Parents' Guide to

The Miracle Maker: The Story of Jesus

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Birth of Christianity artfully animated; biblical violence.

Movie NR 2000 91 minutes
The Miracle Maker: The Story of Jesus Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 8+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Valerie T
Valerie T Adult
October 20, 2020
age 18+

The whole point of this movie is to lie about Jesus that he never did any real miracles

Christians beware, do not show this to your children. It teaches that every miracle Jesus did was not a miracle at all. This movie is designed to rob children of their faith in God and His power. Please throw it in the garbage.
1 person found this helpful.
Andrea Lawson
Andrea Lawson Adult
April 15, 2020
age 3+

An underrated masterpiece

This is a simple retelling of the adult life of Jesus. There's nothing really new added to it, except that it's through the eyes of the daughter of Jairus. That and the claymation- the animation is phenomenal. You know how so many times a film can have so many things going for it, yet in the end it just doesn't work? For whatever reason, this works. I's greater than the sum of it's parts. There's something very heartfelt about it, something that it's live action counterparts have never brought to the table. It's one of those that we watch every Holy Week without fail, and I highly recommend you watch it!
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What's the Story?

THE MIRACLE MAKER: THE STORY OF JESUS opens with Jesus' journey to Galilee, where he preaches to its citizens, inspires them, performs miracles, and challenges the ongoing Roman occupation. The story stays basically true to the Gospel of Luke, as Christianity begins to flourish in the region. Classic events such as Lazarus rising, the exorcism of Mary Magdalene (portrayed here as "mad," not as a prostitute), the loaves and fishes, and healing the sick and dying are included, as are a number of fundamental parables that define and illustrate Jesus' teachings. As Jesus gathers his disciples and his congregation multiplies, various factions fear the consequences of such untraditional ideals and messages and begin a campaign to get rid of this professed Messiah. The Romans have the upper hand, and, with the help of Judas' betrayal, Jesus is taken captive, judged, and crucified, only to rise to complete his journey and lead his constituents into righteousness.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (6):
Kids say: Not yet rated

For young viewers, the film's complex themes, life-and-death situations, and climactic crucifixion scenes may be too intense. And, as an introduction to the teachings of Jesus and the precepts of Christianity, sharing with grown-ups is recommended even for older kids and tweens.

This production garnered an A-list of voice actors in principal roles, including Ralph Fiennes as Jesus, along with Julie Christie, Miranda Richardson, William Hurt, Alfred Molina, and Ian Holm as supporting players. The animation, painstakingly created over several years, is a stellar example of the stop-action genre. The filmmakers' intention of making this movie true to Luke's Gospel and family-friendly at the same time is obvious; leaving out the sexual nature of Mary Magdalene's transgressions and creating the character of Tamar, a young girl, as the centerpiece in Jesus's healing powers certainly will help those intentions. The integrating of traditional cell animation to depict past events and parables may be confusing to some; others will find that it enhances their experience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about which audiences the filmmakers were trying to reach with this film. Does the fact that they created the character of Tamar for this movie help answer this question? How does the girl's narration make the movie more relevant for young viewers?

  • How did you feel about seeing two kinds of animation in one movie? Did the addition of the 2-D (or traditional cell animation) for flashbacks and parables make the Claymation scenes seem more or less real? If your answer is "more real," can you explain why?

  • Look up the history of Claymation (or of stop-action or animation). Find out what it takes to create the puppets, their movements, their expressions, and their speech. Try to make one puppet out of clay or another molding material to get a sense of what the art entails.

Movie Details

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