The Salvation Poem Project, the faith-based entertainment initiative behind the new 2D animated feature film Light of the World, has released a new making-of featurette in which the creative leads discuss the challenges and triumphs of bringing Jesus Christ to life on screens. The movie arrives in theaters on September 5.
The film is set in AD 30, and follows John, James, Andrew, Peter and the newly revealed Messiah, Jesus, on an unexpected adventure. The story is viewed through the eyes of the young Apostle, John.
In “Designing Jesus for Light of the World,” director Tom Bancroft — a Disney Animation veteran — begins our creative tour. We learn how the character design team approached the daunting task of capturing Jesus’s persona in animation. “Nothing in my career has been this kind of a challenge,” Bancroft narrates, “because we knew we had to get it right.” He also stresses the importance of Jesus’s “kind eyes,” expressing love for all around him.
The featurette also touches on the film’s hand-drawn animation roots. “The animation style, the look and feel, it really is kind of blending the best of the new school animation with the best of the old school animation,” says producer Brennan McPherson. Salvation Poem Project worked with Kilkenny, Ireland-based animation shop Lighthouse Studios (Goldie, Rick and Morty, El Deafo), who brought digital 2D expertise to the project.
Epipheo, a Cincinnati studio which launched its film division in 2022, was tapped to help develop the movie’s “children’s storybook come to life” aesthetic. Footage from the film reveals how colorfully the ancient, desert-circled settings have been rendered. Production designer Luke Lehenbauer points out that the creators wanted a “hand of the artist feel,” in part achieved through the application of real painting textures to the digitally painted backgrounds.
The featurette also includes insights from Tom Bancroft’s fellow director John J. Shafer, executive producer Matt McPherson, character design supervisor Katie Sung Lee and Tony Bancroft, Tom’s twin brother and the film’s head of story/animation director.
You can watch the previously released trailer and find more information and resources related to the film at lightoftheworld.com.
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