A new faith-based animated film is capturing hearts by retelling the story of Jesus in a creative and compelling way—through the narration of none other than Charles Dickens.
In an interview with Movieguide, King of Kings director Jang Seong-Ho, who also wrote and produced the film, said his vision was to reach both believers and nonbelievers alike.
“I want those Christians to watch this film and reconfirm what the meaning is of this film…and at the same time I want those people who are not going to church to find out about the story of Jesus,” he said.
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The film follows Dickens as he shares the Gospel story with his son, Walter, offering a fresh storytelling lens on a message that has spanned centuries. “There’s no meaning if I just follow the old practice and just redo what everyone else has done so far,” Jang explained. “If I was able to deliver the story through Charles Dickens’s great book…it will be very meaningful for the audience.”
While King of Kings is animated, the production process borrowed heavily from live-action filmmaking. A virtual production system allowed Jang to physically operate a real camera that translated movement into the digital environment, creating a cinematic feel rarely seen in animation.
/**/Telling the story of Jesus in a way that is both entertaining and deeply reverent wasn’t easy. “This story of Jesus is kind of heavy and at the same time very complicated,” he said. “I wanted to make it so the entire family can go to the cinema and really enjoy it.”
Jang emphasized that Jesus’ story remains powerful even 2,000 years later: “It is still very powerful and impactful…because it’s not made-up—the story is what really happened.”
A highlight of the project is the film’s cast, assembled with the help of Disney veteran Jamie Thomasson. “Every moment of casting each one of the actors was a miracle for us,” Jang said.
When asked what he hopes audiences take away from King of Kings, the director’s answer was simple yet profound: “If I was to summarize the entire Bible into one word, I think it is love—the love of Jesus.”
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
