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| Princess and the Popstar | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | |
| Produced by | |
| Written by |
Mark Steele |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by |
Vivendi Entertainment |
| Released |
August 13, 2011 |
| Runtime |
49 minutes |
| Previous episode | |
| Next episode | |
Princess and the Popstar (sometimes sylized as Princess and the Pop Star) is the 40th episode of VeggieTales.
The story is based on the novel "The Prince and the Pauper" by Mark Twain. Coincidentally, a Barbie movie has an extremely similar premise to this episode.
Plot
Opening Countertop
Larry paints the countertop green until Bob approaches and becomes shocked at the sight of the paint and asks him why he did such. Larry replies that he was talking with Madison beforehand and so he was using the green paint to help visualize how the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence". Qwerty then shows a video email from Madison Scott in Ogallala, Nebraska; who is envious of her friend Taylor who "has everything." Bob is confused by Larry's analogy and tells that him that no one would understand what he means. He decides to show Madison a story while he and Larry clean up the paint before it dries.
Act 1
The story opens with a song, That's Not Everything (sung by Vanna Banana). Princess says that he won't see her there. Mr. Poppyseed tries pogoing, but falls. Mrs. Banana asks why isn't she dressed yet. Vanna explains that she plays with her sisters and skips through a meadow. Pa Grape is on TV, thanking God for the food. Princess must survive from spiky things and breaking the dishes on the floor. Mrs. Poppyseed slams the fridge door on her daughter 2 times. Pepper trips on a phone cord. Pepper says he's sorry. Princess says that she is going to meet Vanna Banana. Alone is sung by Vanna Banana. Once they go to the park, Princess has to do see-sawing with Vanna. Vanna is played by Laura Carrot, and Princess is played by Vanna Banana.
Silly Song
- Main article: Astonishing Wigs!
Act 2
Princess practices her song "Radio Sweetheart" and Mrs. Banana is impressed by her song. Mr. Poppyseed pushes the red button before being hit by a pogo stick. Vanna begins doing her daily morning chores. Mrs. Banana says good night to Princess, but she sleeps on the dresser drawer, which is too big and it feels like home. When they get Princess, Pepper gets stuck in the dark hole. All that she has to do is rescue her brother. Princess doesn't want to be Vanna anymore, she really likes to be a Poppyseed again. The story closes with a song and with Princess and Vanna swapping back.
Closing Countertop
Bob and Larry eventually get the countertop clean and tell Madison that she should be glad for what she has rather than focus on all of the stuff that her friend Taylor has.
Characters
- Bob the Tomato
- Larry the Cucumber (Mr. Poppyseed)
- Archibald Asparagus (Silly Song Only)
- Pa Grape (TV Cameo)
- Laura Carrot
- Papaya Poppyseed
- Mr. Lunt (Steve)
- Dirk Evert
- Madame Blueberry (Mrs. Banana)
- Jimmy Gourd (Rockin' Robin)
- Jerry Gourd (Rusty)
- Pepper Poppyseed
- Mom Carrot (Mrs. Poppyseed)
- Paprika Poppyseed
- Parsley Poppyseed
Songs
- VeggieTales Theme Song
- That's Not Everything
- Right Where I Belong
- Radio Sweetheart
- Alone
- The History of Fashion: Astonishing Wigs!
- Radio Sweetheart (reprise version 1)
- That's Not Everything (reprise Version 1)
- Radio Sweetheart (reprise version 2)
- Alone (reprise)
- That's Not Everything (reprise Version 2)
- Radio Sweetheart (reprise Version 3)
- Right Where I Belong (reprise)
- What Have We Learned
- You Never Are (sung by Francesca Battistelli)
Fun Facts
Moral
- Don't try to be someone you're not. (reused from Dave and the Giant Pickle)
- Everybody is special in their own unique way. (reused from both Dave and the Giant Pickle and A Snoodle's Tale)
- The most important thing you can be is yourself, no matter what you look like,
Explanations
- As Bob stated in this episode, "The grass is always greener on the other side" is an expression for wanting something the other person has.
- Analogy is a way to compare things, while anomaly is something that is different from normal.
- Acapella is a way to sing without instruments.
- Glass shatters when the right resonant frequency of sound is enough.
