‘Light Of The World’ A Giant Leap Forward For Faith-Based Animation
(REVIEW) While the faith-based film industry has been in its modern form for more than 20 years, there’s been little investment in animation after Big Ideas VeggieTales collapsed in 2003. It’s no wonder. Animation is expensive and the faith-based film industry has largely built its business model on being a low-budget with an enthusiastic niche audience.
But now, faith-based movies are much bigger, while animation has gotten much cheaper. Hence, the independently animated “Flow” winning best animated feature.
This year has been evidence of that. It’s been noted before (including by me) that this has been a good year for Jesus at the movies. “The Chosen,” “The King of Kings” and “The Last Supper” were all released in theaters in time for the Easter season. All were big successes. But it’s also true that this has been a big year for Jesus in animation, particularly “The King of Kings” — and now “Light of the World” enters the fray.
“Light of the World” is a hand-drawn 2D animated take on the life of Jesus from the point of view of a teenage John who meets Jesus and follows him. The movie is the first foray into film by the Salvation Poem Project, an independent non-profit studio whose mission, according to their website, “is to provide beautiful, high-quality resources to ministries, missionaries and fellow believers — absolutely free.”
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I’m happy to say that, as a first crack at faith-based animation, “Light of the World” is a deeply encouraging success. It’s not perfect, but the good outweighs the bad and gives hope for the future that faith-based art can have in the medium. “Light of the World” takes place in the year 30 and everyone is expectantly awaiting the coming Messiah. The young John particularly needs a Messiah when the Romans threaten his family. While Jesus isn’t exactly what he — or anyone else — had imagined, there is something special about Him. Soon, John, James, Andrew, Peter and others begin to follow Jesus on an unexpected adventure.
“Light of the World” is a film clearly aimed at children and their families, trying to tell a Gospel message that will appeal to both audiences with beautiful animation and heart. This is always a tough balancing act, and the film doesn’t always succeed. But when it succeeds, it soars.
At times, it feels like there are two different “Light of the World” movies vying for dominance onscreen. One is a cringe Sunday school lesson with forced try-hard laughs and mini-sermons sprinkled throughout. The other is a beautifully animated character drama that shares the beauty of Jesus through relatable characters and moving imagery with genuine laugh-out-loud moments. You can almost feel the game of creative twister the filmmakers went through to check all the boxes of being enjoyable to kids, appealing to parents, being genuinely artistically excellent and preach the Gospel all in one movie. Ultimately, the better movie wins out more often than not. And that’s actually both deeply gratifying and surprising.
Take John as a character. He comes off at first as a bland young kid protagonist — until his relationship with John the Baptist and Jesus develops. Likewise, with the Gospel message, sometimes the devices they use to share it are brilliant and work flawlessly. For example, much of the articulation comes in the form of stories that John’s mom and Jesus tell him and others. This feels more like worldbuilding than preaching because it establishes a place where this kind of oral tradition is lived. Other times it comes off as contrived and clunky like when they have one character walk another character through a perfect “accepting Jesus into your heart” prayer straight out of a Billy Graham crusade when their Jesus never coached his disciples through that prayer.
Take the animation. Many of the character models and world feel so hyper-stylized in order to be kid-friendly that it feels like overkill. But other times the animation is deeply creative and emotional. The way a strand of hair will fall over someone’s face. How big the waves that Peter encounters on his way to Jesus feel. The storybook fairytale quality of the history of the world and God’s salvation plan. All of these bring an alternatively fleshy and transcendent quality to the film. And what other qualities would you want from a movie about the God man?
But over time, the more generic elements of the film fade into less prominence, and the beauty of the story grows. By the end (one cringy “Gospel message” moment aside), the film becomes something truly touching. It calls to mind the best of faith-based animations past, whether it’s the fleshy animated warmth of the “Nest” Bible series, the silly humor of “VeggieTales” and the beautiful yet clear theology articulation of “The Bible Project.”
“The Chosen” is typically seen (and rightly so) as the standard bearer for onscreen portrayals of Jesus today. But there are things this film arguably does better than “The Chosen.” The film does more to establish the biblical imagination of the time, and gives a fuller articulation of the Gospel message than “The Chosen” does. Some moments that both projects share are more emotional in the “Light of the World” version, like the death of John.
If you look at “faith-based animation for kids” as a genre in in its earliest days of growth — with “King of Kings” and “Light of the World” as two of the first out of the gate — this film already shows reasons for optimism that this type of movie will grow faster than “The King of Kings” might have suggested. While both films featured child protagonists as the child audience’s eyes and ears to experience Jesus, John, as a protagonist, feels much more integrated into the world. His relationships with Peter, Jesus and others are more real and therefore the emotional moments hit harder.
One thing the two films share in common — a trope that we will likely see more of within this genre space — is the primacy of the mother and feminine spiritual wisdom in shaping the spiritual life of the son. In “Light of the World,” it’s John’s mother who encourages his belief in Jesus, and encourages his belief in opposition to his father’s views. She is also the one who prompts his dad to do the main act of love he’s praised for.
“Light of the World” is a huge breakthrough in faith-based animation and a hopeful step forward in this space. If future faith-based creators emulate this and work out its kinks, the future of one more artistic space for Christians has light.
“Light of the World” is in theaters everywhere starting Sept. 5.
Joseph Holmes is an award-nominated filmmaker and culture critic living in New York. He is co-host of the podcast “The Overthinkers” and its companion website theoverthinkersjournal.world, where he discusses art, culture and faith with his fellow overthinkers. His other work and contact info can be found at josephholmesstudios.com.