the time when the series premiered, Bill Clinton was already in office.
Errors
- A few holes clip through Larry's mouth and skin while he hops up to the camera.