Light of the World is a 2D animated movie that tells the story of Christ from the beginning of His ministry through His crucifixion and resurrection, as seen through the eyes of his youngest disciple, John.
It begins in the year 30 AD when the the people of God are expectantly awaiting the coming Messiah.
While Jesus isn’t exactly what they imagined, John, James, Andrew, Peter, and their new friends discover that there is something very special about this man.
As they follow Jesus of Nazareth on an amazing adventure, He changes the world forever.
JESUS IS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF HIS TEENAGE DISCIPLES
The movie presents an unconventional perspective on John and the closest followers of Jesus, supported by research from Biblical historians who suggest that some of the disciples may have been teenagers when they began following Him.
The filmmakers believe that John, being the youngest, could have been as young as 13 or 14.
Animators and film directors Tom Bancroft and John Schafer have a long history of creating inspiring Christian kids’ content.
Tom is a former Disney animator who worked on The Lion King, Mulan and Aladdin.
His twin brother Tony who also worked on Mulan is the animation director on Light of the World.
Tom and John previously collaborated on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)’s popular animated series Superbook,
ANIMATED MOVIE EXPLORES HOW JESUS CHANGED THE WORLD FOREVER
Light of the World is their latest quest to encourage young people with powerful Biblical messages and themes.
“This beautiful, 2D-animated story of Jesus is told through the eyes of his beloved young friend, the Apostle John,” reads the publicity blurb
“Light of the World powerfully illustrates how Jesus of Nazareth changed the world forever and still changes lives today!”
The co-directors told CBN News that working on this project together has been a “dream come true” — and one that comes with true purpose.
“A COMING OF AGE EXPERIENCE”
John Schafer said Light of the World offers a truly unique lens through which the Bible is being presented to kids and families.
“The biggest thing is the perspective — how we’re telling the story of life of Jesus,” he said.
“For us, we really felt like we could take it through the lens of John the Apostle but also based on historians and theologians we’ve been talking with.”
“The disciples would have probably been teenagers, upper teenagers, Peter being the oldest at 20-to-24.”
With that in mind, the duo wanted to tell the story through that vein and through John’s eyes, making it more of a “coming of age” experience.
CREATORS WANTED MOVIE TO BE USED AS A MINISTRY TOOL
“Our goal was to make this for everyone, but also keeping in mind people who have no idea of the Gospel.” John Schafer explained.
“We also wanted a child in the audience to resonate with John the disciple and for adults to see Jesus through a child’s eyes.”
“Our goal was not just a theatrical launch in the United States which is our biggest market, but eventually, to get the film into the hands of ministries from around the world and use it as a tool.”
THE CHALLENGE OF MERGING ETERNAL TRUTH WITH ENTERTAINMENT
Tom Bancroft said the responsibility of working on such an important project that merges eternal Truth with entertainment — an effort aimed at creating a fun, powerful, and effective evangelistic tool — was “intimidating,” but rewarding.
“We would start praying before our story meetings and going: God, give us the knowledge to know what you want in this movie,” he revealed.
“And, step by step, we kept doing that all through the production because we had to be grounded in our faith.”
APPETITE FOR FAITH-BASED CONTENT HUNGRIER THAN EVER
Light of the World’s release comes at a time when the appetite for faith-based content is hungrier than ever.
Shows like The Chosen and Christian films are becoming increasingly popular and more prevalent.
John Schafer believes “people are searching” and that this reality is driving the intrigue.
“Parents are searching for content,” he said.
“Children are searching for certain answers.”
“I think people right now, especially in the climate we’re in, are looking for hope, and I think our story brings that in a very non-threatening way.”
Light of the World is now screening in selected cinemas.
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