3 Things Families Should Know about ‘Light of the World’

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1. It's Told through the Eyes of a Young Disciple

The film opens with a Jewish mother recounting the creation story to her two children, James and John -- a stirring tale of how, in the beginning, only darkness filled the world until God spoke everything into existence. She continues through the Fall in the Garden of Eden, but quickly reassures: "God did not abandon us. He promised to send a mighty king to save us, the Messiah. He will overcome the darkness and make all things right again." She then adds that some believe the "Messiah is already here," living among them. 

Fast forward a few years, and one of those children has grown into 13-year-old John, who crosses paths with the eccentric, locust-eating John the Baptizer. The fiery preacher urges John and all who will listen to prepare their hearts for the coming Messiah.

The film's first true glimpse of Jesus takes place at the wedding in Cana, where an eager John meets Him and watches in awe as He turns water into wine. Suddenly, John realizes Jesus is the very One his mother spoke of in her stories -- the promised Savior who has come to rescue Israel.

The story then shifts to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus miraculously provides a massive catch of fish and calls Andrew, Peter, James, and John to leave everything and follow Him.

The backdrop to the story is an imagined subplot involving John's father, a skeptic who faces the threat of prison because he cannot pay his taxes.

The film highlights many of the Gospels' most memorable moments: Jesus casting a demon out of Mary Magdalene, healing the paralyzed man lowered through the roof, and walking on water. It concludes with His death, crucifixion, and ascension, and then with a moving scene of an unbeliever choosing to follow Him.

Of course, few of us have thought of John the Apostle as a 13-year-old teen, but producer Brennan McPherson said the film team's research "found that a lot of the disciples were likely teenagers." Tradition says John lived the longest and, thus, may have been the youngest of the group. 

"Peter was the only one of the disciples to pay the temple tax," Brennan McPherson said, referencing an often-debated passage from Matthew 17:24-27. "You pay them when you're 20. So that's a very different perspective from what we've seen of disciples being, you know, 40-year-old men with beards."

Light of the World is a marvelous gospel-centered, child-focused story filled with humor (John and John the Baptizer scramble to escape a swarm of bees), charm (young John's wide-eyed excitement mirrors the wonder we should all feel when meeting the living Christ), and reverence (the depiction of Jesus walking on water is a cinematic highlight).

Photo Credit: ©Salvation Poem Project

2. It's a Film by the Salvation Poem Project

You may not recognize the name Salvation Poem Project, but chances are you know its song, featured at the end of every episode of CBN's Superbook, the multi-season series that introduced millions of children to the Bible. The song included the gospel-centric Salvation Poem, written by founder Matthew McPherson. He is better known to many as the co-founder of McPherson Guitars and the founder of Matthews Archery. 

A Christian, McPherson financed the film and is the executive producer. 

"This is a vision I had years ago to do something like this," he said. "I really felt God was calling me to do a film about Jesus." 

The U.S. release is only the first step of a global rollout that will bring Light of the World to other countries and place it before audiences through missionaries and Christian organizations. The goal is to reach 1 billion people.

"My goal is to share the Jesus that I know with the world," he said. 

Photo Credit: ©Salvation Poem Project

3. A Former Disney Animator Helped Make It

If the animation in Light of the World looks different, that's because it is -- at least to modern eyes. The film employs hand-drawn 2D animation, the style moviemakers worldwide, including Walt Disney, used extensively until computers and CGI reshaped the industry.

Every Pixar film -- including the entire Toy Story and Cars franchises -- was created with CGI. But if you look back to the 1990s, you'll find a golden era of hand-drawn animation with classics like The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994) and Mulan (1998). 

Like those earlier films, Light of the World looks nostalgic and timeless.

One of its co-directors, Tom Bancroft, worked at Disney in the 1990s as an animator on classics such as The Lion King, Mulan and Aladdin. A Christian, he left the company after a clash of worldviews and went on to focus on faith-based projects, including VeggieTales. (The other co-director, John J. Schafer, worked on Superbook.)

Hand-drawn animation, Bancroft said, is "classic." He believes the film will stand out in a marketplace crowded with movies that often feel dark and hopeless.

"Honestly, this is the tool that a lot of parents have been asking for," Bancroft told Crosswalk. "They've been telling Hollywood for a while now: Where are those family films? Where are the things that show my faith, too, and do it in an entertaining way?"

Schafer said the movie has the look and feel of a '90s Disney film.

"If Disney made a movie about the life of Jesus in the 90s," he said, "this is that movie."

Rated PG for violent content and thematic material. 

Entertainment rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Family-friendly rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Photo Credit: ©Salvation Poem Project