While rife with stories that would translate well to animation, it’s no surprise that this was the next story pulled from the Bible and set to music. Biblical epics have been around forever, but there’s been a gap in the animation market since The Prince of Egypt took the world by storm. The Prince of Egypt, which featured voice acting by Ralph Fiennes, Steve Martin, and the late Val Kilmer, was followed shortly after by Joseph: King of Dreams, but since then there’s been a distinct lack of animated films based on these stories.
Videos by ComicBook.com
But that gap seems to have been filled by a new animated epic that pulled in nearly $90 million at the box office. David, starring Phil Whickham, Lauren Daigle, and Brandon Engman, is now making its way to the top of the charts on Netflix, becoming the #4 most-watched film on the platform. The movie tells the tale of David, a young boy, who is called to step up to defend his people and embark on a journey that will test the limits of not only his courage, but his loyalty to those he loves.
David Brought Beautiful and Unique Animation Back to the Big Screen
The film has impressed critics and audiences alike, earning an 80% from the former and a much more impressive 98% from the latter. And while faith-based movies certainly aren’t for everyone, it seems that David managed to bridge that gap by being beautifully animated and entertaining from start to finish, highlighting a scrappy hero and the things he’s fighting for. “While watching, I genuinely felt like the movie had a Disney-style vibe to it. Overall, it’s a good and watchable film, but if you’re looking for fast-paced action or intense thrills, this movie might end up boring you,” said one viewer.
Critic Matthew Turner rated the movie a 2.5 out of 5, saying, “This is an impressively made animated drama with likable characters and some catchy songs. It’s just a shame that the script didn’t receive the same level of attention as the animation.” Jim Schembri added, “The biblical yarn gets a rather good rendering here as a faith-based family film telling the tale of the boy-king with the help of high-quality animation and a clutch of catchy songs. Things do get dark, yet the film is fashioned for easy ingestion.”
Do you have a favorite moment from David? What are your thoughts on the animation style? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.
