The King of Kings is an animated version of the story of our Lord Jesus Christ as told by Charles Dickens and seen through the eyes of a child. Source: Australian Catholics.
Written in the 1840s, Dickens recited the story every Christmas and it was read aloud in succeeding family generations. Dickens forbade its publication. However, in 1934, more than 60 years after the death of the author, the family made it available.
This film was made by a South Korean animator, Seong-go Jang, in Korean studios but uses the voices of talented English speakers – British and American.
In the film, Dickens tells the story to his son, Walter, who is a spirited boy, absorbed by stories of King Arthur, swords and dragons.
After he disrupts his father’s presentation on stage of Scrooge and A Christmas Carol, Dickens’ sympathetic wife urges him to tell the Gospel story.
Initially wanting a tale of kings and dragons, Walter is drawn into the story of Jesus – all while accompanied by his mischievous cat.
This means that while this is definitely a film for younger audiences, it could be a pleasure for the whole family.
The animation style is vivid, and the film tells all the familiar parts of Jesus’s life, including healing the sick and walking on water during a storm. Much screen time is given to the Last Supper, the agony in the garden, Judas’s betrayal, Jesus’s trial and the crucifixion.
A key element of the screenplay is having the young boy enter into all the action, observing and being close-up with Jesus.
The device of having Walter within the Gospel story is a great means for younger audiences to also learn about Jesus.
The voice cast is strong. Branagh as Dickens, Thurman as his wife Catherine, Hamill is an extraordinarily rambunctious King Herod, Kingsley is a thundering villainous high priest Caiaphas, Brosnan a disdainful Pontius Pilate and Isaac voices Jesus.
Review by Fr Peter Malone MSC, Jesuit Media
The King of Kings: Voices of: Kenneth Branagh, Oscar Isaac, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley. Directed by Seong-ho Jang. 104 minutes. Rated PG (Mild supernatural themes and animated violence.
FULL REVIEW
The King of Kings (Australian Catholics)
