The King Of Kings (2025)

By: Mike Ward on Saturday, April 12

PG Running Time: 103 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

The King of Kings documents the story of Jesus of Nazareth in an animated re-telling, designed for families to experience together with the upcoming Easter holiday.
Features an all-star cast, including Kenneth Branagh, Oscar Isaac, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, and several renowned animated voiceover actors.
Takes care and consideration when faced with the more violent or adult-oriented themes of the story, attempting to truly make this a family-friendly experience on all fronts.

NO

More lecture-based as a narrative, it is hard to imagine younger viewers sitting down and focusing intently on this, even with a precocious kid and cat sidekick interjecting their way into the stories being told.
The animation is serviceable, but lacks a lot of visual flair when compared to other animated films competing for audience attention.
Even though it is presented as Charles Dickens sharing the story with his son, and imaginative elements are introduced to the film, The King of Kings never feels big enough to meet the moment of sharing “the greatest story ever told.”

OUR REVIEW

An animated version of “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” The King of Kings is timed to coincide with Easter, a holiday-themed release from Angel Studios, the industry leader in faith-based movie releases and entertainment. Selected by The Angel Guild, a group of more than 400,000 followers of the studio who help determine what films and projects earn the Angel Studios moniker, this South Korean-produced film aims to become a breakthrough in the animation space for the distributor.

Written and directed by Seong-ho Jang, the film is adapted from Charles Dickens’ novel “The Life of Our Lord,” a story he initially wrote and shared with his children each Christmas while growing up. Eventually, Dickens’ interpretation of the story of Jesus of Nazareth was published posthumously in the 1930s, decades after his passing. Assembling an all-star voiceover cast, Jesus’ life is reimagined here through Dickens (voiced by Kenneth Branagh), and his son Walter (Roman Griffin Davis), as recurring characters who imaginatively guide us through the story.

It is an odd decision to frame such a meaningful story as a rather whimsical tale of a father telling it to only one of his three children. Walter runs around, excited to hear the story, presumably intended to make the story more palatable to younger audiences. And to that extent, of course we add Walter’s cat, Willa (Dee Bradley Baker), who exists primarily to add levity to what is, in reality, a rather serious story.

The King of Kings is, from an animation standpoint, difficult to pin down. The background visuals are far more striking and vivid than the cartoonish, stiffly designed human characters depicted on screen.

While adapting the story of Jesus for children has been done countless times, there still are many challenges which come with re-telling the story. When addressing the more adult themes present in the story, The King of Kings feels like it walks very carefully as to not push the envelope too much and keep things as family-friendly as possible. The dialogue is measured, with the movie paced in such a way where once a significant, dramatic moment happens, we often return to the family study where Walter and his father provide more details. Of course, there is also matriarch Catherine (Uma Thurman), who could be more prominently features, but instead just chimes in occasionally, listens intently and lovingly, and brings in the occasional baked goods as her husband weaves his biblical yarn.

Jesus, voiced by Oscar Isaac, has a calming, rhythmic cadence in his delivery. Though Isaac is a great choice, he fails to make the film any more exciting or thrilling. And while a certain audience of viewers will see this story as near-perfect in any form, The King of Kings cannot overcome a sluggish pace, struggling to match the enthusiasm shown by Walter as he learns more of the story from his father.

There are those who may view this as an opportunity to introduce the story of Jesus to their children. I do wonder, though, if the film will interest younger viewers in a world where they are inundated with things coming at them faster and more frenetic than ever before. Even with a handful of action sequences, The King of Kings feels subdued, more lecture-based storytelling than a remarkable viewing experience. For a film based on “the greatest story ever told,” it never quite meets the moment.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Griffin Davis, Forrest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, Dee Bradley Baker, Jim Cummings

Director: Seong-ho Jang
Written by: Seong-ho Jang (screenplay), Rob Edwards, Jamie Thompson (additional writing), Hoseok Sung (story)
Based on the story “The Life of Our Lord” by Charles Dickens
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Angel Studios

The King of Kings documents the story of Jesus of Nazareth in an animated re-telling, designed for families to experience together with the upcoming Easter holiday.

Features an all-star cast, including Kenneth Branagh, Oscar Isaac, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, and several renowned animated voiceover actors.

Takes care and consideration when faced with the more violent or adult-oriented themes of the story, attempting to truly make this a family-friendly experience on all fronts.

More lecture-based as a narrative, it is hard to imagine younger viewers sitting down and focusing intently on this, even with a precocious kid and cat sidekick interjecting their way into the stories being told.

The animation is serviceable, but lacks a lot of visual flair when compared to other animated films competing for audience attention.

Even though it is presented as Charles Dickens sharing the story with his son, and imaginative elements are introduced to the film, The King of Kings never feels big enough to meet the moment of sharing “the greatest story ever told.”