THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS (2019)
Director Robert Fernandez
Cert: PG. 109 mins
This new animated feature film adaptation of John Bunyan’s book The Pilgrim’s Progress was released in the UK on 25 October.
It charts the epic journey of Christian Pilgrim (David Thorpe) to the Celestial City, in a story rich with biblical metaphors, accompanied by stirring music by Michael Dooley.
Christian leaves behind the dystopian City of Destruction, where everyone must constantly toil; instead he follows the Way, to seek out the Celestial City of the King, promised in the Book. As he says: ‘The City I seek is all goodness and joy and lasts forever.’
A burning question for some will be: ‘Is it faithful to the original?’ I’m not an expert on The Pilgrim’s Progress, but I enjoyed the film more than my distant memories of an abridged version of the book, and it feels true to John Bunyan’s simple, allegorical style of storytelling.
When it comes out on DVD, it would probably work well for Sunday Schools and youth groups and maybe mid-week discussion groups; though it is rather scary along the way. In terms of animation quality, it doesn’t compare with mainstream secular animated films, so it’s best considered on its own terms as a story.
It could bring up some interesting themes to discuss. What kind of burdens do people carry? What might it look like to be free of them? The main character draws wisdom that he can rely on and guides him, from the Book. Where do you look to find wisdom?
