Animators and film directors Tom Bancroft and John Schafer have a long history of creating inspiring Christian kids’ content. “Light of the World” is their latest quest to encourage young people with powerful biblical messages and themes.

The co-directors, who have previously collaborated on CBN’s popular animated series “Superbook,” came together to work on this new project, set in AD 30 at a time when “everyone [was] expectantly awaiting the coming Messiah.”

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“This beautiful, 2D-animated story of Jesus is told through the eyes of his beloved young friend, the Apostle John,” a description reads. “From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry through his crucifixion and resurrection, ‘Light of the World’ powerfully illustrates how Jesus of Nazareth changed the world forever and still changes lives today!”

The directors told CBN News working on this project together has been a “dream come true” — and one that comes with true purpose.

Schafer said “Light of the World” offers a truly unique lens through which the Bible is being presented to kids and families.

“The biggest thing is the perspective — how we’re telling the story of life of Jesus,” he said. “For us, we really felt like, if we could take it through the lens of John the the Apostle but also … based on historians and theologians we’ve been talking with … they’re really stating that, ‘Hey, we do feel that the disciples would have probably been teenagers, upper teenagers, Peter being the oldest 20, 24.'”

With that in mind, the duo wanted to tell the story through that vein and through John’s eyes, making it “more of a coming of age” experience. The story is, indeed, conveyed from John’s perspective, which differs from what has been presented in other similar films and TV projects.

“Our goal was [to] make this for everyone, but also [keeping] in mind … people who have no … idea of the Gospel,” Schafer said. “Because our goal is not just a theatrical launch in the United States, which is our biggest, but, eventually, get it in the hands of ministries from around the world and use it as a tool.”

Bancroft said the responsibility of working on such an important project that merges eternal Truth with entertainment — an effort aimed at creating a fun, powerful, and effective evangelistic tool — was “intimidating” but rewarding.

“We would start praying before our story meetings and going, ‘God, give us the knowledge to know what you want in this movie,'” he said. “And, step by step, we kept doing that all through the production because we had to be rooted.”

“Light of the World” comes at a time when the appetite for faith-based content is more than evident. Shows like “The Chosen” and Christian films are becoming increasingly popular and more prevalent.

Schafer believes “people are searching” and that this reality is driving the intrigue.

“Parents are searching for content,” he said. “Children, they’re searching for certain answers. … I think people right now, especially in the climate we’re in, are looking for hope, and I think our story tells [it] in a very non-threatening way.”