Why the JESUS Film is Getting an Animated Remake
By Movieguide® Contributor
After reaching over 11 billion people in 40 years, the team behind the JESUS film is reimagining the story as an animated movie to reach a new generation.
“It’s not just a movie,” Josh Newell, executive director of the Jesus Film Project, told CBN. “That’s really the bottom line; it’s a movement. It’s based off of the Word of God in the Gospel of Luke. So, the script is taken from that.”
“We want to reach everyone on earth who doesn’t currently know or have heard about Jesus,” he added. “It’s amazing to me that there are billions on this planet that don’t even know the name of Jesus.”
In a press release from last year, the Jesus Film Project explained, “Over the years, we have worked with our partners to design resources that break language and literacy barriers so anyone can experience the story of Jesus—no matter where they are in the world. We’ll continue to do so together with JESUS (2026).”
READ MORE: JESUS FILM PROJECT TRANSLATES JESUS MOVIE INTO 2,100TH LANGUAGE
Newell and his team now believe that animation is the next step forward because it appeals to younger viewers and also opens up a whole new avenue to reach them through.
“Animation is…a beautiful art form,” Newell said, noting that with fully animated models they can more easily render the story into other modes like virtual or augmented reality. “What animation allows us to do is bring the story of Jesus to life in an art form, in an art medium.”
“The ministry use cases in the future are going to be varied and exciting,” Newell added. “And this kind of helps us be able to be ready for those moments.”
“We have the original ‘JESUS’ film that’s been around for 40 years, and I think it was an amazing tool, and it is an amazing tool,” Daniela Cala Lara, the head of localization for the film project, said last year. “But this medium will be different, and the times have changed, and we have a new generation that we want to reach, and I believe that’s going to happen through animation. It will be kind of like a new heart language for the times we’re living in now.”
Newell’s team has already relied on advanced technology to reach a wider audience. Thanks to advancements in translation technology, the movie has been translated into over 2,100 languages, allowing billions to hear the Gospel in their native tongue.
The animated remake is set to be completed in December 2025. Those working on the movie have a stellar background in the medium with past work on projects including THE LION KING, LILO AND STITCH and MULAN.
READ MORE: JESUS FILM PROJECT ANNOUNCES ANIMATED JESUS MOVIE SLATED FOR 2025
