PG | 1h 55m | Animation, Musical | 2025
What does the word “Israel” mean? Literally, considering the biblical figure Jacob, it means “one who wrestles with God.” Simple enough. On reflection, however, it has a profound meaning that eludes surface readings.
It also means “one who embraces God” or “one whom God embraces.” Why, then, is it so tempting to read it as a struggle? God’s mighty hug is sometimes welcome, sometimes less so.
Israel’s first king, Saul, embodied this relationship as wrestling. The second king, the mere shepherd David, embodied it as an embrace. Unsurprisingly, “David” means “beloved.” This animated musical depicts David’s story and, as it happens, Saul’s.
God-fearing boy David (Brandon Engman) feels honored when prophet Samuel (Brian Stivale) declares that God wants him to be Israel’s future king. This beats protecting his father’s sheep from prowling lions, or so David imagines.
But Samuel warns that reigning king Saul (Adam Michael Gold) may become a prowling lion himself, if he finds David a threat. Tousled-haired David needn’t worry, though. Sick of fending off war-mongering Philistines, Saul summons him only because the shepherd’s music soothes.
But to David’s mother, God’s plan is only just “beginning to unfold.” Soon David ends up defending Saul’s beleaguered kingdom, defeating the fiercest Philistine warrior: the colossal Goliath (Kamran Nikhad).
Fearful and envious, Saul can’t stand his people’s adulation for the now adult David (Grammy-nominated singer Phil Wickham); he can’t be allowed to turn hero, let alone king. As the Philistines regroup to avenge Goliath’s humiliating defeat, Saul hunts David down to kill him. To save himself and his people, David must again rely on God.
The mission of husband-wife duo Phil and Jacqui Cunningham’s Sunrise Animation Studios is simple: “Inspire Through Story.” Here Phil co-directs with screenwriter Brent Dawes. Dawes explains that a voice-casting hunt and recordings across continents helped secure a winning cast of singer-actors.
Among the producers, Steve Pegram cut his teeth on animated productions, including “The Prince of Egypt.”
Composer Joseph Trapanese imbues his score with a passion that radiates that of principal psalmist David. Listen for the tracks “Shalom,” “Tapestry,” and “Follow the Light.”
Supervising sound editor Matthew Gair says his team recorded winds, ambient nature sound, thunder, and birdlife in Israel, Africa, and South Africa to depict God as a presence rather than an on-screen character.
Dave Walvoord’s stunning cinematography tries to minimize lens effects or unnatural camera movement to avoid distracting from the characters and their stories. It shows.
Lion of Judah
Production designer and head of research Lynton Levengood says the film is crafted more to spiritual authenticity than historical accuracy. This he credits to input from local guide Asher Ben-Shlomo, historian Douglas Petrovich, and Israel365’s founder Rabbi Tuly Weisz and his daughter Bella.
Character designer Borja Montoro credits the film’s breathtakingly realistic feel to collaborative human craftsmanship, not just technology. His team’s task was to portray God as the main character. Although not visible, God’s presence is felt more powerfully than the most compelling on-screen characters.
Here, King Saul hunts down the adult David, as Pharaoh Rameses II once hunted down baby Moses, and as King Herod would later hunt down the baby Christ. David attempts to atone for the first Adam’s capitulation to sin. It also prefigures Christ as the new Adam. As the Lion of Judah, Christ is a royal shepherd, a protector rather than predator.
A shepherd’s slingshot turns conventional wisdom on its head, firing forward by pulling back. To David, that means only one thing: going to God first in faith and surrender, instead of meeting life’s challenges headlong, headfirst. David redefines strength as surrender. He’s saying that the body, mind, even tools, armor, and weapons matter less than faith in God. Unconventional wisdom makes David an unlikely warrior, and then an unlikelier king.
Saul’s son Jonathan turns out to be a surprising symbol of the multitude who must choose to meekly submit to selfish earthly authority or to courageously follow God’s lead.
God’s hug is a given. Willful, cowardly, and proud, Saul sees it as a vise-like, controlling grip. He fears, resents, resists it, imagining it’s a loss of identity—his very self. So the abundance he’s gifted weakens, shrinks.
David’s faith, courage, and humility help him see God’s outstretched mighty hand as gentle guidance, not brute force. He surrenders to it, knowing it’s true self-fulfillment. As a result, even the little he’s given strengthens, expands. It’s by bowing to God that he ascends to his throne, and by staying humble, maybe he’ll retain it.
You can watch “David” in theaters from Dec. 20, 2025.
‘David’
Directors: Phil Cunningham, Brent Dawes
Starring: Brandon Engman, Phil Wickham
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Release Date: Dec. 20, 2025
Rated: 4 stars out of 5
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