While they were playing before an admittedly friendly crowd, Big Idea executives have to be pleased with Monday night's enthusiastic International Christian Retail Show reception to its sneak preview of next winter's The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything.

"All you can say is, 'Wow!' " commented Link McGinnis, co-owner of Cedar Springs Christian Stores in Knoxville, Tenn. "There's such great stories. I think it's a good thing he (VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer) is trying to introduce people to the idea they can be heroes."

Diane Naslund, buyer for the Bread of Life Christian Store in Ridgecrest, Calif., thought the venue-the Georgia Aquarium, where white beluga whales could be seen through windows on the left side of the main auditorium-was also great.

"It's going to appeal to all ages," Naslund said of the film, whose 2008 release date hasn't yet been set. "The music is good, too. It will be a good seller when it hits DVD."

The 70-minute, high-energy program followed a half-hour warm-up with a family-style picnic buffet of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, vegetables (naturally), soft drinks and cookies.

Then came a smorgasbord of VeggieTales fare, including the familiar opening and theme song, children explaining how God made them special and a trailer for the Wizard of Ha's, the next standard-length episode that debuts Oct. 6.

Before introducing the 22-minute collection of snippets from the Pirates film, Vischer took to the stage to talk about why he produces engaging children's stories, noting that Plato wrote in the fourth century B.C., "Whoever tells the stories shapes the culture."

"Stories can't change the world, but stories can change the beliefs of a child, and children can change the world," Vischer said.

Demonstrating Big Idea's clout in Hollywood, Universal Pictures is its partner for Pirates. When they made the Jonah movie five years ago, nobody took their calls, said Vischer-until The Passion of The Christ and The Chronicles of Narnia changed the image of faith-based films.

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