“Bugs Bunny’s Easter Special” marked the launch of a string of prime-time television specials that sliced-and-diced Golden Age cartoons with new animation into productions tied around a specific theme. In this case, the theme was Easter – the secular aspect of the holiday, not the religious celebration (thus, we never get to hear Bugs say, “I knew I shouldn’t have taken that left turn at Nazareth”).
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No other subject has been the focus of more films than the life of Jesus – and as the author of the book “Jesus Christ Movie Star,” I can attest that the subject has been covered since the late 19th century in nearly every imaginable manner within the range of sacred and profane.
To my happy surprise, there is an inventive new way of retelling this story. The new feature “The King of Kings” provides a computer animated version that is inspired by “The Life of Our Lord,” an unpublished manuscript by Charles Dickens that he wrote specifically for his young children. The resulting film is a clever and sincere work that is ideal for family viewing over the upcoming Easter holiday.
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