Produced in Cape Town, the joyful animated musical 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, South Africa. “If you need to find the courage to slay giants in your life, bring your family along to watch David this December.”
From the songs of his mother’s heart to the whispers of a faithful God, David’s story begins in quiet devotion. When the giant Goliath rises to terrorise a nation, a young shepherd armed with only a sling, a few stones, and unshakable faith steps forward. Pursued by power and driven by purpose, his journey tests the limits of loyalty, love, and courage—culminating in a battle not just for a crown, but for the soul of a kingdom.
When the giant Goliath rises to terrorise a nation, a young shepherd steps forward, armed with only a sling, a few stones, and unshakable faith.
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 also 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), all singing a score composed by Joseph Trapanese (The Greatest Showman).
The film releases in cinemas across South Africa and the US on Friday, 19 December 2025. Angel is running a crowdfunded campaign to get one million children to watch David for free. You can join the campaign by sponsoring a ticket for a South African child here.
Sunrise Animation Studios is a Cape Town based studio whose mission statement is “Inspire Through Story.” Sunrise is an animation house with integrated teams across story, development, concept art, animation, modelling, surfacing, grooming, layout, dressing, lighting, compositing, editing, foley, sound mixing and score composition.
Director’s Notes
“This journey started 30 years ago whilst canoeing down the Zambezi River. Watching an African thunder storm, a charging lion, a little flower on the bank and an eagle in flight, I saw the intelligent design, the art – and I fell in love with the Creator and the Artist. At the time I was reading David’s story which was full of
adventure, excitement, music, friendship, moments of tenderness, expansiveness and wholeheartedness. I was struck that he was described as a man after God’s own heart. This was what I saw in creation and I was determined to one day tell a story of David that might inspire the world and open hearts to the possibility of an incredible, fun and exciting God. David’s faith in God’s love propelled him into a life of adventure and fearlessness. Although far from perfect, he lived wholeheartedly and we believe that audiences will be able to relate and be inspired.” – Phil Cunningham, Director. Phil co-founded Sunrise Animation Studios. Over the last 20 years, he has grown Sunrise into an international film and animation studio. His unique and inspiring entrepreneurial approach to filmmaking has attracted a team of vastly experienced collaborators all of whom believe in Phil and Sunrise’s vision of creating world-class family entertainment.
“Making David was an absolute privilege. Never before have I been part of a project that carried such weight, such depth, such history and promise. Each person that joined the team felt it too – a gravity, a pull, a sense that we were working on something special. It truly felt like it’s time had come, it wanted to be made, it was a story that wanted to be told. And it felt like I was a custodian of it, creating the space, listening and allowing it to be what it wanted to be. We were not trying to be like someone else… we created and allowed the space for the story to reveal itself to us, rather than trying to fit it into what we thought it should be. Taking such a timeless, rich, expansive story and condensing it into an animated feature film has been no small feat, but I couldn’t be prouder of how it has turned out. And I’m so grateful for the incredible team that assembled, caught the vision and poured themselves into making it far more than the sum of its parts. This has truly been the project of a lifetime.” Brent Dawes (Jungle Beat: The Movie), who directed with Phil. After studying drama at Natal Technikon and a two year stint as a copywriter, Brent joined Sunrise Animation Studios as lead animator on Africa’s first animated feature “The Legend of the Sky Kingdom.” Since then Brent has gone on to create the “Jungle Beat” series, direct “Jungle Beat The Movie,” create multiple international sporting mascots, and help Sunrise grow into the fun, vibrant and visionary studio that it is today.
