Screen shot of the movie screen at Thanksgiving Point MegaPlex theater (KellieAnn Halvorsen)
'David' offers fresh take on biblical animation
LEHI, Utah -- When Hollywood is taken out of the equation, great animated storytelling is possible. "David" is a breath of fresh air in animation quality, character development and plot.
At the red carpet world premiere at MegaPlex Theatres at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah, Sunrise Animation Studios co-founder Jacqui Cunningham said "they used 3D animation, hand-drawn by some of the best animators in the world." The studio used live actors to voice the roles with no AI.
Biblical story decades in the making
The movie tells the rise of the biblical character David, who started as a shepherd and became king of the Israelites. The story began more than 30 years ago in the mind of the director.
"I saw the majesty, beauty and bravery of nature in South Africa and knew God was there. It was through this feeling I wanted to tell the story of David, who lived bravely through his faith," said Phil Cunningham.
Though the seeds of "David" started 30 years ago, it took almost 20 more years before the first script was written by co-director Brent Dawes.
"I was inspired by Phil's passion and conviction about this story; I had to help," Dawes said on the red carpet.
It took another 11 years before the finished product came to the screen, which included years of fundraising, casting voice actors, script rewrites and animating.
From 'Jungle Beat' to David
Phil Cunningham said the main goal was always the "David" film, but they needed to get other projects off the ground first. The small Sunrise Animation Studios, based in Cape Town, South Africa, is as far away from Hollywood as you can get. But it has one of the most popular franchises airing on Netflix, "Jungle Beat," with a TV series and two movies. Which helped fund Cunningham's passion film.
Jacqui and Phil Cunningham on the Red Carpet at World Premier of "David." (KellieAnn Halvorsen) "Once that was in place, we were able to really get moving on 'David,'" Cunningham said. He and his wife, Jacqui, also credit partnering with Angel Studios, based in Provo, Utah, with getting their latest film to the global stage.
Top-tier animation meets strong storytelling
The animation for "David" is top-notch, with more than 400 artists coming from other major studios like Disney and Pixar to work at Sunrise. But more importantly, the storytelling is excellent.
The Sunrise team took great pride in having well-rounded characters and a strong plot. It draws viewers in from the beginning and is inspirational.
While faith is the center of David's story, the writing does not hit viewers over the head with religion. Those who have faith will feel it; those who don't will appreciate the message of perseverance and seeing a bigger picture.
Family-friendly with minor criticisms
It is worth watching with the whole family. There are several tense scenes but they should not cause distress or nightmares for younger children. That said, the movie is two hours long, which may be an issue for children under eight to sit for so long.
The attention to detail in even the smallest flower petal, the script writing, the voice acting and the plot are all strong. One criticism: The skin color is a bit whitewashed.
While the animators made the characters slightly darker than Central or Northern Europeans, they don't have olive or brown complexions. Also, the lead character, David, is depicted with brown hair and highlights as opposed to dark hair which people of that time period would have had.
But this is nitpicking an otherwise brilliant film with a great creative team. The movie hits theaters nationwide on December 19, 2025. RELATED You can hear all the interviews with the directors, producers and some of the voice artists on the podcast FanEffect with producer KellieAnn Halvorsen and independent podcast host, Heather Kelly.
Independent reporter Heather Kelly and producer KellieAnn Halvorsen conducting interviews at the world premier of "David" (KellieAnn Halvorsen)
