It’s the story of Jesus in cartoon form. Presumably with all the scourging happening off screen, but you never know.
How to watch Light of the World in New Zealand
Light of the World is screening in New Zealand cinemas from September 5, 2025.
What is Light of the World about?
Set in Palestine in 30 AD, Light of the World tells the story of Jesus’ ministry in the last three years of his life, but reframes it as a children’s adventure rendered in admittedly pretty great looking 2D animation. This apparently includes the crucifixion and resurrection, so things may get dark towards the end there, before getting hopeful again.
There’s not a lot of info out there about this one, so I’m going by my own understanding of the scripture. But we are apparently getting a sequel in 2028 called Light of the World 2: The Great Tribulation. Going by the title, this may deal with the biblical apocalypse, which has gotta be worth at least a PG rating…
The cast of Light of the World
Ian Hanlin is Jesus, Benjamin Jacobson is John, plus there’s Vincent Tong, Michael Benyaer, David Kaye, Peter New, Richard Newman, Jesse Inocalla, Colin Murdock, Erin Mathews, Ceara Morgana, Mark Oliver, and Adam Nurada.
Light of the World trailer
Why we’re excited about Light of the World
Well, let’s be honest: I’m not watching this unless autoplay feeds it to me randomly at some point down the track and also I’ve somehow been paralysed from the eyebrows down and can’t reach the remote. Or someone pays me. But Katie Nguyen of Christian Moms was deeply moved, so there’s a counterargument to be made.
To be honest, there’s not a lot of info out there about this one, and any reviews come from the faith ecosystem, which is the gonna be where this flick is marketed. Nobody involved has much in way of notable prior credits, so we don’t have anything to by in that department. I guess there’s a chance that it’s an unheralded masterpiece. But really, you’ll have to take that on faith.
