It has been 20 years since the first “VeggieTales” cartoon premiered with its hopping, talking animated vegetables offering up family-friendly, faith-based diversions. Last year, when DreamWorks bought VeggieTales owner Big Idea Entertainment, some might have wondered if changes were afoot for the straight-to-video cartoons.

“VeggieTales: Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas” proves there are some surprises. The most noticeable is the movie’s collaborators, who are better known in mainstream pop culture. The narrator, Silas, is voiced by Si Robertson, one of the camo-clad stars of TV’s “Duck Dynasty,” and the closing credits unspool to a new Christmas tune by top-40 singer Owl City.

Other than the semi-flashy names, the VeggieTales formula remains intact. This is a film aimed at keeping the Christ in Christmas, and its message sounds like a much softer version of Pope Francis’ recent headline-making exhortation against materialism. Christmas isn’t just about presents; it’s about giving, kindness and helping others.

The story follows the somewhat incompetent Merry Larry, a cucumber who works at a shopping mall (but only because he’s the owner’s nephew) and dresses as a Christmas elf each holiday season, taking notes on what all the fledgling soybeans and baby tomatoes want from Santa. He’s especially touched by a little girl — or peapod of some kind, it’s hard to say — who wants nothing for herself for Christmas. She’s collecting money to help her elderly neighbor, whose dilapidated house looks like it may soon be condemned.

Larry ends up at odds with the consultants his uncle brings in to amp up the mall’s aesthetics. One of them, Bob, sings that Christmas is all about lights, but Larry believes it’s really about love.

Of course, Larry is right. The problem is that with no real villain, the movie can feel dull. This may be the only time a rotten vegetable would have been a welcome sight. On a recent viewing of “Merry Larry,” a 7-year-old was fairly entranced, but the movie had a harder time connecting with viewers both younger and much older. This isn’t Pixar, with jokes aimed at entertaining adults (unless they really like puns). Then again, Pixar doesn’t serve up the kinds of moral lessons some parents might want their children to receive.

Unrated. Appropriate for age 2 and older. 48 minutes. Available via Netflix, Amazon Instant and DVD. Free on Hulu Dec. 24-25.