I grew up with Bible stories as main go-to bedtime stories. Growing up in the Philippines in a Catholic family meant attending Holy Mass on Sundays and other special days. I was active in youth groups and in many prayer meetings and Bible discussions, we have ventured into the story of David and Goliath. So when Fishflix presented my family with the opportunity to review a Christian Children’s movies entitled Superbook: A Giant Adventure (David and Goliath), I was more than willing to spend our Monday night (which we designated as our family Bible night) to watch this animated movie.
Just a quick refresher of this Bible story:
In 1 Samuel 17, we are introduced to raging war between the Israelites and the Philistines. A big man Goliath challenged the Israelites to defeat him. If the Israelites succeeds in defeating him, Goliath said the Philistines will be Israel’s subjects. If he (Goliath) defeats the Israelites then the Israelites will be slaves to the Philistines.
In the course of this battle, we met David, youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem. David is a shepherd boy, who, that day, was tasked to bring food to his three brothers who are fighting against the Philistines.
Courageous and curious David did more than just bringing food, he asked questions to other soldiers about Goliath and the Philistines who were badmouthing God. His fierceness and faith in God caught the attention of Saul, who blessed the young lad to fight the giant sans armor or shield.
He was armed with some stones from the stream and his slingshot. The shepherd, who was used to saving sheep from bears and lions, struck Goliath in the head. He used Goliath’s sword to end the giant’s life.
In Superbook: A Giant Adventure DVD, the story of David was juxtaposed with the story of Chris, who was afraid to audition as a guitarist in his school band. He did not have faith in himself and walked away from the audition. With his sister Joy and their silly robot Gizmo, they were sucked in to David’s time (with the power of the Superbook) and there Chris learned the value of courage and utilizing God-given talents to be of service to the community from David’s example.
By witnessing David fight and come out victorious against the giant Goliath, Chris was able to face his own giant and auditioned for the school band.
I like the values emphasized in the movie: courage to face fears; faith in God; perseverance for not letting naysayers’ discouraging words affect your goal; and confidence in one’s self.
However, as much as I appreciate these values, I have some misgivings on the way the character of the boy David was presented in this film.
It was unnerving to see a little boy kill a giant and exhibiting an aggressive attitude. I would have preferred if he was more humble and not too proud. Most of the time I didn’t see courage but more of pride, which I don’t like in this David. This was not the David I “met” in my childhood days; the David I know was humble, not this aggressive and proud character. I was disappointed how this iconic character “acted” in the Superbook version.
Note that I watched this video with my entire family: my husband Jeff, our twin toddlers Nick and Toni (who are turning three years old in two months), and our seven-month-old baby Jeff Junior. We watched this on a Monday night, as mentioned above, because Monday nights are our Family Bible night where we watch 20- to 30-minute long films based from the Bible and then discuss them with the children.
The story of David and Goliath is a great story. However, my husband and I found this animated film violent for using the word “kill” and for showing the boy David kill Goliath with a sword. Alright, the angle didn’t show David cutting Goliath’s head but it was pretty clear that the boy did kill Goliath with the sword.
Using the word “killed” in this 25-minute animated show is uncomfortable for me as a parent. I cringed when David used the sword to kill Goliath. I watched the show with my toddlers and they asked me afterward what “David do to big man”. My son Nicholas repeated the word “kill” from listening to the dialogue and it became a matter of concern. I think it would have been better if they used the words defeated or overcame. I understand that in the Bible, David did kill Goliath and cut off his head but I think, given that children watch this movie, there is a need to tone down the language and even the animation.
Honestly, I won’t have my children watch this again anytime soon. Not until they get a little bit older. It was hard to explain the word “kill” to young children and explaining to them that the aggressive boy who killed the giant is a hero. I was just as shocked as my children were when David used that sword to finish off Goliath.
To turn the situation around, I focused on the theme of faith and victory where Chris heeded David’s advice to play for God. But really, I don’t advise having this video viewed by children between two to seven years old. The term usage and character portrayal needs to be edited.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Fishflix for review consideration. I was not required to write positive reviews. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to 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”.
