"Cute and Poignant"

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What You Need To Know:
IESODO has elements of humor, grace and kindness. The essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is presented in a winsome, compelling way. Most of the songs in IESODO are terrific, representative of the Golden Age of Animation. Some are not as captivating. Because there’s a lot of exposition introducing the audience to these characters, some moments in the episodes lose dramatic and emotive thrust. That said, IESODO is highly commended for children of all ages, and the team is to be congratulated.
Content:
(CCC, BBB, V) Very strong Christian, biblical, moral worldview includes Bible stories where the main characters are birds inspired by people from the New Testament; no foul language; slight comic violence; no sex; no nudity; no alcohol; no smoking or drugs; and, nothing else objectionable.
More Detail:
IESODO (“Yay-Sa-Doe”) means the Way of Jesus in Japanese. This beautifully animated series tells Gospel stories through the world of birds. Iesodo represents Jesus as a dove. Peter is a bulbul named Rocky. Thomas is a small kingfisher. John and James become Jacob and Jack, two pelicans who are, of course, fishermen. The Apostle Paul is Barry, a hoopoe, the state bird of Israel. Mary Magdalene is Maggie, a sunbird. Of course, there are many more!
The two episodes reviewed demonstrated magnificent animation, with a great deal of care being taken to make the characters and the countryside come alive.
“The Gathering,” one of the two episodes, merges the Sermon on the Mount, where all the birds gather to hear Iesodo, and Barry is sent to stop Iesodo. The Pharisees and Sadduccees and Jewish rulers are represented by the hoopoes. There are elements of humor, grace, kindnesss. Best of all, the essence of the Gospel is presented in a winsome, compelling way.
Another episode, called “Believing Is Seeing,” focuses on a little blind bird named Luke, who wants to fly. Luke is seeking Iesodo. In the process, he meets Maggie and the disciples as well as a black bird, who represents the Adversary, and some of the negative hoopoes.
Most of the songs in IESODO are terrific, representative of the Golden Age of Animation. Some are not as captivating. Because there’s a lot of exposition introducing the audience to these characters, there are moments that lose dramatic and emotive thrust. That said, IESODO is highly commended for children of all ages and the team is to be congratulated.