VEGGIETALES Co-Creator’s Heart Behind New Show? ‘Share the Gospel With Kids’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Mike Nawrocki, VEGGIETALES co-creator and voice of Larry the Cucumber, is no stranger to creating uplifting, Christian animation.
Now, he’s taken his talent to a new show, titled THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS, telling Movieguide® “I am so excited.”
“It’s actually based off of my book series of the same name through Tyndale Publishing,” he continued. “Kind of the elevator pitch premise is a 10-year-old boy Michael discovers two salt-encrusted, dehydrated squirrels in a cave in the Dead Sea where he’s spending the summer with his dad who’s an archaeologist. Michael thinks they’re the coolest things ever, he wants to bring them home as like sort of vacation souvenir.”
Nawrocki explained that when Michael brings home the stinky, seemingly dead squirrels, something amazing happens.
“He puts them on his windowsill, opens up the window at night, you know, to kind of let them air out. Well, it rains, they rehydrate, desalinate and reanimate, and they come back to life.”
READ MORE: VEGGIETALES CO-CREATOR TEAMS WITH DISNEY ANIMATOR FOR NEW FAITH-BASED SERIES
“It’s Merle and Pearl Squirrel, an old Jewish couple who lived during the first century…they’ve got obviously this ancient wisdom and…they were witnesses to the life of Jesus and the disciples. Now they can share those stories with Michael and his friends as they go through their problems in the 21st century,” he continued.
Nawrocki shared how this idea started forming years ago when he realized there was one thing in VEGGIETALES that he really wanted to do but couldn’t.
“One of the things that we never did with VEGGIETALES if you noticed is we never depicted Jesus as a vegetable,” he explained. “That’s kind of a line that we drew in the sand early on…that would have been too irreverent. We didn’t want to do that, and so I was trying to think of a concept for a show which would allow for the retelling of more New Testament gospel stories.”
THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS came from that desire, and his goal for the show is to share the story of Jesus with children.
“I think this is a great opportunity just to share the gospel with kids, so I’m just over the moon” he emphasized.
THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS will premiere on Minno on Feb. 14.
“As a parent, I know how important it is to find content that not only entertains but also helps kids grow in their faith,” said Erick Goss, CEO and Co-Founder of Minno. “We have been committed to being a source for world-class content for Christian kids with shows like THE LAUGH & GROW BIBLE FOR KIDS and YOUNG DAVID. We’re honored to continue that effort in our collaboration with Mike Nawrocki and Steve Taylor — THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS is something truly special.”
“Each episode plays out a faith-based theme that I think parents will appreciate and that kids will resonate with,” Nawrocki added in an interview with Animation Magazine. “The series also has an overarching storyline that I hope will keep viewers engaged and interested in what happens next. And Merle and Pearl are adorable!”
READ MORE: VEGGIETALES CREATOR’S NEW SHOW GETS FEBRUARY PREMIERE DATE
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