First Look At #VeggieTales "Beauty And The Beet" Movie! Coming to DVD, October 14th!

One of life’s biggest challenges is being kind to people, even (sometimes especially) those who don’t seem to deserve it.  The importance of unconditional love and acceptance is a great lesson for kids –- and, let’s face it, one that even adults need to be reminded of regularly.

It’s also the lesson at the heart of the upcoming VeggieTales musical Beauty and the Beet.  Mirabelle, the sweet potato who stars in Beauty and the Beet shows that it’s not always easy to offer love and compassion for others -– especially people who have made you angry.  But, as she puts it in one of the story’s memorable songs (which we’ll be telling you more about soon), “It’s what God wants me to do … the person God wants me to be.”

When you take the timeless story of “Beauty and the Beast,” toss it with the unique flavors of VeggieTales and blend in the sweet voice of country music superstar Kellie Pickler, the result is Beauty and the Beet!

This brand-new VeggieTales musical, which features 10 new songs, premieres Oct. 14 exclusively on DVD and digital download.

Press Release:

Beauty and the Beet Puts a Tune-Filled,
All-Veggie Spin on a Classic Fairy Tale Starring Country Superstar Kellie Pickler

Available Oct. 14 on DVD and Digital Download, the Newest
VeggieTales Production Features 10 Original Songs,
Also Offered on a Brand-New Companion CD

GLENDALE, Calif. (Sept. 11, 2014) – Take the timeless and enchanting story of “Beauty and the Beast,” toss with the unique flavors of VeggieTales and blend in the sweet voice of country music superstar Kellie Pickler – and the result is BEAUTY AND THE BEET, a brand-new VeggieTales musical that premieres Oct. 14 exclusively on DVD and digital download.

Pickler (American Idol, Dancing With the Stars) brings her unmistakable voice to the role of Mirabelle, a sweet-potato singer whose family band is on the brink of superstardom.  BEAUTY AND THE BEET blends the irresistible charm and appeal of VeggieTales with a heartfelt message about the importance of unconditional love.

A BEAUTY AND THE BEET companion CD, featuring 10 brand-new songs – including an all-veggie rendition of the classic Christmas carol Deck the Halls – will also be available in stores and on iTunes to coincide with the release of the movie on Oct. 14.

 “All my nieces and nephews grew up with VeggieTales, and when they heard I was going to be in a VeggieTales movie, I immediately became the coolest aunt in the world!” said Pickler, who joins the VeggieTales cast on eight of the 10 songs on the BEAUTY AND THE BEET soundtrack. "Mirabelle may be a vegetable, but she’s beautiful through and through, especially her ability to show grace and compassion for everyone she meets." 

Mirabelle’s kindness extends to Finnegan J. Beet, the bitter and lonely owner of a rundown mountaintop resort where Mirabelle’s family breaks down en route to their biggest concert ever.  Matching the Beet’s heartless actions with her own genuinely sweet nature, Mirabelle proves that just as God loves us all whether we deserve it or not, unconditional love is its own reward.

In addition to Mirabelle and Mr. Beet, the zesty supporting cast includes Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, Jimmy the Gourd, the French Peas and a host of other favorite veggies.

Both the DVD and the CD also include Mac and Cheese, a giddy new “Silly Songs With Larry” segment in which Larry the Cucumber reveals the surprising and heretofore untold history of his family’s unexpected contributions to Italian cuisine.

BEAUTY AND THE BEET is just the start of the fun in store this fall for VeggieTales fans, because Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and their friends will also star in a brand-new Netflix original series, VeggieTales In the House, which premieres Thanksgiving weekend exclusively on the streaming platform. 

Kellie Pickler appears on the BEAUTY AND THE BEET soundtrack album courtesy of Black River Entertainment.  She grew up immersed in the country life of small town Albemarle, N.C. At age 19, she gained fame as a contestant on “American Idol,” followed by a move to Nashville where she has recorded four critically acclaimed albums (Small Town Girl, Kellie Pickler, 100 Proof, and her current album The Woman I Am), performed for fans around the world, and made countless television appearances, including a 2013 win on Dancing with the Stars. 

VeggieTales Press Event! #VeggieTalesDay

Last week on Monday night and Tuesday morning, and into the afternoon, I had the great honor of attending a VeggieTales press event for bloggers! I checked into a hotel for the night and took a shuttle with other bloggers to a nearby location for dinner and drinks. The food and dessert was catered. I felt so nervous, but yet, it was nice getting to meet others who do what I do. The dinner was more like a meet and greet event where we got to meet some of the DreamWorks staff, and also one of the PR people that I e-mail from time to time about reviewing the latest VeggieTales movies.

On Tuesday morning, we met up at a a local studio in downtown Nashville for breakfast and a Q and A with Mike Nawrocki, one of the creators of VeggieTales and the voice of Larry the Cucumber! I even got to have lunch with him and the others at my table got a chance to ask him even more questions! He is a really nice guy!

I am holding Larry on the right. He's the green one. The red tomato is Bob! I got to take them home and gave them to my children! They actually fought over Bob!

Then we separated into groups to learn how to draw some of the characters from VeggieTales, learn how voice overs in the VeggieTales movies are done, and we learned about VeggieTales plans with their characters are for the future.

VeggieTales has a new movie coming out on October 14th called "Beauty and the Beet!" We had a chance to hear from Kellie Pickler, the voice of the main character in Beauty and the Beet, Mirabell. Kellie will even be singing eight of the songs in the movie, and VeggieTales will also have a separate CD of the music from this movie available for purchase!

These photos are from the Q and A with Kellie Pickler. She's so sweet and so down to earth. She's currently working on her fifth album, and she's recorded many of the songs already, at this studio in Nashville!

Here's the group photo! I am on the left. Next to me is Jamie from Blonde Mom Blog, sitting down in front on the right, is Linsey from Lille Punkin, next to her in the purple is Ruby from Growing up Blackxican. They were all so nice and sweet. I don't remember the others that I met. But if it's you, please leave a comment and link to your site, and I will add it above!

This is me trying to do a voice over for one of the characters in the new Beauty and the Beet movie. I did ok. You can view the clip below of my voice. How did I do?

VeggieTales will be making 11 minute shorts for those on Netflix. They will be called "VeggieTales In the House." These cartoons will include some new characters, including the first ever animated piece of meat in a VeggieTales cartoon! These shorts should be coming out around Thanksgiving this year! How do you like the way that the characters will be drawn? I really like it. I like how much more soft they all look!

Above is some of the goodies that we had for dessert after lunch! The cupcakes and cookies were really sweet, but oh so good!