The King of Kings review (2025)
The King of Kings is a very strong animated Cliff Notes version of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s an ideal vehicle for Christian parents aspiring to give their children a gateway to learning about the various stories and scriptures in a child-friendly manner.
With a star-studded cast, gorgeous animation, a unique presentation and a savvy attention span conscious run time, King of Kings will likely resonate with the entire family seeking more than the standard Easter church service message.
Interestingly, King of Kings doesn’t start off with anything about Jesus. Instead, it kicks off with Charles Dickens (Kenneth Branagh) performing on stage a reading of some of his work. Behind the curtain is his wife, Catherine (Uma Thurman) and his three children. The youngest, Walter (Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit), is by far the biggest handful running around backstage with his cat, Willa (Dee Bradley Baker, Star Wars The Clone Wars).
Walter is on his King Arthur kick and is obsessed with all things concerning the wielder of Excalibur and the ruler of Camelot. A frustrated Charles lashes out at Walter but is convinced by Catherine to take a different approach. Why not tell him about a king even greater than Arthur? The true king of kings?
Director/co-screenwriter Seong-Ho Jang and co-writers Rob Edwards (Captain America: Brave New World) and Jamie Thomason have a clever setup, but it’s not exactly a random premise. In addition to his most famous work, A Christmas Carol, Dickens also wrote The Life of Our Lord (available now on Amazon) in 1846 as a means of sharing his deep Christian faith with his family.
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King of Kings takes a more creative direction having Charles explain Jesus’ life as Walter imagines being present for all the significant moments. Occasionally that creates some logistical problems as Walter and Charles interact with characters. That criticism might also have something to do with not having the imagination of a young child. King of Kings is clearly not intended for critical eyes questioning how much Walter and Charles can truly be a part of Jesus’ story.
Walter “sees” Jesus’ birth and watches as becomes a young evangelist into a young man (now voiced by Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight) assembling his disciples and spreading the Good News. Jang uses some inspired ways of telling the story such as the initial roll call of disciples playing out on Charles’ desk as Walter sees miniature versions of the 12 including Peter (Forest Whitaker).
Audiences accustomed to watching a decent number of animated films might recognize vocal luminaries including Mark Hamill, James Arnold Taylor, Vanessa Marshall, Jim Cummings, Mick Wingert and Fred Tatasciore. Also providing vocal performances are stars like Pierce Brosnan and Sir Ben Kingsley.
Character models are designed for a younger audience with exaggerated features specifically wider noses and thicker brows. With a run time of an hour and 43 minutes, the story can’t account for each and every story in the opening four chapters of The New Testament though Jang, Edwards and Thomason cover an impressive amount without making them feel rushed.
Some of the standout sequences is when Jesus walks on water. The animation for the crashing waves and the disciples’ boat rocking back and forth offers a stunning visual of the treacherous journey and their relief upon seeing Jesus among the sea. Another well done story is the bread and fish. It’s not nearly as dramatic, but Jang shows an easily comprehended explanation for children how that miracle was possible.
As King of Kings approaches its less cheery final act, Jang gets the point across with Jesus’ beating and ultimate crucifixion without turning this children’s animation project into The Passion of the Christ.
For Christian families, The King of Kings should really resonate thanks to the filmmakers’ creative approach that just adds a small engaging wrinkle to
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Angel Studios
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