MOVIE TITLE: The King of Kings

This lovely animated movie hits theaters on April 11, 2025, just in time for Easter!

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 40 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

FEATURED PRODUCTS for Today’s movie review: Easter books!

My book publisher, Cedar Fort Books, is offering special discounts on Easter books for children and adults. You can find them at this link: https://www.cedarfort.com?sca_ref=3272817.WYEZNH3aIk

I’m super excited to tell you that MY newest book will also be launched just in time for Easter! It’s called “Via Dolorosa: Christ’s Path to the Cross”. It’s about Jesus path in Jerusalem from condemnation to crucifixion, and features ideas for families know how to honor Easter in special ways.

You can pre-order a copy on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3XCX6EV

IN A NUTSHELL:

The film was directed, produced, and written by Jang Seongho! Screenwriting credits also go to Rob Edwards.

It’s a simple telling of the greatest story ever told, that of the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the words of Charles Dickens.

A father tells his son the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice. The King of Kings invites us to rediscover the enduring power of hope, love, and redemption through the eyes of a child.

This is the first animated feature film distributed by Angel Studios!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Adult bullying
Talk of when King Herod wanted to kill all of the babies and when the Jewish leadership wanted to kill Jesus.
Some violent content. We see men hanging from the cross, but we don’t see much blood.
Swords are seen and used. A man’s ear is cut.
A man almost drowns
We hear Jesus being scourged, but most of the brutality is visually blocked by a pillar.
Talk of the death of Lazarus and a portrayal of him coming out of the tomb/cave wearing burial linens.
Young children might be scared a few times such as when demons were inside a man and then Jesus casts them into swine who jump off a cliff.
Point out to your children that some of the Jews wear phylacteries (small, black leather boxes on their foreheads), and finger cords. Traditionally, they’re worn by Jewish men during weekday morning prayers because of the commandment in Deuteronomy 6:8.

THEMES:

Forgiveness
Understanding
Faith
The birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
New Testament scriptures

THINGS I LIKED:

The voice talents are brought to us by a fantastic cast that includes Sir Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, Jim Cummings, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Griffin Davis, and Ava Sanger.
Charles Dickens was raised in a Christian household and remained a believer throughout his life. He was an Anglican who held deep personal religious convictions that matured over time, especially as he became more concerned with the plight of the poor and the moral responsibilities of individuals and society. His book The Life of Our Lord (written between 1846-1849 for his children but published posthumously in 1934) reflects his personal and simple Christian beliefs. This movie is Dickens’ testimony of Jesus Christ. Dickens admired Christ’s teachings on kindness and charity but was critical of religious hypocrisy and dogmatism, which he often satirized in his novels. It’s sweet that the movie begins with a scene of Ebenezer Scrooge from the story “A Christmas Carol” that was written by Charles Dickens.
The animation is adorable and does a great job showing us what Jerusalem would have looked like at the time of Jesus.
The storytelling technique is really sweet because it shows Charles Dickens with his son, Walter, immersed within the story and scriptures.
They did a great job portraying all of the selected scriptures in the story in creative ways.
The animated face of Jesus is kind and appealing. He is voiced by Oscar Isaac.
The introduction of the 12 apostles is humorous and creative. Loved it.
Lovely musical score.
So many scene transitions were done in creative, clever, and touching ways.
Keep watching during the final rolling credits to see the initial pencil sketches of the animation. So sweet.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some of the animated characters have clunky movements.
Some might complain that so many parts of Jesus’ ministry were skipped. It would take much longer than an hour and 41 minutes to cover all of them!
Some scenes are not scripturally accurate. In addition, not all of the conversations occur in the correct locations.

FUNNY LINES:

None noted.

INTERESTING LINES:

“Behavior has consequences.” – Charles Dickens (Sir Kenneth Branagh)
“Even though Jesus was tempted by Satan, He defeated him using only the word of God, not with a magic sword.” – Charles Dickens (Sir Kenneth Branagh)
“You’re asking the wrong question. It doesn’t matter if he sinned or if his parents have sinned. It only matters that, when we see him, we see the work of God.” – Jesus Christ (Oscar Isaac) when a disciple asks why a man was born blind
When Charles Dickens asked why Jesus didn’t want anyone to talk about His miracles yet, the father replies, “Because they weren’t miracles for the sake of miracles; they were miracles to prove the power of faith.”
“We’re alive again because He is risen.” – Charles Dickens (Sir Kenneth Branagh)
“King Arthur’s story was based on this story!” – Walter (Roman Griffin Davis)