Producer’s Notes
“Our passion for this film was to build an Arc de Triomphe. If one looks over Paris there are many flats, offices and factories but our goal was to create a film that stood the test of time and had scale and attention to detail on equal parts – an Arc de Triomphe. This all goes down to incredible people working in unity towards a vision and it has been the privilege of a lifetime to be part of this and work with such courageous, faithful, determined, talented and kind people. Why animation as a medium? Animation crosses race, cultural, age and gender barriers better than any other medium and our hope is that this story reaches as wide an audience as possible.” – Phil Cunningham, Executive Producer
“South Africa is more than a country, it’s a ‘people’ and a place where stories are born! Stories are told around the camp fire, no matter where you are born. It’s a community that believes in the power of story and this storytelling is passed on from generation to generation. The Bible is rich in parables that guide us through life. As the Master story teller weaves together the tapestry of life, weaving in our stories, the tapestry is rich with colour and beauty. Our Passion is born out of that belief, to ‘inspire through story.’
There is a beautiful African proverb that says: “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Animation is such a wonderful way to bring stories to life, working together and weaving our own stories in our craft, no matter which part of the pipeline we are working on.” – Jacqui Cunningham, Executive Producer
“Despite being written a lifetime ago, the stories in the Bible still resonate deeply for us today. Looking back to the legends who have run their race, daring greatly and leaving behind their God inspired legacy, inspiring us to run our race in faith, as we ‘write our story’. ‘Inspire through story’, is why we make animation. The most powerful testimony that changes lives is story. David’s story is relatable to all! It’s one of triumph and loss, joy and pain and a belief in God that brings meaning to life.” – Jacqui Cunningham, Executive Producer
“It has been an incredible ride working on the David project over the last 10 years, and so remarkable to have witnessed all the incredible talent and passion drawn to this project. What a privilege working with so many people who love what they do and pour their hearts and souls into it, and I think you can feel that in this film. The story of David is so inspiring and our hope is that every person who watches this film is inspired to live expansively and courageously, with faith!” – Rita Mbanga, Producer
“The story of David is a timeless classic, relatable by global audiences around the world. Filmmakers found the right balance between unique artistic beauty entwined with powerful storytelling, outstanding dialogue and character performances that will take the audience on an emotional journey like never before. On David, They has found a way to nurture the spark of creativity, attracting some of the best animation and creative talent on the planet with its open, honest and sincere leadership style. When you have a team as talented as this, the role of the Producers is simple, point the ship in the right direction, give the captain the provisions they need and let the adventure begin. David has been an epic journey from beginning to end. I could not be prouder of my producing partners for their unique work ethic, steadfast focus, unquestioned dedication and a desire to always nurture and support the creative vision. It’s been said that discipline is very good for creativity, as producers that means creating achievable schedules, realistic budgets and setting up our creative team where the artist can do their best work. We embraced technology, making it seamless to work with a global workforce: 400 hand-picked artists with a crafted attention to detail across 25 countries, all with a love for storytelling.” – Steve Pegram, Producer
“Producing David has reminded me again why I love animation so much. It’s about shared vision, collaboration, and mutual trust. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside a team of remarkable producers, each bringing their own strengths, insights, and passion to the process. Together we’ve navigated complexity and supported one another at every turn. Ultimately, David reflects the heart of all those fortunate enough to have spent the past five years contributing to it, and the joy we’ve found in creating
something meaningful together.” Tim Keller, Producer
That story started over 20 years ago
When Phil 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, he’s turned Sunrise Animation Studios into a powerhouse, with nearly seven billion views for its Jungle Beat YouTube channel alone.
Sunrise animated David largely from their studio in Noordhoek, Cape Town, hiring over 400 local and international crew, some in-house and some remote. Legendary Pixar story artist Nathan Stanton (Brave, Finding Dory) was assistant director while the animation director was Dan Barker, a South African now based in the US, with credits on Oscar-winning films like Big Hero 6.
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 Phil. “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 ultimate underdog story, David is being distributed in the US by Angel Studios. Their previous animation, The King of Kings, had the biggest opening weekend in the US of any biblical animation ever, according to Angel, ahead of the Oscar-winning The Prince of Egypt.
Angel has reinvented film funding by removing Hollywood gatekeepers and empowering everyday fans – the Angel Guild – to greenlight the development and distribution of the movies and TV shows they want to see.
The Angel Guild’s scores for David were the highest ever recorded, while its pre-sales set a new record for Angel.
As 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.”
For more information, visit the official website.
