Angel Studios' new animated feature, The King of Kings, hits theaters just in time for Easter. As a new father, I have a renewed interest in quality animated fare. While my son is a few years away from being the target audience for this film, I still approached it with an eye for whether it would be something I would show him.
Animated stories about Jesus aren't new. I grew up on Nest's Animated Stories From The New Testament as my first dramatic presentation of Jesus. I was also shown stories produced by The 700 Club and Hannah Barbara, of all people. The King of Kings is a bit of a novel approach, framing the story of Christ being told by Charles Dickens to his young son. This approach aims to give kids an entry point to the story.
Young Walter Dickens initially enters the story of Christ expecting a swashbuckling tale of swordplay and legend in the tradition of King Arthur, but instead finds himself encountering Christ. The film's approach may remind viewers of the narrative structure of The Princess Bride. Sometimes, I feel that the frequent cutaways from the story of Christ leave it feeling a bit starved for time. For adult entertainment, The Chosen has set quite a high bar for dramatic portrayals of the events of the Gospels. The aforementioned Nest Animated short films spread the story of Christ out over many half-hour installments.
This film has 100 or so minutes to portray the entire life of Christ while finding time to develop its protagonist's world of 1800s England. So, at times, it can feel a bit like the story is merely cycling through key moments in the Gospel, although they find time to include many significant moments in the runtime. For a children's movie, I think everything came together reasonably well.
One aspect I'd like to spend a quick minute on is the star-studded cast. With big names like Oscar Issac, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, and Mark Hamill, among others, this is not some indie affair. There are a lot of voices you'll recognize throughout this production. Yet, many manage to disappear into their roles and not beat you over the head by calling attention to the fact that a well-known celebrity is voicing the character.
Even though this is a story telling the life of Christ, Walter (and, to a lesser extent, his father) are the story's protagonists. The character change and emotional arc are theirs, and the account of Christ is merely a vehicle to deliver that. On that front, I found Walter a compelling and lively enough character in his own right. His encounter with Christ is surprisingly poignant, if a bit oversimplified. I can only hope that my son (who, unlike Walter in this film, I hope is familiar with who Jesus is from a much younger age) can respond to his encounters with Christ with the same passion and fervor that young Walter does.
The film does a serviceable enough job of chronicling important moments in Christ's life that it should also make young viewers want to look deeper into who Jesus was and still is. Content-wise, the film does an admirable job of balancing an accurate portrayal of the events of Christ's life while minimizing the blood and gore of said events. (For example, while blood is almost absent, the film is surprisingly onscreen for much of the crucifixion.)
Those looking for an in-depth character study of biblical figures (aka The Chosen or The Prince of Egypt, to use an animated comparison) might come away from this a bit disappointed. This film is about how Walter experiences these events more than the events themselves. Still, for those looking for a unique take on the life of Christ to add to their Easter season viewing, The King of Kings is a solid offering with a distinctive point of view.
I look forward to sharing it with my son when he's old enough to appreciate it.
J.J. Francesco is a longtime contributor to the NRT Staff. He's published the novel 'Because of Austin' and regularly seeks new ways to engage faith, life, and community. His new novel, 'When Miracles Can Dream,' is out NOW!
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