Sunrise Animation Studios is ready to take on giants in 2025. The South African animation company has picked December for the release of its new feature film, David. That’s the same holiday window dominated by Disney and some of the other big studios. The Christian family musical film will go up against films like Zootopia 2 (which is already crushing it at the box office), as well as The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (which comes bundled with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2), Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Christmas: The Last Straw (which releases on Hulu) and, of course, Avatar: Fire & Ash. No fear. No backing off.
It’s a gutsy play that mirrors the very story they’re telling. A shepherd boy stepped up to a giant no one else wanted to fight. Sunrise Animation Studios is making its own David vs Goliath stand, right down to the worldwide Christmas-time release date.
Producer Tim Keller knows exactly what they’re walking into. After helping Jungle Beat evolve from a charming short-form series into a global hit with five seasons broadcast in over 150 countries (plus 12 million YouTube subscribers and 5.5 billion views), he’s aiming higher. David isn’t a small project meant to slip into movie theaters unnoticed. It’s a challenge.
“What’s amazing about the story of David is… it’s the story that almost everybody knows… David versus Goliath. That’s it. And what we realized… that is just the tiniest little bit of his story,” Keller says. It’s almost wild to hear someone call one of the most famous battles in history “tiny,” but he’s right. David’s life wasn’t defined by a single stone. It was battle after battle.
“He has such a colossal journey… such an amazing story. And there’s so much more to be told,” Keller says as he leans forward. Then he lands the real point. “More than ever, I think the world’s needed a reminder that we can face these giants in our life… that we’re not alone.”
A story about an underdog hero facing impossible odds suits Sunrise’s own journey. Because while David stood opposite Goliath, Sunrise stands opposite Pixar, Disney, Illumination, and DreamWorks. These studios have theme parks. Sunrise has a small South African studio, worldwide collaborators and a terrifying familiarity with Eskom loadshedding schedules.
Still, Keller doesn’t flinch when the comparison comes up. In fact, he grins. “What a privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder with these titans of our industry,” he says. There’s no attempt to imitate what’s been done before. He explains that Sunrise sees a gap. “We felt that there’s a space to tell slightly different stories… to tell them in a different way,” Keller reveals.
Sunrise coordinated the film with teams in more than 30 countries. Tokyo kicked off the workday while Vancouver wrapped it up. “The first person online in the morning was someone in Tokyo, and the last was in Vancouver, Canada,” Keller says. The South African team, however, had to deal with one of the biggest threats to the project: loadshedding. “We needed to become immune to power,” he mentions while talking about some of the setbacks during the making of David.
But even with the technical juggling act (which included uploading and sharing content between creators across all 30 countries), Sunrise’s main obsession wasn’t the workflow — it was the story. “We screened the film internally multiple times… and at each screening, we would realize: that could be better,” Keller points out.
The studio’s earlier shorts, Young David, which focused on David’s life as a shepherd, gave audiences a peek at his younger years, as well as the adorable sheep he tends. Kids connected to him immediately. And, with the backing of Angel Studios, the project took off.
But according to Sunrise, David isn’t a sermon disguised as a film. It isn’t forcing a belief system. You don’t need to share David’s faith to understand what it feels like to stand in front of something bigger than you and choose to fling the stone. That’s a universal message.
Keller mentions a moment that might become the film’s heartbeat. David doubts himself. “He goes, ‘I’m just a shepherd.’ And the response: ‘A shepherd is exactly who they need,’” he says. That line goes straight for the insecurities of every kid who has felt too small and every adult who has questioned their purpose.
So who should show up for this movie? Everyone. Keller puts it plainly: “Whether you’re five or 105, this movie has something to offer you.” His own children walked out equally amazed, but not for the same reason. The film lands differently depending on what you bring into the cinema. Kids walk away feeling braver, and parents feel hopeful. “Their life matters… they have purpose… and it’s a beautiful life,” Keller says.
There’s also something about a South African studio refusing to pack up and move somewhere “more convenient” for filmmaking. They stayed and built. Now over 120 South Africans are credited as part of the studio. It’s proof of what creative teams in Cape Town can do when the world finally looks their way.
Watch Sunrise Animation Studios take on the world. See David take on Goliath on December 19th.
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