About 16 minutes into the animated film The King of Kings, hitting theaters on April 11, my wife and I’s 6-year-old son exclaimed, “Wait, what?”
He had been intently watching as a father told his King Arthur-obsessed son a version of Jesus’ life, naturally starting with the Nativity, with its many royal figures all seeking Jesus.
The story went as expected, with Mary and Joseph finding an empty stable, as the Three Kings realize King Herod isn’t to be trusted. All goes smoothly until, as an angel announces the news to shepherds, the little boy and his wily cat listening to the story also appear on that Judean hillside.
My son didn't see that one coming, and it's one of the delightful twists of this new telling of Christ's story.
Taking an Imaginative Take on the Gospels
The King of Kings, distributed by Angel Studios, is a kid-friendly romp through the Gospels that has been in production for five years. If our son and 4-year-old daughter are any indication, the characters and humor grab kids’ attention as well as any DreamWorks flick.
It’s not quite Pixar-quality in its execution, but fairly close –- particularly the all-star voice cast, led by Kenneth Branagh as Charles Dickens, who narrates the Gospel story to his son, Walter (Roman Griffin Davis). The boy’s silly cat interrupts the action quite a bit, played for laughs.
The film is framed around Dickens’ actual book The Life of Our Lord, his own retelling of the Gospels that he wrote to his children and not published until 64 years after his death.
Rounding out the cast are Oscar Isaac as Jesus, Forest Whitaker as Peter, Mark Hamill as King Herod, Ben Kingsley as Caiaphas, Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, and Uma Thurman as Dickens' wife, Catherine, and the Virgin Mary.
Families will find The King of Kings a fast-paced and meaningful portrait of the greatest story ever told, with Jesus’ miracles, clashes with religious leaders, and His greatest sacrifice depicted with sensitivity. It adds lighter moments, without detracting from or confusing the narrative itself.
It’s probably best suited for ages 3 to 10, with older ones likely to find it too tame. But parents should be aware that the story includes the Crucifixion. The depiction of that, while restrained, might be too intense for some littles.
Diverse talents foster powerful work of art
A remarkable convergence of diverse influences came together for The King of Kings, with hundreds of cast and crew members involved from around the world.
The British influence is front and center, with the story framed around master storyteller Dickens telling and interpreting the life of Jesus to his son.
Branagh, an accomplished actor-director who elevates every project he’s involved in, throws himself into this central role. The narrative touches on many thorny theological questions -– like deliverance from demons and why Jesus had to die. But it works due to the actor’s careful delivery and scene-setting.
The story and visuals are clearly crafted with great love for Scripture, with a team led by South Korean director Seong-ho "Jay" Jang, who has spent decades as a VFX supervisor on big-budget action films like Memories of the Sword.
Jang calls The King of Kings “a passion project of mine for nearly a decade” and his most personal project to date. He relied on American screenwriter Rob Edwards (Treasure Planet) to plus up his script with some American humor and character moments.
Several U.S.-based voice acting virtuosos are part of the ensemble. Actors Jim Cummings, Dee Bradley Baker, and James Arnold Taylor voice about 10 roles among them.
Taylor, in particular, has spoken of his passion for this project.
“Usually most of my work is in doing Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars or Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon,” he said in a recent interview. “I have been a Christian for the majority of my life and loved opportunities like this to tell the story of Christ wherever I can in my work.”
Speaking of American influence, I would venture to guess that the director Jang is a fan of hit Gospel-inspired TV series The Chosen (though I haven’t seen this reported yet).
Consider how this animated film depicts Jesus walking on water, Peter venturing out onto the waves, and the Savior ultimately calming the storm. It’s not a replica of The Chosen’s epic season three finale, but it gives off similar vibes.
Minor quibbles, major kudos to The King of Kings
Since we’ve mentioned The Chosen, I share in part some concerns raised by critic Joseph Holmes, who has called this film’s depiction of Jesus “(overly) gentle, meek, and mild,” even while it tries to emphasize Him as a king.
Frankly, The Chosen is the gold standard for how to depict Jesus on-screen, balancing His divine and human natures, His strength and humility -– and this version misses some of that.
For parents eager to underline the excitement of the Gospels, especially for their sons, I’d recommend The Action Bible graphic novel, and The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, which develops the theme of Jesus as the “snake-crusher” throughout the Old and New Testaments.
And, a small quibble, I do take issue with Angel Studios promoting this as the first Biblical animated theatrical feature since The Prince of Egypt. As Peter Chattaway has pointed out, Sony/Jim Henson Company’s The Star, released in 2017, is a wonderfully comic, Biblically based feature. And TV movie The Miracle Maker is well worth seeking out.
That said, my kids were totally into The King of Kings and it gave us much substance to discuss afterward. If you’re a fan of Broadway musicals, you’ll recognize the end-credits singer –- that’s Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda from Wicked, belting out a ballad about living for Jesus.
The King of Kings is a gorgeous film that draws young viewers in to know and understand the Gospel story in a powerful way. I highly recommend it for families with young children.
Image: Angel Studios
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith and culture for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
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