DAVID REVIEW
“Set aside your cynicism to enjoy an entertaining animated film for the whole family.”
The latest movie from Angel Studios is also the studio’ second animated film of the year, this one adapted from the Old Testament books of Samuel I and Samuel II, following the story of David’s rise from a lowly shepherd to becoming the anointed King of Israel. Directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes and produced by 2521 Entertainment, it feels like a pretty straightforward linear telling of the biblical story, but it’s also one that is clearly striving to create a truly epic scale we don’t frequently get from animated features from smaller American animation studios.
We meet the ambitious and bright-eyed David (voiced by Brandon Engman) as he’s tending his flock, and one of his sheep is preparing to deliver when a ferocious lion attacks, forcing David to act. He doesn’t kill the lion and even helps it escape when it’s trapped during the attack, showing that David is as benevolent as he is brave. The prophet Samuel has declared David to be the next King of Israel, and he’s anointed as such without the knowledge of Israel’s current King Saul (Adam Michael Gold). David’s older brothers are also not so happy about this.
After escaping the clutches of Egypt’s Pharaoh, Israel has been at war with the Philistines, and they’ve presented their enormous champion Goliath to take on Israel’s own in order to decide the war. This part of the story even the youngest child will probably already be aware, if only for the fact that “David-Goliath” stories have been a thing for hundreds of years since this story was first told.
We then meet the older David, voiced by Phil Wickham, who is still trying to keep King Saul from knowing that he’s the one anointed by Samuel as the future king. David’s best friends with the Saul’s oldest son, Jonathan (Mark Jacobson), who seems less concerned about taking on the mantle of king. When Saul learns the truth about the prophecy, he tries to kill David and sets his armies against him, forcing David into hiding, where he’s reunited with his mother and sister.
To some people, biblical epics might feel more like going to Sunday school or bible study than entertainment, but David finds a happy balance with everything it does in retelling this well-known biblical story, where David’s fight against the massive Goliath isn’t even the climax of the story. Throughout the film, it’s David’s faith and belief in God that drives and motivates him to the point where he’s often doing fool-hardy things like taking on an adversary that overshadows him.
Since David’s story precedes that of Jesus, this is one of those rare faith films from Angel Studios that shouldn’t turn off those of the Jewish faith (such as myself), since most Jews have been taught the story of David as kids in Hebrew School. And yet, it hasn’t been represented in films and television nearly as much as that of the story of Jesus, and that’s partially what makes David such a worthwhile endeavor.
David’s CG animation is pleasing enough, to the point where I wished I saw it on the big screen. The color choices, the lighting and the designs for the locations and characters often makes you feel like the filmmakers and animators carefully studied some of Disney and Pixar’s films, but were still able to maintain their own animation style. Some of the film’s highlights include a number of massive war sequences, like something out of Braveheart or Gladiator, but still done in that same style, which is impressive indeed. The film is also populated by amusing side characters, who keep the tone light with humor, despite the story veering into darker territory in the last act.
What really sets David apart from other attempts at animated epics are the fantastic songs sprinkled throughout the movie, with the singing voices being on par with any performers on Broadway or those from the height of Disney animated musical movies. Similarly, the score by Joseph Trapanese is as majestic as the visuals presented, driving all aspects of the film, whether it’s the action scenes, the musical numbers, or more poignant moments. Being able to blend all of these very different concepts into a cohesive film helps set the movie apart from other independently-made animated features.
Sadly, there’s a general cynicism towards anything faith-based in the film critic community, to the point where many of these films are rarely even screened for critics. To Angel Studios’ credit, they continue to impress me with the fact that, for the most part, they’re trying to make and release movies of a higher quality than some of the movies churned out by bigger Hollywood studios. David is a great example of this, because I’d put this animated feature up against anything from Disney or Pixar this year, since the subject is handled in such a majestic and epic way without losing the sight of the story’s potential younger audience. I have expressed my disappointment that Angel doesn’t seem concerned with awards or hiring an awards team, because the original songs in David deserve more acknowledgement, as does the film as a whole.
In other words, I was legitimately surprised by how much I enjoyed David. There’s no denying that every aspect of this film was crafted in order to create an experience as entertaining as any other movie being released this holiday season. Set aside your cynicism and feelings that you already know this story and just enjoy an entertaining animated film for the whole family.
Rating: 8/10
David will hit theaters nationwide on Friday, December 19.