When was the last time we saw an animated movie about the Bible hit theaters? Maybe it was Jonah: A Veggietales Movie years ago? But, even when faith-based movies are becoming more and more commonplace, they have largely stayed away from being animated and being made for kids. Now this does not take away the idea that several faith-based films are great movies that families can watch together.
That leads us to The Star, a retelling of the Birth of Jesus from the perspective of the animals at the stable. A fascinating idea. Interestingly, The Star actually reminds me more of Risen, the recent movie about the resurrection being told from a Roman centurion's perspective. Contextually, these movies are different.
However, they emphasize a similar approach. Bible stories and events can't just be told exactly as they are anymore when it comes to movies or other forms of media. There has to be a way to retell them in a way that makes the original story more fresh and compelling. But, that can be difficult to do while staying true and reverential to the source material.
With the exception of slightly changing how Mary and Joseph find the stable, The Star retells the Christmas story and keeps the events in Scripture the same. The new perspective here is led by a donkey named Bo (voiced by Steven Yeun). Bo wants to be with the Royal Caravan, but ultimately decides to follow a mysterious bright star that he realizes must be important.
The all-star cast ensemble does a nice job, even if the overall voice over performances might be far from the finest in animation history. The stand-outs include Keegan-Michael Key (hysterical as Dave the Dove), Aidy Bryant (sometimes just as hysterical as Ruth the Sheep), Kristen Chenoweth (lively as ever, but a little underused as a mouse), and Zachary Levi (a great choice for Joseph, sometimes brings a little "Flynn Rider" persona to the role).
Tracy Morgan, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey voice a trio of camels, and their comedic timing surprisingly works well. Christopher Plummer is an ideal choice for King Herod, though like the character himself, he doesn't get much to do. The villains start off like your stereotypical kids' movie villains, but they are given a surprising moment of redemption late in the game that adds a little bit more emotional bite.
The animation quality isn't the strongest effort given in the animation arena. But, it's still pretty good considering the small budget (reported at $18 million). Some of the animals might have needed a little more fine-tuning, but it's hardly distracting.
There's only one, maybe two moments in the film that are over-the-top silly. I also felt that the music was slightly overused. In some places, it's very appropriate for the occasion. There are a couple of moments, however, where the usage of the songs seemed awkward. For instance, playing "Mary Did You Know?" while Joseph was trying to fix a cart and get help felt a little odd.
The Star moves at a quick, breezy pace and has zippy and (mostly) witty dialogue. And, for the most part, the humor hits it's mark. In fact, the movie is downright hilarious in several scenes. It's these positives, in addition to some surprisingly suspenseful moments that keep the movie from dragging or getting to the point of boring.
Ultimately, The Star remains consistently entertaining and engaging. It's got heart, laughs (I think the adults might have laughed more than the kids, honestly), and best of all, keeps the main message of the Christmas story intact. It doesn't rival the best animated fare, nor is it awards season material. But that's ok. It's still quite a good one, and one that might become a favorite for families to watch during the Christmas season.
Score: 8.7/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: The Star is rated PG for "some thematic elements". This is one of those movies where I scratch my head at the rating. This could have gotten a G rating. There are only a couple of things that parents of little ones should know about. One is that there is some danger in the movie revolving around Herod's guard and guard-dogs hunting down Mary, Joseph and Bo. The guard unsheaths a sharp sword a few times. He picks up a couple of people by the neck and throws them off-screen. The second thing is that Dave makes a couple of bathroom jokes ("I'm going to find someone to poop on!", "plant a nice No. 2", "Nazareth can kiss my tail feathers goodbye").
There is some slapstick violence and a handful of pratfalls. A character is knocked out twice by a large piece of wood. Something is set on fire briefly. Herod mentions "killing" all of the unborn babies, something that actually does happen in Scripture.
