Light of the World presents the youngest Apostle’s experience of Gospel story

By Ann Margaret Lewis

Through the years, animators have used different artistic methods to tell the Gospel story to children. In April of this year, Angel Studios released King of Kings, a computer-animated retelling of the life of Christ through the eyes of Charles Dickens and his youngest son. Earlier, in 1999, a stop-motion animated feature titled The Miracle Maker was released featuring the vocal talent of Ralph Fiennes.

For Labor Day weekend and beyond, a hand-drawn animated feature is being offered in theaters by the Evangelical production group called The Salvation Poem Project. The film, Light of the World, focuses on the experiences of St. John the Evangelist, who is portrayed in this film as an adolescent between 13-14 years old.

Artistically the film is well done. I didn’t realize how much I missed hand-drawn animation until seeing it again. The animation director and fill-in artists deserve a lot of credit for their work. The animaters also included what I would call an “Easter egg” (or a nod to fans) by having one or two of the Apostles resemble actors from “The Chosen” TV drama.

The script, however, lacked in some areas. How the Apostles were introduced was contrived, but in a short film meant for children that can be forgiven. The writers also borrowed a plot point from The Chosen, inventing tax problems for the fishermen of the group. Lastly, the dialogue is at times anachronistic, but that’s a common feature among children’s animation of late.

The choice of making John an immature teen, however, was unique among Gospel productions. Through tradition, it is believed that John was the youngest of the Apostles, often shown in great works of art as being the lone Apostle lacking a beard. In this sense, the film delivers a unique, historical protagonist whom children will find relatable.

Catholic viewers of this Evangelical production will find little to object to. However, I noticed that during Christ’s crucifixion, the Lord’s words to John about his mother were not included. It seemed strange to omit such an important line that was directed to the main character, as it could signal the boy’s coming of age in responsibility and spiritual growth. It’s possible the directors and writers didn’t want to touch it, considering its meaning creates conflicts among Christian faiths about Mary’s role as Mother of the Church.

Nevertheless, Light of the World is fine for kids, though parents should be aware that there is a call to faith from an Evangelical perspective that follows the film.

Light of the World opened nationwide on Sept. 5, including in theaters across central and southern Indiana. For more information, locations and to purchase tickets, go to lightoftheworld.com. †