Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Promise: Birth of the Messiah {Review and Giveaway}

This is such a great little animated movie!  I was interested, but I didn't know how much I'd like it.  The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah is a musical, it is animated, and while that might turn off some little boys (like mine), in the end, it won my family over.

From the publisher:
The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah is an animated musical celebration of one of the most pivotal events in all human history, the birth of Jesus Christ.
This beautifully crafted musical is a faithful adaptation of the birth narrative from the Gospel of Luke in both story and song. The animated production leverages optical motion technology to blend traditional animation techniques with the performance talents of ballet dancers and dramatic stage actors. The result is a unique and worshipful story experience that will inspire audiences young and old for years to come.
So what did we think?  Well, we've watched it a couple times through.  The first time, Richard (age 9) spent most of the movie complaining that "they're going to sing again" or "seriously, Mom, do they have to sing everything?"  Trina (age 7) loved it, but by the end, she was complaining about the music too.  Because her brothers were, she later confessed.

I went back and read the accounts of Jesus' early life in Luke, and kept thinking I definitely needed to watch again.  And yes, I did.

What was really great was that the kids were able to watch it through that second time through and actually watch instead of complain about "all the singing!"  That time through, they were pointing out all kinds of stuff, and I was noticing a whole lot more detail too.  Lots of little clues as to how society operated in that time.  And of course, I was noticing just how much of the dialog or lyrics came straight out of scripture.

Now, I have to say I didn't really like the way Mary's mother was portrayed.  She's a bit of a harpy, and while the idea that she wouldn't believe Mary's report is easy to understand, her snippy, less-than-respectful digs at Mary's father (who does believe his daughter) smack of 20th/21st century feminism.  Elizabeth, too, actually.

My big kids complained that Gabriel ought to look more like an angel -- you know, a bit of a glow or something.  They didn't complain about the singing.  They also appreciated how this really conveyed the conflict and "unbelievableness" of what was occurring.  But then the angels appeared to the shepherds, and their response was "Okay, now THAT is more like it!"

Connor (age 16) commented that he really liked how they took words from the Bible and made them into songs.  And everyone noticed how Trina has already memorized some of them.

Check out the preview video:




I've got one to give away.  You want this, I know you do.  US residents only please.


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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."


16 comments:

Audra Silva said...

The animation and story. :)

Anonymous said...

I like the fact that the words come straight from scripture.

Unknown said...

The music :) My girls LOVE music!

Brittney said...

The music. What a fun way to grab the attention of little ones!

Unknown said...

Overall story converted into animation.

Anonymous said...

I love the Scripture aspect, it sounds wonderful!

Cristi said...

Lauren loves anything with music and will likely listen to the musical parts over and over again.

Carol said...

That it is animated, but does;t appear to be 'cartoony'

Kayla Rice said...

I think my little ones will really enjoy the music and animations!

Melissa said...

I'm intrigued by the singing. My kids like most shows that have singing. (kbatai1{at}yahoo{dot} com)

Blossom Barden (NorthLaurel) said...

What intrigues me about this is that you liked it so much :) I don't mind musicals and have such wonderful children that they don't mind either ;) lol But I'd like to see if it is a good portrayal of the account.

Jubilee Reviews said...

the Animation!

Sarah said...

The music, animation as well as how it aligns with the true account.

Lisa Joy Thompson said...

I like the idea of my kids learning about the life of Jesus in an animated way.

Lisa @ Our Country Road said...

I love good kid's Christmas movies! I hope I can see it and see if this is one :).

Jen said...

Accurate to Scripture. Also the music.