Feature-length animated film Light of the World, which depicts Jesus’ life and ministry, will soon open in theaters—after a years-long production led in part by former Disney artists.

“It’s a reimagining of telling the life story of Jesus through the eyes of a young disciple, John,” said John Schafer, co-director of Light of the World, in a recent radio interview. “It’s a fresh take on it. We made this movie for everyone, but we wrote it for people who may not have a concept of Jesus or the Bible.”

The film, set to hit theaters across the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 5, is brought to life in a 2D animation style—which is no accident. Tom Bancroft, co-director on Light of the World, and his twin brother Tony, animation director, spent a decade at Walt Disney Animation Studios prior to going independent.

The Bancrofts worked on 90’s Disney hits including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Mulan, y The Emperor’s New Groove. Now they’re hoping this new feature stands up to those renowned animated classics.

“They’re Disney legends—creating Mushu, creating Pumbaa and Kronk,” said Schafer. “We thought, If we’re going to retell this story, let’s tell it in a medium that we all love.”

In a recent interview at Lorehaven, the Bancroft brothers, who both profess Christian faith, said producing a movie about Jesus was as challenging as any previous animation work.

“You can imagine the pressure of thousands of years of faithful people who know the Bible so well and theologians who spoke into this,” said Tony Bancroft. “To make it entertaining and capsulize the Gospel truths within that, that was so much.”

The traditional-animated approach differs from this year’s earlier animated Gospel adaptation feature, The King of Kings, produced by a South Korean team in a 3D animation style. Released by Angel Studios during Easter, that film has earned $76 million worldwide.

Light of the World retells the life of Christ through the young disciple John’s eyes. According to Schafer, John would have been in his teen years during the time he followed Jesus.

“We really felt strongly that it had to be a disciple, because that would draw credibility to the story. We thought if we went with the youngest, John, as he’s learning about this Messiah and becoming friends with this Messiah, the audience is discovering it at the same time.”

The film has been produced by Salvation Poem Project, founded by Christian entrepreneur Matt McPherson. His son, Brennan McPherson, serves as president of the organization and both are producers on the film, which según se informa has a $20 million budget.

Light of the World is primarily based on narratives from the Gospel of John, with additional stories drawn from other Gospels. It took the team almost four years from start to finish.

“I hope that people who go see this movie because they’re familiar with the story, that they take a friend or family member that they might not feel comfortable sharing the Gospel with,” said Schafer. “We really hope that people discover that Jesus is their friend.”

Josh Shepherd contribuyó a este artículo, que se publicó originalmente en CHV Radio. 

Sylvia St. Cyr es locutora de radio en CHVN, un medio cristiano en Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canadá.