Plot
In Bethlehem, David is a young musician who tends his father Jesse's flock of sheep. After he protects the flock from a lion, David is called before the Prophet Samuel, who anoints him as the future King of Israel. Samuel leaves when palace guards arrive to retrieve David to play the lyre for King Saul. David soothes Saul, who has become troubled as God has rejected him as king.
Saul is alerted when the Philistine army, led by King Achish, arrive to battle the Israelite army. In the Valley of Elah, the Philistines bring forth their champion, Goliath, a nine-foot giant. Goliath taunts Saul, his son Jonathan, and the Israelites to summon a worthy challenger. Firm in his faith in God, David decides to challenge Goliath. Saul dresses David in his armor, but they are too oversized for him. Instead, David retrieves smooth stones from a nearby riverbank. David challenges Goliath to a fight, in which he slings a stone to Goliath's forehead and kills him. Elevated by David's victory, the Israelites defeat the Philistine army.
Years later, David matures into a soldier in Saul's army and forms a strong friendship with Jonathan. Saul learns of a nearby Amalekite site, but when the Israelite army arrives, they find the Amalekites have left. Back in the palace, as David plays his lyre, Saul remembers the incident in which Samuel declaring that God had stripped Saul of his kingship for disobedience to God after he had spared the Amalekites despite the command to slay them. Saul realizes David is the prophesied King, and feeling betrayed, he throws a spear at David. Saul frames David for attempted murder, in which David flees for his life. When David is cornered, Jonathan slings an arrow at a construction site, which knocks down a statue of his father and helps David escape.
Outraged, Saul and his army pursue David and kill those who assist him. David's family flee Bethlehem to escape persecution. David collapses in the wilderness, but he is revived and takes shelter inside a cave. There, David is reunited with his family. Those inside the cave are told of David's prophesy, but David insists he remains loyal to Saul. Meanwhile, Saul's army approaches the cave. Dehydrated, Saul goes inside a cave and drinks from a waterfall. David decides to spare Saul and instead cuts a corner of Saul's robe. David then reveals himself to Saul, who forgives David and leaves.
David's family return to the Kingdom of Israel. Before long, the Philistines return to challenge the Israelites. David, his brother Eliab, and their warriors infiltrate the Philistine ranks to assist Saul and the Israelites. On the battlefield, they soon learn the Amalekites have attacked Ziklag, burned it, and taken the residents, including David's family, captive. As Saul and Jonathan are defeated by the Philistines, David and his warriors leave to track down the Amalekites.
Faithful in God's deliverance, David approaches the Amalekites unarmed and is taken prisoner. As the Amalekite chieftain prepares to execute him, David begins to sing that he is unafraid, giving the Israelites the strength and hope to join in. David's warriors arrive on the battlefield and liberate the Israelites. David recovers from the attempted execution shortly after, and the Israelites recognize David as their new King.
Production
Development
In October 2021, after their success with Jungle Beat and Jungle Beat: The Movie , co-writer, co-director and co-executive producer Phil Cunningham and co-executive producer Jaqui Cunningham announced, with a demo video, that Sunrise Animation Studios would produce Angel Studios' first animated musical film about the life of David based on the Book of Samuel found in the Old Testament which Cunningham had conceived from his childhood in Africa while reading David's story in the Bible and a quote from Acts 13:22: "I have found in David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart". [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Cunningham and Angel Studios co-founder Jordan Harmon stated that the intention for David was to bring back animated biblical stories for the whole world to enjoy. [10] Kirk Cameron informed his YouTube viewers about his support for Angel Studios and Sunrise Animation Studios in creating the film and urged them to invest in the project through crowdfunding. [11]
In order to conduct the research for David, the production team travelled to Israel and engaged with the environment with their tour guide, including the pottery from David's time and a 3000-year-old juglet used for decanting oil that they purchased. [12] [13] The team visited locations relevant to their research including the original city of Jerusalem, Hezekiah's tunnel, the Pool of Siloam and the Israel Museum. [14] They continued with a focus on the Valley of Elah and Ziklag, a local shop and concert area where they hiked to Qeiyafa (Shaaraim), where they viewed the battlefield between the Israelites and the Philistines. [15] They also covered most of the scenery of Wadi Qilt, using drone footage to create a sense of scale and space and covered their barefoot walk around in the Roman aqueduct, the monastery, Jericho and the Dead Sea. [16] After that, they conducted a ride on camels through the Kana`im Valley in the Judaean Desert from Kear Hanokdim, an oasis between the city of Arad and the citadel of Masada, to the Bedouin hospitality. [17] They documented in the footage of the artifacts including a demonstration of how to make pots, in an effort to demonstrate their reconstructive work to the public. They also swam in the Sea of Galilee at Tiberias. [18] Lastly, they provided an overview of the geography and essence of the Valley of Elah, where the battle between David and Goliath is said to have happened, during springtime by walking through a riverbed where David would have collected the stones for his sling. [19] [20]
In December 2021, Cunningham, co-writer and co-director Brent Dawes and art director Lynton Levengood streamed live about the concept art, animation, set design and color keys of David. [21]
Music
Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jonas Myrin expressed his interest in providing the songs for David in order to honor Israel through the roots of the country's storytelling in Hebrew and recorded the score in Budapest alongside with music director Jason Halbert and the Budapest Film Orchestra. [25] [26] [27]
Release
David was previously scheduled for November 21, 2025, to be distributed by Angel Studios. [28] However, in October 2024, Slingshot Pictures terminated its distribution agreement with Angel, citing "multiple alleged incurable contract breaches". [29] Slingshot filed a lawsuit against Angel in March 2025, seeking a new distributor for David. [30] Eventually, in October 2025, Angel got the film rights back in partnership with 2521 Entertainment, this time releasing it on December 19, 2025. [31] [32] While the film debuts in the United States, Canada and Australia in December 2025, the majority of its international release is scheduled for 2026. It opens in several territories, such as Ghana and Nigeria, on December 26, 2025, followed by Israel and Sri Lanka in January 2026. A significant number of international markets, including Argentina, Austria, and various Latin American and European countries, are set for a March 2026 release, while the film is not expected to premiere in Japan until 2027.
