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With pre-sales nearing USD $6 million, Angel Studios’ animated musical DAVID is being touted as the biggest Christian film event since The Prince of Egypt (1998). Bringing the story of King David to life with music by Phil Wickham and Lauren Daigle, the film launches globally in mid-December and is already capturing the attention of faith audiences worldwide.

According to commentators, we might be witnessing the next Prince of Egypt—as anticipation builds for the release of Angel Studios’ animated musical, DAVID, in mid-December.

The feature film tells the story of David—beginning in his childhood and tracing his journey to eventually become Israel’s best remembered king.

According to DAVID’s synopsis:

“From the songs of his mother’s heart to the whispers of a faithful God, David’s story begins in quiet devotion. When the giant Goliath rises to terrorize a nation, a young shepherd armed with only a sling, a few stones, and unshakable faith steps forward. Pursued by power and driven by purpose, his journey tests the limits of loyalty, love, and courage—culminating in a battle not just for a crown, but for the soul of a kingdom.”

DAVID is directed by Brent Dawes (who also wrote the story) and Phil Cunningham, who are both known for their work on the Jungle Beats franchise, with Christian singers Phil Wickham and Lauren Daigle voicing the adult David and Rebecca, respectively.

Voice actors Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Mick Wingert (Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness), Will de Renzy-Martin (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader), Brandon Engman (Bull Run), Brent Mukai (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba), Ashley Boettcher (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street), and Mark Whitten (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) round out the key cast.

The project has been a long time coming, with crowdfunding in 2023 at one point surpassing that of The Chosen (although The Chosen later reclaimed the title of most crowdfunded film project). On Wikipedia’s list of “highest-funded crowdfunding projects” (including all manner of crowdfunded projects, not just films), DAVID ranks 18th—having raised USD $52,448,609. In comparison, The Chosen ranked 14th and raised USD $68,559,454.

Critics are already comparing DAVID to Dreamworks’ acclaimed animated musical drama Prince of Egypt, which was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Grammys—with “When You Believe” winning an Academy Award for “Best Original Song”. The film is widely considered one of the greatest animated films of all time.

Christian pop culture commentator and apologist, Jon McCray—also known as Whatdoyoumeme?—posted a video reacting to news that DAVID had nearly reached USD $3 million in pre-sales:

“[This] means that it’s going to be absolutely massive. There’s no doubt it’s going to be one of the biggest Christian films—for sure—of the year, maybe even in a decade, maybe even since The Prince of Egypt.”

Since that article came out in mid-November, Deadline has this week reported that the film is “nearing” USD $6 million in pre-sales, making it the biggest single Angel theatrical release ever. As of late November, around 450,000 tickets had been sold via the Angel website.

The DAVID animation should not be confused with the Biblical historical drama House of David (2025), created by Jon Erwin (Jesus Revolution) and Jon Gunn (Ordinary Angels), with seasons one and two released on Amazon Prime’s family-friendly, values-based streaming service, Wonder Project, in February and October, respectively, this year. It is also to be differentiated from Angel Studios’ own five-part miniseries, Young David, which was released in November 2023 and serves as a prequel to the upcoming 115-minute musical.

DAVID is slated for a huge pre-Christmas release across 43 markets around the world—with 19 December the release date for the United States, one day after it hits theatres in Australia (18 December).

For theatre details and other information, see the film’s official website.

Image courtesy of The David Movie.