Read and Share - The Jesus Movie

Getting the good news of Jesus Christ to children has to be up there at the top of our to-do list. Making a movie about His life essentially amounts to translating the Bible into a new language, a truly daunting task. I mean, I count close to 50 different translations in English alone and they probably all have flaws. Imagine the pressure to get it right in a movie about Jesus made for children.

It may not be flawless, but Gwen Ellis and Steve Smallman got a lot of things right in The Jesus Movie.

We all know the story. It's how it's being told that sets this animated Christian movie apart from the rest. Let's face it, for a movie to be made it has to be commercially viable and that usually means compromises, big compromises. The producers of The Jesus Movie have managed to make it appealing to everyone without selling out on the message.

There are two very important tools to capturing the hearts and minds of preschoolers: Video and Audio.

1. Audio

   The characters tell the story in clear and simple language easily understandable for toddlers and preschoolers. The background music is subdued and not intrusive.

2. Video

   The characters are drawn in bright and simple solid colors just like little kids like them. Kids will love details like the two rabbits at the beginning of the movie and a dog running across the plaza following the crowd later on.

Probably most captivating for the three to seven year olds. I also think many adults will find it interesting, so it's a great movie to watch as a family. It contains none of the gore or scary stuff.

Like grown-ups, some kids are visually inclined. Others are auditory inclined. In addition to watching, there are also good reasons for reading to your kids. Quite possibly the most important one is that it nurtures the parent/child relationship. Jesus is all about relationships, with Him, with God and with each other.

Another reason is that hearing the language read to them helps them develop their own. Sometimes you'll see them pretend to read long before they have any kind of recognizable language.

It introduces them to books from the beginning, laying the foundation for academic excellence.