Sony Pictures Animation recently released a first-look, teaser trailer for “The Star,” its highly anticipated animated film about the traditional Christmas story.
“The Star,” which is due out on Nov. 10, is a film that will deliver the biblical story through the eyes of the animals who were there to witness it. It’s an intriguing concept that will bring the world’s most important story to America’s young generation, using an innovative and proven approach to storytelling.
Embedded in the cinematic journey covering Jesus’ birth is a tale about a donkey named Bo who audiences will watch discover his own destiny and purpose, as the nativity story unfolds.
Watch the trailer for “The Star” below:
“A small but brave donkey named Bo yearns for a life beyond his daily grind at the village mill. One day he finds the courage to break free, and finally goes on the adventure of his dreams,” a synopsis reads. “On his journey, he teams up with Ruth, a loveable sheep who has lost her flock, and Dave, a dove with lofty aspirations. Along with three wisecracking camels and some eccentric stable animals, Bo and his new friends follow the Star and become unlikely heroes in the greatest story ever told – the first Christmas.”
The film stars some big names, including: Oprah Winfrey (Deborah), Gina Rodriguez (Mary), Zachary Levi (Joseph), Kelly Clarkson (Leah the horse), among many others.
Executive producer DeVon Franklin said in a statement that families “will laugh and be inspired as they experience the power of faith, friends and courage.” “The Star” is an interesting new turn in faith-themed films, considering that animation hasn’t widely or consistently been used as a tool in Christian storytelling, specifically on the big screen.
And the use of animals is most certainly a creative approach that follows the storytelling blueprint that other children’s films have embarked on over the decades.
“The thing we’re doing with this movie that lets us [have creative license is] that it’s the story of the nativity, but from the point of view of the animals,” Tim Reckart, director of “The Star,” told Faithwire earlier this year. “That’s a story that nobody has told before. We’re calling it the greatest story never told.”
Executive producer DeVon Franklin added that “having the animals involved gives you some space to infuse creativity.”
In the end, Franklin said that the film offers many lessons for viewers’ own lives, specifically when it comes to Bo’s internal feeling that there’s something greater for him to pursue — and his quest to fulfill that undiscovered purpose.
“We all have a destiny, a calling or a purpose … [often] we don’t realize how it is all working towards it,” Franklin said. “That’s what’s kind of great about Bo’s journey.”
Franklin hopes audiences walk away from “The Star” feeling both “hopeful” and “purposeful.”