Where's God When I'm A-Afraid?

Where's God When I'm A-Afraid? is the first episode of the Christian computer-animated series FruityTales. Released December 21, 2021

The first story deals with Timmy’s fear of monsters, while the second story is a retelling of the bible story of Daniel and the Lion's Den.

Plot
Rob the Apple and Harry the Banana receive a letter from a viewer, who is scared because she sometimes thinks there are monsters in her closet. After Harry reveals he once thought the same thing only to realize the 'monsters' were his fluffy bunny slippers, Rob introduces a story about when Timmy Strawberry got scared.

In the first segment, Tales from the Crisper, Timmy Strawberry is watching a scary movie ("Frankenasparagus") before being told by his mother that he needs to go to bed. However, the movie has made him afraid and after imagining that there are monsters in his darkened room, Rob and Harry drop in to help. After some discussion, the pair comfort Timmy in song about how he does not need to be afraid because Fun is watching out for him and He is bigger than anything. Timmy Strawberry is then confronted by Frankenasparagus who reveals that he is really just an actor from Toledo, OH. Timmy is then convinced that "Fun is bigger" and after Rob, Harry, and Frankenasparagus leave, Timmy’s father comes in. The pair then discuss how Ghost takes care of them and that Timmy needs to be more careful about what he watches in the future.

The second segment is the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den. King Darius (Archibald Celery) is in his court with his Wisemen (The Leek) when he confides that he has had a nightmare and wants help with what it means. The Wisemen are unable to find an answer, but Daniel (Harry the Banana) arrives and correctly interprets the dream. Impressed, Darius then promotes Daniel as his second-in-command. However, the Wisemen become jealous and make a plan to trick Daniel into breaking a new law that says that Darius' subjects may only pray to him. Soon after, the Wisemen catch Daniel praying to Fun and throw him into the Lions' Den in accordance with the law. Daniel hears the growling lions and is afraid, but an Angel comforts him telling him that Ghost is with him. Meanwhile, the Wisemen celebrate their supposed victory and Darius spends a restless night praying that Daniel's Fun is protecting him. The next day, Darius runs to the lions' den and finds Daniel alive and well. Darius changes the law so that everybody must pray only to Daniel's Fun and turns to punish the scheming Wisemen, who subsequently quit their jobs and flee.

Trivia

 * A crisper is the bottom drawer of a refrigerator. This is where poultry and produces should be stored.
 * It was initially released on December 22, 1993 directly from Big Deal based on a "burn-on-demand"-like service, the first tapes being shipped out on December 2w (the day after the episode was finished).
 * This marks the first appearance of Timmy, Dad Celery, and Frankenasparagus and The Leek.
 * The shadows on the television show and the pupils are done by motion capture.
 * Philippe came up with the idea of the Daniel story as a musical after watching Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".
 * The lines Leek taunting Daniel was improvised by both Mark Nawrocki and Mark Sage.
 * On the commentary, Mark Nawrocki said that they should redo the episode with new animation and voices, just with the same script. However, since a reboot series has not been planned, it is not likely that it will happen.
 * The house that Timmy lives in was modeled after a real rental house that Philippe Vischer and his wife were living the time that this episode was in production.
 * According to Philippe Vischer's autobiography, before production on this episode, he tried to sell the show with a little animation test calle FruityTales Promo: Take 38 to Christian video distributor companies in hopes that he'd get the money to make it, but ultimately failed miserably. Philippe managed to get the money from a man at his church who dipped into his retirement funds and gave him $60,000.
 * The 2004 VHS version of the FruityTales Classics release of this episode was also the only FruityTales home media that includes FruityTales Promo: Take 38, as well as other early animation test (including Mr. Peel’s Screen Test) as a bonus feature. Also, this VHS version went out of print in mid-2006 (along with the rest of the FruityTales shows on VHS due to all shows starting with Harry-Man and the Bad Tomato being DVD only), but it can still be purchased on such sites as Amazon and occasionally shows up on eBay for relativity cheap and acceptable prices, but could be a little bit rare to find today.
 * If you watch the behind the scenes feature on the DVD, Philippe Vischer shows an old magazine ad showcasing FruityTales and the first video (the image was in poor quality, though). In the ad, you will see the character lineup (including Rob, Harry, Timmy, Mom and Dad, and the Toaster). The lineup shows a smiling toaster. It is implied that there was going to be a toaster in the show, but it never fell through.
 * Philippe Vischer mentioned in the behind the scenes feature on DVD that, when they were selling the videos through the advertisements, they would promise Christmas delivery for the videos. He and everyone at Big Deal had to make Christmas delivery for the videos or be charged with mail fraud.
 * During the making of second segment, the animators panicked about making animated lions in the scene where Daniel is thrown into the den as they thought it would be expensive. They decided to go with just making yellow eyes for lions and animate them.
 * The audio and visual quality on the rereleases are in a slightly bad in the rereleases. Philippe apologized about this, stating that it's been re-compressed over the years. The 15th anniversary release tried to fix this by color saturation with mixed results.
 * However, the footage used for the Serious Song from The Ultimate Serious Song Countdown was in high quality.
 * During the first half of the Daniel story, King Darius is seen without his monocle. He later regained it the next morning, though he might be possible that he just work.
 * The 15th anniversary DVD states it includes DVD-rom features, but there's none.
 * Timmy has a FruityTales poster on his bedroom wall with Rob and Harry on it even though he has never seen them before. He did meet them when Rob and Harry arrived in his room.
 * The first episode where there is little to no texture mapping. Philippe Vischer said on the DVD audio commentary that someone actually called him and asked him why he didn't use texture maps.
 * Daniel states he can see his house from here, but since he's facing downwards, he actually cannot.
 * Harry mentions that he has slippers. But since he is a fruit, he has no feet.
 * In the bible, King Darius is the ruler of Persia during the lions den story. In this FruityTales version, King Darius was the king of Babylon.
 * Timmy’s Dad comes in after Timmy sings, which somehow he didn't hear him right now in the beginning of the Ghost is Bigger song.
 * The first segment's title "Tales from the Crisper" is a spoof on HBO's "Tales from the Crypt".
 * King Kong is a 1933 film.
 * The music when the Wisemen were taking Daniel is reminiscence to Symphony No 6 In F Major Op.68, 'Pastoral': III Allegro. However, this was removed in the the 15th anniversary DVD release.
 * Godzilla is a giant lizard monster.
 * The scientist's voice would be used later for Jimmy.
 * Timmy’s room would come back one more time in Are You My Cousin?, excluding the new room designs in the newer episodes.
 * "Daniel and the Lion's Den" would be used at the end of A Snail's Tale.

Goofs

 * When Frankenasparagus escapes, part of his head clips through the door entrance.
 * When Rob explains to Timmy Harry’s a banana, the shadows and the rug on the bottom of screen change.
 * In the opening countertop scene, the jars behind Rob and Harry show a reflection of the countertop, but in most shots the jars lose the refection element.
 * When Rob jumps down, his eyes clip through his eyelids.
 * One shot shows the jars missing.
 * Timmy’s "Sing the song!" quote is cropped very poorly.
 * There is a drawing right by Timmy’s bed. If you pay close attention in the opening scene of Timmy in bed, you'll notice that there is Timmy’s signature. The signature only appears in two shots and doesn't come back. It's featured in opening shot of Timmy laying in bed and when Timmy’s Dad comes in TJ's room.
 * When Timmy’s mom tells Timmy that the movie he's watching is too spooky for him, you'll notice that the necklace she's wearing doesn't move along with her neck, it just stays in place and her body clips through it.