Review: The King of Kings

 

Review: The King of Kings Delivers Bible Stories with Energy, Imagination, and a Surprising Celebrity Cast

For Christian families seeking animated entertainment rooted in biblical storytelling, Angel Studios’ The King of Kings offers a lively, faith-based experience tailored for young viewers. Focusing on the stories of Joseph and Moses, the film is both reverent and visually energetic—an ideal introduction for children encountering these tales for the first time.

At the heart of The King of Kings is a fascinating, semi-historical framing device. The film draws partial inspiration from The Life of Our Lord, an unpublished manuscript by Charles Dickens written privately for his children. Though Dickens was famously skeptical of organized religion, this tender retelling of the gospel reflects a personal, heartfelt effort to communicate Jesus’s teachings.

The story opens in Victorian London, just after the publication of A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens (voiced by Kenneth Branagh) is performing his classic tale on stage when his son Walter—along with his pet cat—bursts in, pretending to be King Arthur. Frustrated but determined to reconnect, Dickens begins reading his new, unfinished manuscript to the boy, using Walter’s obsession with royalty as a bridge into the life of Jesus. From there, the film unfolds as a series of animated gospel vignettes, with frequent cutbacks to Dickens and Walter discussing the meaning of each story in simple, accessible language.

While the animation occasionally cuts corners—there are a few stiff or under-animated moments—the film makes up for it with its bold style and kinetic pace. It’s clear that The King of Kings is designed for very young audiences, with Walter’s antics playing broadly and the storytelling moving quickly from one scene to the next. Older viewers may find some of the humor more distracting than endearing, but the movie stays focused on its goal: making biblical stories feel alive and exciting for children.

Adding to the film’s curiosity factor is its remarkably stacked voice cast. Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, and Oscar Isaac all lend their talents, giving the film unexpected star power. Hamill’s take on King Herod, delivered with his signature gravelly Joker-like voice, is especially memorable.

Despite its occasional flaws, The King of Kings succeeds in what it sets out to do: introduce gospel stories to a new generation with color, humor, and heart. For families looking for age-appropriate, faith-centered content, this animated feature may be just the thing to spark a deeper interest in Scripture—and perhaps even a few post-movie questions worth discussing.