Animated Movie “DAVID” Inspires Families This Christmas

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.

The story of Christmas in the gospel of Luke is filled with memorable characters, from the young Joseph and Mary to the awestruck shepherds in the field to the radiant angels who announced Christ’s birth. However, it may be easy to overlook a legendary figure from the Old Testament who is central to the story – King David.

Just in time for Christmas, the new animated movie “DAVID” from Angel Studios is now in theaters. Producer and director Phil Cunningham of Sunrise Animation Studios spoke with Metro Voice from South Africa about the movie and the legacy of David.

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“I think that DAVID is a perfect story for our times on so many levels but will zone in on two aspects,” he said. “First, he is far from perfect but lives his life wholeheartedly, holding nothing back. We live in a moment in history where people are often paralyzed by fear, but he was an ordinary person who did not shrink back but lived with all his heart. He lived bravely, and if you read history it is interesting to note how he inspired his generation to do and achieve incredible things. I think he can inspire our generation.

Hopefully, his story inspires our younger generation

“Second, I think globally we live with a leadership crisis and this story, through the characters of Saul and David, unpacks two leadership styles. One is power hungry, controlling and paranoid, and the other is expansive, brave and a servant-style leadership. Hopefully, his story inspires our younger generation to lead with humility, courage and in the service of others, not themselves.”

Cunningham credits his mother, whom he calls “the most incredible human being,” for inspiring him to make the movie.

“When we were 14-years-old, she was like, `Phil, by your age, David was fighting Goliath, Daniel was in the lion’s den. What are you doing with your life? Get out there. Step out. Take a risk. Have an adventure,’” he said. “Then over 30 years ago, I was canoeing down a beautiful river in Africa called the Zambezi. You could canoe for four days and five nights and not see a human being but just elephant, buffalo, lion, beautiful thunderstorms and sunsets. This is where the idea of telling David’s story was birthed.”

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He believed David could inspire viewers to face the giants in their own their lives.

“My wife, Jacqui, has been an integral part of making this film, encouraging us all to step out, dream bigger and dare greatly,” he said. “Walking through Paris with her, we stood under the Arc de Triomphe and marveled at the scale and attention to detail in the architecture. It was a very inspiring moment, and looking around at the apartments and office blocks in Paris, we thought as filmmakers it is possible just to just churn money and knock out ordinary buildings, or we can dream big and try and create an `Arc de Triomphe’ movie that stands as a beacon of inspiration to this generation.”

He chose to make an animated movie instead of live action because of its ability to transcend age, race and cultural barriers to reach as broad of an audience as possible. The story follows David from shepherd boy to king, touching on his moral failures as well as successes, but in a family friendly way.

Most movies are a positive change arc, but the story of David is a testing arc

“Most movies are a positive change arc, but the story of David is a testing arc,” he said. “The character stays consistently strong, but the world around him changes, as in `Hacksaw Ridge.’ Of course he is human within the context, but he fails. When he’s fearful, he cries out to God, but ultimately the big change is in the world around him.”

The Legacy of David: Imperfect, Honest, and Hopeful

Although countless movies, books and television stories have told the timeless story of David, it never ceases to fascinate and inspire audiences.

“The story of David is the ultimate underdog story, and it has absolutely inspired generations for millennia,” Cunningham said. “David is one of the most inspiring characters in human history: a warrior, poet, shepherd and king. In the book of Acts, God says, `I found in David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart.’ I was like, ‘Wow, imagine if we could make a movie about David. It would give us a glimpse of God’s own heart. This beautiful heart that is expansive, full of adventure, joy and kindness, not boring, not dull, not austere. It could inspire a generation.’”

At the same, David was far from perfect, like everyone else.

“We are all flawed, we all make mistakes, but what we love about David is that he held nothing back,” he said. “When he was full of joy, he spoke it out. When he was full of fear or anxious or had questions, he voiced that. You’ll see in the movie that there’s a big moment where he questions God, and he says, ‘Why, God?’ And I just love that, because it gives us permission as humans not to sanitize our approach to God, just to talk out our fear, our hope, our joy, our concerns.”

If David could find redemption, so can anyone.

“David’s story is an amazing example for us to look at and say, `Wow, you can be that real, that honest and just live that wholehearted,” Cunningham said.’ You don’t have to be perfect. David is an incredible example just to live with all your heart and leave nothing on the track.”

Cunningham hopes his movie will point viewers toward the baby in the manager this Christmas season and give them courage in the coming year.

“At Sunrise, as a studio, our whole mission is to inspire through story,” he said. “So that’s our passion behind the David movie, that people would walk out, no matter what walk of life they’re coming from, inspired to take on the giants in their life.

“I think faith based projects can connect with people at a deep level, if they are told well and do not preach or push an agenda. Well-told, they can leave the viewer first of all entertained and then perhaps inspired at a heart level. One of the other great things about David’s story is that he is a very unifying character as he is held in high esteem in the Jewish, Muslim, Christian and secular world. People from different faith backgrounds and non-faith backgrounds can all relate.”

For more information about “DAVID,” visit www.angel.com/movies/david.

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice