Is The King of Kings inspired by Charles Dickens' writing? Explained

The King of Kings is an animated Christian film that was released in theaters on April 11, 2025. Seong-ho Jang wrote, directed, and co-produced it with Woo-hyung Kim. The movie is adapted from Charles Dickens's children's book, The Life of Our Lord, which was published posthumously in 1934.

The project's voice cast features Hollywood A-listers like Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Oscar Isaac, Roman Griffin Davis, Forest Whitaker, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, and Pierce Brosnan, among others. Its official synopsis, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"A father tells his son the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice. The King of Kings invites us to rediscover the enduring power of hope, love, and redemption through the eyes of a child."

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The King of Kings is inspired by Charles Dickens's 1934 novel

The King of Kings is an animated adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel, The Life of Our Lord. The famed author wrote the book exclusively for his young children between 1846 and 1849. During this time, he also worked on the semi-autobiographical novel, David Copperfield, which was published in 1850.

Every year on Christmas, Dickens read the novel aloud to his 10 kids. He refused to publish The Life of Our Lord in his lifetime, instructing his sister-in-law, Georgina Hogarth, to ensure that the Dickens family "would never even hand the manuscript, or a copy of it, to anyone to take out of the house."

After his death in 1870, Dickens's handwritten manuscript was left in Georgina's possession. When she died in 1917, it was passed down to Dickens's last surviving son, Sir Henry Fielding Dickens.

Following Sir Henry's death in 1933, most of his family members supported the novel's publication, and it was finally published in 1934, 64 years after Dickens's death.

The King of Kings director, Seong-ho Jang, told The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive interview on March 28, 2024, that the film offers "Charles Dickens' unique literary perspective":

"The added joy of this little-known iteration is that you see the story unfold not only from Charles Dickens’ unique literary perspective, but through his son Walter’s eyes — which ultimately provides young viewers with even greater access and understanding of who Jesus was and all that he represents."

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Plot summary

At the start of the film, Charles Dickens (Kenneth Branagh) is interrupted by his young son, Walter (Roman Griffin Davis), during the stage reading of A Christmas Carol. The young boy is fascinated with the life of kings and spends most of his time imagining himself as King Arthur. Hence, his father introduces him to the story of the King of Kings, i.e., Jesus Christ (Oscar Isaac).

With Dickens' storytelling prowess and Walter's power of imagination, they go on an adventurous journey 2000 years in the past to watch the story of Christ unfold, from his birth in a manger to his crucifixion and resurrection.

Joined by their cat, Willa, the trio passes through the Holy Land and witnesses important events from Jesus's life, including Judas' betrayal.

Walter also learns about key figures from the Bible - King Herod (Mark Hamill), Pontius Pilate (Pierce Brosnan), Mary of Bethany (Vanessa Marshall), Martha (Millicent Miereanu), to name a few. More importantly, he comes to terms with Jesus' ultimate sacrifice to save humanity.

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The King of Kings is currently playing in theaters across the United States.