Israelites portrayed as a people rising to their own defense

Angel Studio’s new animated ‘David’ will feel familiar to Israelis – and Christians, too

Musical retelling of the shepherd boy turned king of the Israelites now playing in Israeli theaters in Hebrew, with dubbing featuring Sasson Shaulov, Miri Mesika and Shahar Tavoch

“David,” the animated musical retelling of the shepherd boy who defeated Goliath and became king of Israel, opened in Israeli theaters on February 26 — just in time for the Purim holiday and two days before the beginning of the US-Israel war with Iran.

With missile warning sirens sending people scrambling for shelter, the Home Front Command ordered theaters closed just after the film’s Israeli debut — but local viewers can now catch it over the Passover holiday as many cinemas resume screenings.

The 110-minute film is geared primarily towards kids and focuses on David’s rise to power, mostly drawing from the biblical book of Samuel 1, with a little bit of Samuel 2 thrown in for good measure.

The richly colored animation dreamed up by South African computer animation studio Sunrise Productions brings the poppy-filled fields, flowering almond trees, and woven frocks of ancient Israel to life.

There are plenty of catchy tunes, mostly sung by David, the author of dozens of psalms, who also played the lyre and harp. At some points, viewers may be reminded of “Prince of Egypt” with hints of “The Lion King.”

And if the voices and dialogue sound a little contemporary American, it makes sense that a 2025 production about a biblical king got updated for the times.

“David” was produced by Angel Studios, a Provo, Utah, company originally founded by Latter-day Saints and known for its faith-based films.

The film’s South African co-directors and co-writers, Brent Dawes and Phil Cunningham, are religious Christians who reportedly spent 30 years bringing their version of the David story to life, according to the short message Cunningham adds at the end of the film.

While the film was released in the US in December, the Israeli version came later, likely to allow time for Hebrew dubbing for select screenings. The Hebrew dub includes Israeli singer Sasson Shaulov as David, singer Miri Mesika as David’s mother, and actor and singer Shahar Tavoch as one of his brothers.

The movie’s auburn-haired David is certainly well-rounded as he strives to be a loyal son and leader to his people, but it’s King Saul who gets the most character development as the man who didn’t want to be king and struggles with the task, alternating between jealousy and depression.

His son Jonathan is the always-loyal friend who buddies up with David in the movie, just as in the original Bible story, but this friendship isn’t a major focus of the film.

And while the Philistines are impressive in their royal red uniforms — especially Goliath, who appears as tall as one of Jerusalem’s new high-rises — it’s the Amalekites who are thrillingly scary, riding camels with masks made of tree trunks and deer antlers.

There’s plenty of well-accented Hebrew in the English version (as well as, oddly, some Yiddish-sounding phrasing) along with familiar-feeling songs.

It’s a movie that’s very accessible to Israelis and will feel recognizable too, as the creators visited Israel to get a sense of the landscape — though the film’s story appears to take place entirely in the early springtime, given the rolling green landscapes and fewer desert scenes.

But there are also Christian overtones in the emphasis on David as a shepherd, paralleling Jesus, along with songs of faith and David’s reliance on God throughout the film, according to more than a few pastors’ reviews.

Perhaps what makes the movie’s Israeli release timely is the portrayal of the Israelites as a persecuted people rising to defend themselves — especially poignant after the last month of war with Iran and Hezbollah and two years of war with Hamas in Gaza.

In the case of the Israelites led by David, however, they ended up with a leader who was eventually considered to be great, if imperfect. Perhaps that will come in “David II.”