The Chosen Adventures
Streaming on Prime Video
Of all the spin-off opportunities there could be from The Chosen TV series (and there have been a few), the last thing that would have occurred to me was animation for kids, with a cartoon version of Jonathan Roumie as Jesus.
Yet that’s just what has dropped on Prime Video: a season of 14 short stories that focus on nine-year-old Abby, a Jewish girl who lives in Capernaum in 30AD with her father (or abba) Eli, and her mother (eema) Hannah.
Abby is endlessly inquisitive about the world, her place in it and how and why God works in certain ways. She has the kind of questions many children might ask, from “Why did God give me such a bad day?”, to “Why did God make wasps?!”.
Her desire to know and understand far outweighs that of her friend Joshua, who gets to learn at Torah school while she has to badger her parents, the rabbi and – once she meets him – Jesus. And, as one might expect, when Abby asks Jesus about an issue his answers are patient, wise and centred around trust in God’s goodness.
Jesus doesn’t appear in every episode but, amid the children’s escapades and interactions with parents, rabbis, grumpy neighbours, numerous characters from the original TV show and even the occasional Roman, they are discovering how to live God’s way.
To learn about trust, Abby has to endure a white-knuckle ride across the Sea of Galilee with only her sheep and pigeon for company. She spends a day filled with anger and thoughts of revenge over the mean actions of another girl and needs to understand the difference between true forgiveness and what Joshua has learned about “an eye for an eye”.
Abby’s food-obsessed pet sheep carries a secret sorrow that he was not good enough for his old shepherd, and that everyone else just wanted to eat him. But he immediately cuddles up to Jesus with child-like trust and also knows he is safe with Abby’s family.
I should mention that although viewers can hear the sheep and pigeon talk, we’re happily not in Disneyland so the humans around them can’t understand.
Each episode has a different theme: from hardheartedness to listening to God’s word, prayer, rest and even the value of miracles. The children are also learning about true friendship, even with a Roman kid (who, in a nod to the naming conventions of Asterix comics, is named Hilarius).
The series is beautifully made – full of colour and life, easy to watch and slightly crazy in that special way that only works in cartoons. It’s kind of weird seeing the animated version of actors from The Chosen, but they’re instantly recognisable; I think the animated Matthew is my favourite so far.
It’s always great to find extra ways to teach our kids about God’s love for them, show them who Jesus is, and help them discover what life was like during his time on earth.
While The Chosen TV series is too long and complex for young ones, each episode of The Chosen Adventures is only 10 to 12 minutes long. Parents can watch with their kids and see the same lessons being taught in age-appropriate ways, laced with elements of the gospels their children can recognise and respond to easily, along with ample conversation starters once the credits roll.
Some may consider the cartoon Jesus to be too relaxed – he blows raspberries in the first episode! – while others might feel certain points are laboured. But remember, we’re trying to teach kids here.
The focus is on helping them to value the Bible, to trust Jesus and to be confident that they are his much-loved children, which sounds pretty good to me. Especially if, like Abby, our kids learn to listen for what God wants them to hear in his word and can thank him at the end of a difficult day “for the good things I don’t even see”.
