It’s hard not to see the obvious parallels between the story of Angel Studios’ latest animated feature, “David,” and the studio’s own journey.
Much like David himself, Angel Studios is an underdog facing off with its own Goliath in the form of historic studios like Disney and colossal streaming giants like Netflix.
But, just as David felled his foe with a mere stone, Angel Studios topped its Hollywood competition with a humble animated feature produced by a small American studio, Slingshot USA.
The film is not an all-time great by any means, but it does manage to surpass in quality the vast bulk of what Pixar, Disney, and all the other major animated studios have managed to produce this year.
Following the story of David from the Bible’s book of 1 Samuel, “David” is an animated musical that aspires to reach the heights Disney films in the genre consistently hit in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The film opens with David, a young musician, tending to his flock of sheep, defending them from a lion, and then encouraging them to overcome their fear via the film’s first musical number, “Adventure Song.”
The series of scenes effectively foreshadows his ascendency to the kingship of Israel, showcasing the film’s effective use of plotting and symbolism.
However, at this early point in the film, this writer was still unsure as to whether or not it would stick the landing.
The Disneyfied cartoonishness felt a little over-the-top — a little too derivative, even — and the opening song was fine, as far as musical numbers to go, but nothing to write home about.
But then, roughly 15 minutes into the film, David returned home and the prophet Samuel revealed he was God’s next chosen king of the Israelites.
All of a sudden, things got serious.
The Disney-esque tone faded into the background. A series of cleverly sequenced close-ups and creatively angled shots showcased the prophet Samuel anointing David with ceremonial oil.
The filmmakers effectively communicated the spiritual weight and significance of the moment in powerful fashion.
For the first time, the film showed true strokes of original artistic vision.
From then on, through the rest of the film’s runtime, “David” bounced back and forth — seamlessly at times, less seamlessly at others — between these two tones: Disney-esque animated comedy and dramatic biblical epic.
Every time “David” mustered the courage to get serious, it soared.
King Saul’s slow descent into madness, the epic face-off with Goliath (which did not disappoint), Saul’s betrayal of David and the latter’s dramatic escape into the wilderness — all of these moments of drama were told incredibly well.
The musical numbers also improved as the film went on.
“Shalom,” “Follow the Light,” and “Tapestry” were all standouts, but by far the most impressive was “Why God -My God” (see the clip below).
This writer would even go as far as saying that “Why God – My God” is as good as it gets. If the world we live in was more fair, it would be up for Best Original Song at the Oscars this year. Yes, it’s that good (and worthy nominees are also hard to find these days).
The score is certainly better than anything the supposed king of animated musicals — Disney — has put out in recent years.
Overall, the story manages to stay entertaining and engaging throughout. That, in and of itself, is a major feat for an independently produced production.
It also managed to do another thing few modern films can boast — “David” gave us a protagonist whose goal is not to “find himself” or “live his truth,” but rather to follow God.
That alone should be reason enough for you to go see this film.
“David” is not perfect, but it is good — and at this point in Angel Studios’ journey, that in itself is a triumph.
If the studio continues its current trend of improvement, this writer believes it could very well distribute or produce, in the coming years, an animated epic on the level of 1998’s “The Prince of Egypt” — a true classic in the genre.
So, go support this movie.
Not just because the kids will love the drama and enjoy the lighthearted fun, and not just for the impressive strokes of artistic vision blended throughout — but because Angel Studios is on a trajectory for long-term success.
As AI tools continue to level the playing field between smaller independent studios and faltering, out-of-touch Hollywood behemoths, it’s only a matter of time before more filmmakers willing to explore true Christian and conservative themes become Davids in their own right, knocking out the leftist Hollywood competition by slinging entertaining and morally upright films like “David” into the midst of the marketplace.
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