The Bible story of Elisha is about faith, God’s care, and the fact that you are never alone—even when you are afraid or facing difficult situations. BCC Media conveys this message in a 15-minute animated film set to be released this spring.
Viewers join the prophet Elisha and his young servant, who is frightened when the village is attacked by an enemy army. When the prophet asks that the servant’s eyes be opened, he sees that they are surrounded by God’s invisible army.
The film has already been tested on the target audience. This is how one ten-year-old summed up the experience:
“When I feel scared, this story reminds me that I’m not alone.”
“We hope the film will give children a sense of security in their faith, while also sparking meaningful conversations with parents and mentors,” says producer Petra Reinhardt.
A clear message with recognizable characters
A key goal of the project has been to create more than just entertainment. The film is intended to leave a lasting impression and help children see faith as relevant to their own daily lives. The aim is for the film to also encourage conversation, reflection, and faith education.
“We’ve worked hard to refine the message,” says director Trine Sandersen. What we want the children to take home is faith in God and in His willingness to help us. “It’s not always something we can see or fully understand, but God is watching over us, and His power is greater than we can imagine,” says Trine.
A demanding—but important—target audience
Experience from previous productions, particularly Bible Kids Explorers, shows that visually compelling stories can generate significant engagement. At the same time, the 9–11 age group is a challenging demographic to reach.
“This is a target audience with many options and high expectations for entertainment value. At the same time, this is an age when children begin to think more deeply about choices, consequences, and beliefs,” says Trine. She emphasizes:
“That is precisely why this is such an important target audience to reach.”
The choice of 3D animation as a production method
With the target audience in mind and a desire for a sustainable production model, the project was developed as a 3D animated film. Among other things, the format makes it possible to create a visually believable world that children can immerse themselves in.
At the same time, the technology also presents challenges.
“3D production offers us many opportunities, but it also places high demands on expertise and efficient work processes. This is something we’ve spent a lot of time developing throughout the project,” says producer Petra Reinhardt.
Tested on the target audience
The film about Elisha is a pilot project, and prior to release, it has already been tested on the target audience to assess its impact and reception.
“We want to see to what extent this type of film engages children—in terms of attention, understanding of the story, emotional response, and the message they take away,” says Petra.
The evaluation is based on feedback from parents, mentors, and children. In total, about 50 children from seven different countries took part. The initial response has been very positive. Among other things, there are indications that the children form attachments to the characters, especially since Elisha’s servant is portrayed as a young boy.
Fra innspillingen av 3D-animasjonsfilmen.
Skuespillere brukte «motion capture»-utstyr til å spille inn bevegelsene til karakterene i filmen.
From the filming of the animated film. The volunteer actors used motion capture equipment to record the movements of the characters in the film.
Watch the movie trailer here:
The film will premiere this spring and will be available in 15 languages. The film will be released here on biblekids.io and in the Bible Kids app in May.
