Through a father's vivid storytelling, a boy journeys through Jesus' life, from humble beginnings to ultimate sacrifice. Along the way, he discovers the transformative power of faith. (from IMDB)

Angel Studios has quickly become a leader in faith-based filmmaking. Their latest release (of many) is an animated film that tells the story of Jesus for audiences of all ages. It's a really unique and out-of-the-ordinary story, too, as it uses a young boy's obsession with kings - like King Arthur - as a catalyst for renowned author and novelist Charles Dickens to tell the story of Jesus, the King of Kings. I had never heard of such a storytelling by Dickens myself, so some quick research revealed that Dickens did in fact pen "The Life of Our Lord" during the years 1846-1849 for children. This little fact helps frame Angel's movie The King of Kings, lending a little historical fact to the artistic liberties taken for the way Jesus's story is retold here.

Admittedly, I got a little worried as The King of Kings opened. The very first scene shows Ebenezer Scrooge in a snow-covered cemetary as he begs the unseen Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come to let him have another try at life. This quickly transitions into showing Dickens himself telling the story of A Christmas Carol as a one-man-show in front of a live theater audience. But here's where I started to worry: He's suddenly interrupted by his son Walter, and his beloved cat Willa, who are gallivanting about backstage as the young boy pretents to play, wielding a little dagger as Excalibur. It derails his father's show and devolves into utter chaos, pulling his father away from his audience and causing him to lose his temper in front of Walter and his two siblings. I couldn't help but feel for Dickens as he was only trying to put on a show for a paying audience, while his little boy can't put aside his fixation with kings long enough for the show to go on. I could also completely relate to his feeling of defeat when he inevitably lost his cool with his boy. Fellow parents, I'm sure you too can relate.

Charles' wife, Catherine, in an effort to smooth things over with Walter later that night, encourages him to read a new story of Charles' to their rambunctious young son. Charles tries to entice his son with the ultimate story about the ultimate king - the, in fact, KING of Kings, and he starts with the Christmas story as he begins to tell him of the life of Jesus. Throughout the telling, Walter imagines himself witnessing the story, subtly interracting with the characters - like Joseph and Mary - or being right there in the crowd as Jesus carries the cross up the hill to Golgotha. Along the way, we're introduced to Jesus' twelve disciples, and other familiar colorful characters from scriptures. While the Easter story is basically condensed into less than an hour-and-a-half, director Seong-ho Jang does an excellent job doing so, flashing back and forth between Charles (and Catherine) telling the story to Walter and Willa, as they sit in the Dickens study. It makes the time passing during Jesus's life less jarring, and the storytelling parts as lighter moments to break from the heavier ones during Jesus's life. However, the story can only get so light as the dramatic stakes continue to rise as we near the crucifixion. Jang leans into this, too, showing what Jesus had to go through and how the mere thought of it affects young Walter. But, despite the synthetic storytelling method that animation can be, the voics performances from Kenneth Branaugh as Dickens and Oscar Isaac as Jesus are especially impactful. Without really passionate voice performances, I'm not sure The King of Kings would work.

I'm kind of on-the-fence about the animation style in The King of Kings. While the quality is certainly strong, the squared-off, exaggerated features of many of the human characters is sometimes distracting. We're representing real people in this animated story, but, in some ways, they look - and feel - like caricatures. It can make it feel less real and more fantastical because of it. At the same time, it's the perfect storytelling method for young viewers. This approach allows for scenes like Peter walking out on the water to meet Jesus especially powerful, and for Charles, Walter and Willa to seamlessly move in and out of Jesus' story. They're often observers, just like us, and are able to feel the story in a similar way. Some of the animation gives limitation to the emotion expressed on the characters' faces (and Jesus can seem a bit wooden at times), but the excellent voice performances penetrate these limitations to drive the emotion through. There's a dated, old school or lower-budget feel to the animation at times, while at others, it feels wholly modern, but with its limitations being more of a stylistic choice. (I'm sure it's a mix of both.) In the end, the animated delivery of the story is perfect for kids, but it will certainly impact those with open minds and hearts for Jesus, too. I found myself getting choked up several times - whether it be relating to Peter's faith journey, or imagining what our Lord Jesus did for us. And seeing it through the eyes of a child - specifically Walter's - helped this as well. Viewing The King of Kings as a story aimed at relating Jesus's life to children really helps put the whole thing in the right perspective. With that in mind, it knocks it right out of the park.

As you can imagine, the story can be pretty heavy as the viewer makes their way toward the crucifixion. I was curious how on earth it was going to handle Jesus's torture and death, but I believe it was done really tastefully. The most powerful thing about 2004's The Passion of the Christ was making the crucifixion tangible and real. If you've heard the story all your life, as I did, it's so easy to get numb to it and take it for granted. Some found the violence in The Passion of the Christ to be gratuitous, but it was really an effective way to understand the brutality of Jesus' sacrifice. The King of Kings pulls punches in this department, but appropriately so. I think the idea of what Christ went through for us is conveyed in a powerful way without having to show us just how brutal it really was. After all, this is a telling for children. But, even with that in mind, it's still pretty intense. I was surprised that a scene was included to show Jesus casting demons out of a possessed man, and then those demons are seen going into pigs that then run off a cliff and splash into the water below. At the same time, it's a great illustration of Jesus's power on earth and command over evil. Jesus's desert temptation is also shown, with the devil presented as a wind and dark voice whirling around Jesus as he tempts him with power if he would submit to him. For Jesus' torture, the camera never shows the impact of the flogging, or the hammering of the nails, but we briefly see the guards' arms making the swinging motions. For the aftermath, we see small scrapes on Jesus's body, and small holes on his hands and feet, but it's not gruesome, and it isn't focused on.

The King of Kings is not your usual telling of Jesus's story. It's silly at times, funny at times, but serious when it really needs to be. And although its method of storytelling most definitely isn't for everyone, it's a truly quality production that is excellent at accomplishing what it set out to do -- tell the story of Jesus for children. The voice acting performances are also excellent, and they help elevate the film even more (It's also amazing to think that Luke Skywalker, James Bond and the voice of Darkwing Duck/Winnie the Pooh are all also involved in this). It's a wonderful story that arrives just in time for Easter, and will be the perfect film to revisit this time each year for years to come.