Ex-Disney animator Tom Bancroft, who is on a mission to spread the Gospel through his new film, “Light of the World,” has learned a lot during his more than three decades in the entertainment industry.

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Bancroft, a Christian, recently told CBN News there were once “lines” in the children’s entertainment system — imposed restrictions that kept content safe.

Today, though, it’s no secret this dynamic has shifted, with Disney and other companies coming under fire for unbiblical and problematic themes.

“They knew who their audience was,” he said of the entertainment complex during his early years. “They didn’t want to offend mom and dad. They didn’t want to take certain teaching moments and apply how Hollywood sort of philosophies away from the parents.”

Bancroft continued, “Now we live in a culture where … it’s, ‘We want to educate your kids.’ And honestly … I don’t think that’s a debate anymore. I think that we totally can see that throughout entertainment.”

The animator explained that he left Disney 25 years ago after spending 12 years at the entertainment company. Despite exiting well before the current moral chaos seeped into children’s entertainment, Bancroft said he knew even in the year 2000 that the situation was taking negative turns.

“I didn’t like the direction that Disney was going in, honestly, and how they were starting to bring in spiritual aspects to a lot of their movies that they didn’t need to … only because they had certain … goals and belief systems that they kind of wanted to explore,” he said. “Whether they believed it or not — I don’t honestly think they did, but … it got to the point where I was turning down jobs.”

Bancroft simply didn’t like the direction things were going, and he wanted to hold true to his faith and a professional pledge he had made.

“I’ve always had a mandate that … I’m not going to do something I can’t show my daughters,” he said. “I had four daughters and they’re grown now, but you know that was really important to me.”

Flashforward and Bancroft and co-director John Schafer are on a mission to captivate children with biblical truth. Bancroft said he’s able to live out his faith in a truly compelling way.

“Now, spiritually, I get a chance to go the other direction, to say, ‘I can show my faith as an animator, as a director,'” he said. “I can finally put that into what I’m working on day-to-day for the last two and a half years. That’s been such a blessing.”

Bancroft’s and Schafer’s new animated film, “Light of the World,” will be released nationwide Sept. 5.

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