A Shepherd’s Life Transformed by a Calling to Greatness
Just a young boy, David (young David played by Brandon Engman), spends his days looking after sheep. But being a shepherd is a dangerous job, and he even needs to defend his sheep from hungry lions. However, little does David know that he is called to a life far greater than he could ever imagine. When David comes home after barely surviving another lion standoff, Samuel the prophet (voiced by Brian Stivale) speaks over him, revealing that God has spoken and that David will one day become the new king. As you can imagine, David and his family are shocked.
Facing Giants Through Faith and Unshakable Courage
As David attempts to move forward with his life, more and more challenges come his way, but no matter what, David knows he can overcome anything, since God is always on his side and stronger than anything else. This includes overcoming Goliath, the largest, most well-built giant, who is a complete menace, constantly bullying the Israelites. Given David’s skill with a slingshot and his strong faith in God, he decides to take Goliath on in combat. What follows after David’s victory opens the door to a whole new story.
A Musical Reimagining Built on Earlier Work and Fresh Creative Vision
Directors Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes previously produced a thirty-minute short film based on the same concept titled Young David, which was released in 2023. Brent Dawes also contributed on the writing for this film, along with Kyle Portbury and Sam Wilson. For those not aware, this is not just a story about David from the Bible; the film is also a musical, since various song numbers appear throughout.
A Faith-Driven Coming-of-Age Tale Brought to Life Through Music and Distinctive Animation
While the story of David and his battle against Goliath is well known, the film also takes a broader look at David as a young man (grown up David voiced by Phil Wickham) and his journey as he comes of age. As an animated film, it is informative and educational, and it is bound to please a wide range of audiences of all ages. The musical numbers by Joseph Trapanese are a mixture of enjoyable and passable, especially satisfying for a younger audience with impactful and touching lyrics. The animation style is similar to that of a past Angel Studio film, The King of Kings. At first, I found the animation to be somewhat of a distraction before warming up to it, particularly to the animation of character such as Saul (voiced by Adam Michael Gold) , which I felt had more impressive animation quality and detail than David, the film’s lead. Elements such as nature, backgrounds, or scenes of a city or nation are also delightful.
A Well-Meaning Epic That Falters Under Uneven Pacing and an Overextended Final
While informative, with a wealth of detail and a strong effort to bring the story of David to life, the film does suffer from pacing issues and struggles to maintain a smooth flow. The story often jumps forward in time, which may confuse audiences, especially those who are not familiar with the life of David. On top of this, the film concludes excellently only to introduce another layer of story, making the overall experience at least twenty to thirty minutes too long. Given that it is aimed at young audiences, an animated feature this dramatic and jolly running just shy of two hours is certainly felt. The film’s finale is not as intense or impactful as I would prefer, and it instead feels tacked on, as if added out of necessity rather than purpose.
A Warm, Family-Friendly Retelling That Shines Despite Its Lengthy, Uneven Journey
Overall, David is another pleasing animated film from Angel Studios. Not only is the film highly informative for those who do not know the story of David, but it is also more family friendly, as it introduces various musical numbers and light hearted gags. The animation feels a little off at first, but I soon found myself warming up to it as the film and David’s journey unfolded, particularly as he meets various people along the way. Naturally, the film covers many key moments of David’s life, but as a result the pacing becomes jumpy, and the runtime of more than two hours makes the big dramatic finale less impactful than I would prefer. Nevertheless, if you are unfamiliar with the story or want to experience it again through fun and music, this is certainly worth your time for family viewing, much like the previous Angel Studios film, The King of Kings.
David (2025) will be Available in Australian Cinemas from December 18th!
Published: 12th December 2025
Written by: Peter Walkden
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