THE KING OF KINGS is now in cinemas! This faith-based, family animated film was inspired by a little-known story by Charles Dickens extolling the life and times of Jesus Christ, and features an all-star cast led by Academy Award winner Kenneth Branagh and Golden Globe honorees Oscar Isaac and Uma Thurman. The film is the first-ever, full-length animated production from Mofac Animation Studios, and will be distributed theatrically across the globe by Angel Studios beginning today.
In THE KING OF KINGS, Charles Dickens (voiced by Branagh) and his son Walter (Roman Griffin Davis) embark on a multi-dimensional adventure as the master storyteller engages his youngest son’s vivid imagination with the fascinating life of Jesus Christ (Isaac), his well-known trials and tribulations, and his notable colleagues and foes. The film’s rich animation allows the Dickens pair (and the family cat Willa) to become intrinsically immersed in the ancient tale, interacting with Jesus, his disciples and his detractors – while the stellar cast behind the voices brings these well-known characters to animated life like never before. The result is an animated film that makes the biblical journey easily relatable, readily understood and captivatingly entertaining for families and, especially, to children of all ages.
Emmy, Grammy & Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies, The West Wing, Broadway’s Wicked) lends her famed singing voice to the poignant ‘Live Like That’, which plays over the end credits of the film. The song is co-written by Chenoweth, Kellys Collins, Tim Nichols and Matt Wynn, and produced by two-time Grammy Award winner Keith Thomas.
The King of Kings is directed, produced and written by Seong-Ho “Jay” Jang (Joint Security Area, The Taste of Money, Last Knights), one of the most respected filmmakers in Korea and an unparalleled pioneer in the visual effects realm. The film is co-written by Rob Edwards (Captain America: Brave New World, Disney’s Academy Award nominated The Princess and the Frog and Treasure Planet). Jang, who also serves as producer, is supported by a stellar lineup of international production talent, including BAFTA-winning cinematographer and producer Woo-Hyung Kim (Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or nominee The Taste of Money) and much sought-after composer Tae-seong Kim (all-time Korean box office record-holder Roaring Currents). Emmy Award-winning dialogue & casting director Jamie Thomason (Spirited Away, The Tigger Movie) also serves as executive producer alongside Dennis Won Kuk Cho, Brandon Purdue, David Fischer and Jared Geesey.
THE STORY
Charles Dickens was a master storyteller whose words have touched the world for many years. But prolific talent such as his comes at a price and, while Dickens was a loving father, his work often kept him distant from his own family. In particular, he struggled to connect with his youngest son Walter, an active child with a vivid imagination and a fixation on kings, knights and swordplay. One night, Dickens’ reading performance at a London theatre is ruined by Walter’s mischievous behavior. Dickens pleads with his son to behave, but Walter is not interested. To help focus Walter’s attention and hopefully provide a vehicle to help bond father and son, Catherine Dickens urges her husband Charles to tell his son the story of the one true king – “The King of Kings.” Charles then sets about crafting a deeply personal story not for the world but just for his family, especially Walter. He will tell the story that means everything to him, the story of Jesus Christ, the greatest story ever told.
Settling down by the fire, Charles describes to Walter the world of long ago. As the great storyteller tells him of the birth of Christ, Walter’s imagination is ignited – and his journey begins, with his best friend Willa the Cat by his side. Walter is fascinated at the sight of the old stable, the visit from the angel, the three wise men and the shepherds. He is shocked by the tyranny of King Herod as he searches for the newborn King at all costs. He is thrilled by the daring escape that sends Mary and Joseph into hiding to keep Jesus safe.
With Charles Dickens’ words in his ears and his imagination running wild, Walter feels a deep connection with this story and truly feels he is able to experience what it was like in Christ’s time. From Jesus’ humble beginnings to forming his band of faithful disciples, to performing miracles, Walter vividly sees and feels all that is happening. As the story continues, Charles and Walter’s relationship begins to deepen.
Watching the events unfold, Walter feels the full range of emotion – the pain and the joy of the situations – as he witnesses Christ’s persecution, crucifixion and, ultimately, his resurrection. Charles guides his son through his sadness and helps him to understand that the story had to end this way. As Jesus is resurrected to bring his light into the world, Charles and Walter at last find the connection they were seeking. And through the power of story, father and son form a bond of love that will last their lifetime.
QUOTES FROM THE CAST
“When I read the script, I was totally enamored with this rendition – it’s such a familiar story to the world, and I think this will have great resonance and will be celebrated.” says Pierce Brosnan. “There will be a whole generation who will be experiencing the story for the first time, and the brilliant, beautiful animation will be engaging and beguiling. I’m sure it will touch many people’s hearts.”
“This project is a unique confluence of classical literature, of course – Charles Dickens – alongside imperial Roman history, and the New Testament,” says Ben Kingsley. “To bring them together with a clarity and authority to reach a wide audience is a combination of three fabulous ingredients that we would be poorer without. The script has truly distilled those ingredients in a way that makes them accessible to the audience, and that’s no mean feat.”
“I think the way the story, script and animation incorporate wonderful elements of both family and faith in this sort of surrealistic way really brings out so much joyfulness and humor that help elevate the film,” Oscar Isaac says. “Sometimes this material can feel so heavy, but the animation and the way Dickens and his son are interweaved into the story makes it kind of effervescent in a fun way.”
Kenneth Branagh says: “Charles Dickens’ journey in this film is really learning how to be an authentic storyteller and an authentic father to his own children. With Dickens, he was often available to the world, and not always as available to his own family. And, as Dickens taught many times in his stories, there is much to be learned from the young. And relearned. It sounds cliched, but learning to be a child again is thematically part of Dickens work, and this is a film that allows us to see Dickens once again discover his inner child as he tries to prove to his own son the depth of his feeling for him. He has to re-earn the boy’s respect and attention.”
“I am deeply honored to be part of such a significant project,” Kristin Chenoweth says. “The opportunity to contribute musically to a film that explores the life of Jesus Christ is both a professional and personal milestone. I hope my song can touch the hearts of everyone who watches The King of Kings.”
THE FILM WOULDN’T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT… WILLA THE CAT
One final character was added to the film for a touch of humour, not to mention a few key moments of poignancy – the non-human member of the Dickens family, Willa the Cat. “Voiced” perfectly by master creature-sound-maker Dee Bradley Baker, Willa provides Walter with a loyal companion, partner in crime, and emotional sounding board throughout the film.
“Animals with personality are a big part of Dickens’ world – he loved dogs and cats – and Willa’s role in this story is as a significant figure who everybody has to dance gingerly around,” says Branagh with a grin. “Animals in these stories often have this kind of comic deadpan punctuation that can really deliver the humor. Willa dominates the Dickens household in the same way my own little Jack Russell dog, Jack, completely dominates my life. We work around him, he runs the house, and we service his needs. So Willa is much the same in this film, and is a marvelous sort of seasoning of good-natured fun with her very egomaniacal animal supremacy.”
In the closing credits, Jang dedicates the film to his own beloved children Siwan and Sijun, as well as to his cats Sattu, Mozza and Mongu, for providing “the inspiration for Willa.”
The King of Kings will be in UK and Irish cinemas from the 11th April book your tickets now www.thekingofkingsfilm.com
