A new trailer for the animated musical David has been released, showing the South African film’s take on the biblical story of a young shepherd who steps forward to face the giant Goliath.
David will screen in Ster-Kinekor cinemas and Nu Metro theatres from 19 December 2025. Produced in Cape Town, the film is a follow up to the five-part miniseries Young David. The movie has generated over $4.5-million in pre-sales.
“David is one of the most inspiring characters in human history: a warrior, poet, shepherd and king,” says creator Phil Cunningham, a Zimbabwean who now lives in Cape Town. “If you need to find the courage to slay giants in your life, bring your family along to watch David this December.”
Grammy nominee Phil Wickham leads the cast as the adult David, with Brandon Engman and Young Artist Award-winner Sloan Lucas Muldown reprising their roles from Young David. The cast features two-time Grammy winner Lauren Daigle, award-winning Israeli singer Miri Mesika and two-time BAFTA nominee Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing, The Sandman). The music is composed by Joseph Trapanese (The Greatest Showman).
Brent Dawes (Jungle Beat: The Movie), who directed with Cunningham, says: “The making of our animated epic is a David vs Goliath story in itself.”
That story started more than 20 years ago, when Cunningham wrote and executive produced the award winning The Legend of the Sky Kingdom, Africa’s first animated feature film made entirely from junk. In the two decades since, Cunningham’s Sunrise Animation Studios has attracted nearly 7-billion views for its Jungle Beat YouTube channel.
Sunrise animated David largely from its studio in Noordhoek, Cape Town, hiring more than 400 local and international crew members, some in house and some working remotely. Pixar story artist Nathan Stanton (Brave, Finding Dory) served as assistant director, while Dan Barker, a South African now based in the US with credits on Oscar winning films such as Big Hero 6, led the animation direction.
Other South African residents in key roles included executive producer Jacqui Cunningham, producers Tim Keller and Rita Mbanga, co-writer Sam Wilson, and production designer Lynton Levengood.
“In building Sunrise and making this movie, I’ve felt like David facing Goliath so many times,” says Cunningham. “This is a story that I’ve kept coming back to time and again for inspiration. I wanted to bring its powerful message of faith and courage to a new generation – and animation is the most powerful storytelling medium in the world right now to reach them. I can’t wait for families to enjoy David together on the big screen, and rediscover the joy of cinema and the power of biblical stories.”
The film is being distributed in the US by Angel Studios. The company says its previous animation, The King of Kings, delivered the biggest opening weekend in the US for a biblical animated film, ahead of the Oscar winning The Prince of Egypt.
Angel is running a crowdfunded campaign to get one-million children to watch David for free. One can join the campaign by sponsoring a ticket for a South African child here. Over 41,000 tickets have been sponsored. Four free David colouring-in pictures can be downloaded “to keep your children busy this holiday” here.
Angel Studios co-founder and CEO Neal Harmon says: “I’m not sure there’s been a faith-friendly film this beautiful, this high production value ever.”