Recommended for Kids: Yes
Where to Watch
You may not have heard about this animated Jesus movie when it came out, but it’s quietly built up a collection of fans and critics who call it one of the best Jesus movies ever. Made by a combination of animators, it tells the story of Jesus from the start of his ministry until his resurrection, focusing on a few key scenes so the story happens in a compact 90 minutes. Most of the story is told with stop-motion animation, but traditional animation appears in some scenes—Mary remembering Jesus as a boy, Jesus telling the parables. Both animated styles look great, a cut above most animated Bible stories.
What makes The Miracle Maker an exceptional movie isn’t just the fact its animation quality is stellar. It also finds a great balance between showing Jesus’ divinity (his miracles) and his humanity (his kindness, his sense of humor). Like many great Bible movies (Ben-Hur, King of Kings), it aids how viewers see Jesus by providing side characters who bring out different sides of Jesus’ personality. In this case, it’s a little girl named Tamar whose father, Jairus, knows she’s incurably ill. Her interactions with Jesus highlight that he was the man who said, “let the little children come to me” and set the stage for one of Jesus’ most impressive miracles.
Prince of Egypt may be the best animated Bible movie, but The Miracle Maker is nearly as good in its smaller-scale way.
Further Reading: 10 Movies to Watch This Easter
Photo Credit: BBC Cymru Wales, British Screen Productions, Icon Entertainment International, Sianel 4 Cymru