Trivia
- This is the first episode for several things:
- The first episode where Bob and Larry get a video e-mail, rather than a live chat (though the latter happens towards the end) since Pistachio - The Little Boy That Woodn't.
- The first speaking appearance of Laura Carrot in a non-holiday episode since Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush
- The first full-length episode where Laura is the central character.
- The first time when Veggie Beat is seen. It was previously mentioned in Rack, Shack & Benny and Lord of the Beans.
- The first episode since Abe and the Amazing Promise to not have Petunia Rhubarb or Grandma Gourd.
- The first episode when Laura's hair is not tied in pigtails, wears a headband and wears a blue skirt, it is here, the parts of her look as Vanna Banana, and in which would become the looks of her current design introduced in Celery Night Fever.
- This is the last episode Bob does not appear in the story (not counting Lenny and the Lost Birthday)
- There were a few differences between pre-production and the final version:
- The staff were debating whether Vanna and Princess switching was either done deliberately or accidentally.
- Originally, Brian stated they wanted to avert the "fitting in someone else's shoes" plot (which kind of defeats the purpose of the original story) as he wanted the episode to focus more on Princess and Vanna's friendship. But they decided to go back to square one as they feel it's required.
- Vanna's mother in the script was going to be somewhat a stage mom-esque role, but later changed it as they didn't want her to be unlikable.
- On that similar note, there was also plans to have an antagonist, similar to the original story. But this was dropped due to it feeling it's not required. Had the idea gone through, the role likely would have gone to a stage manager or even Vanna's mother.
- Concept art from the teaser trailer that Pepper was going to be orange.
- Lunt and Jerry's costumes were going to be black. But when going through production, Brian saw them in teal, and thought it'll be great since they looked like 80s fashion.
- Vanna was going to get the abuse from the farm animals, but was switched to Larry instead.
- The guards watching were going to be potatoes.
- This episode shares some similarities with a Barbie film by Universal Studios (which is also an adaptation of Mark Twain's novel), although that film released a year after this.
- The main difference between these films is that the VeggieTales episode is titled "Princess and the Popstar", meaning that the main character is named Princess, while the Barbie movie is titled "The Princess and the Popstar", indicating that the main character is an actual princess.
Remarks
- Vanna's television is just a resize model of Qwerty.
- During when Princess is singing on the phone her mother is not there. But on the close up, she is by the refrigerator.
- Vanna mentions about meeting the president in her sleep, though it never stated whom.
- Princess sings badly when she was in Vanna's place, though she seems to be good earlier in the story.
- Although technically not a goof, the pancake under the table vanishes and reappears in certain shots.
Other Languages
- أميرة وأميرة الغناء (Arabic) (Princess and Singing Princess)
- Prinsessen og popstjernen (Norwegian) (same translation)
- شاهزاده خانم و ستاره پاپ (Persian) (same translation)
Inside References
- This episode has some connections towards The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's:
- Pepper saying "Medic" is similar to what Mr. Lunt says in the Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie Outtakes.
- The cheerleaders were using Samson's Hairbrush from Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush to comb Vanna's wig.
- Pepper confuses "Radio Sweetheart" with "Radio Stuff-Mart".
- Veggie Beat makes a return, now as a TV/radio channel.
- Vanna Banana's room is a redesigned version of the art museum from Pistachio - The Little Boy That Woodn't.
- The way that Vanna sobs over "Little Peas on the Prairie" is very similar to how Bob and Larry cried in the closing countertop of Madame Blueberry.
- The LarryBoy lunchbox from Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella reappears.
Real-World References
- AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf, usually for game fields.
- Vanna Banana is a spoof of Disney's Hannah Montana.
- Jimmy's character, Rockin' Robin, is the name of the 1958 song by Bobby Day.
- In the film commentary, Princess' radio device is called the PeaPod, which is a parody of the iPod.
- The show "Little Peas on the Prairie" is a spoof on the classic NBC drama series, "Little House on the Prairie."
- The Corvette is a sports car that has been built by Chevrolet since 1953.
- Dairy Queen is a restaurant chain known for selling dairy products.
Fast Forward
- An episode of VeggieTales in the House would repeat some of this episode's ideas (a popstar who learns to be herself).
- The PeaPod would appear again in the next episode.
- Laura's scream would later break glass again.
Episode Transcript
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