'The Star' Is a Worthwhile Retelling of the Nativity Story

The Star is an animated feature film that retells the story of the birth of Jesus.  The twist?  It unfolds through the perspective of animal characters, namely: Bo (Steven Yeun), a donkey dreaming of being part of something great; Dave (Keegan-Michael Key), Bo’s supportive dove bestfriend; Ruth (Aidy Bryant), a sheep who has left her flock; Felix (Tracy Morgan), Cyrus (Tyler Perry), and Deborah (Oprah Winfrey), the three wise men’s camels; Abby (Kristin Chenoweth), a mouse who has witnessed Mary getting visited by an angel; Edith (Patricia Heaton), Leah (Kelly Clarkson), and Zach (Anthony Anderson), eccentric barnyard animals that are amnesiac due to starlight; and Thaddeus (Ving Rhames) and Rufus (Gabriel Iglesias), a pair of ruthless dogs owned by the soldier tasked by Herod to find and eliminate the newborn king.

I enjoyed The Star.  Though it’s not exactly an outstandingly special animated film by today’s standards – the animation is just adequately good; and the script is clever and competent, but not striking – it’s nevertheless charming, heartwarming, funny, and entertaining.

The humor is just standard, but it draws laughs.  One of its noteworthy bits is how the sound of animals talking is just plain noise to humans.  It was definitely overplayed.  But I didn’t feel it becoming stale.

Moreover, I appreciate that it handled its Christian themes thoughtfully and respectfully.  Other than the misconceptions already inherit with the typical notion of the Nativity of Christ (e.g. there are three wise men, and they and the shepherds visited the baby Jesus in his manger at the same time), it is acceptably faithful to the basic essence and general narrative of its Scriptural source material amid its creative liberties.  It also prominently features elements and lessons that are aligned with a Christian worldview.  In fact, I was surprised how some scenes satisfyingly touch on some pretty profound theology.  Of course, that’s just me as a Christian.  Probably, through a more secular standpoint, all these are cringe-worthy.

In this one notable scene (SPOILERS), as Joseph (Zachary Levi) and the pregnant Mary (Gina Rodriguez) travel down the road to Bethlehem, a heartfelt, contemplative conversation regarding the weight and uncertainties of their situation occurs.  When a broken wheel triggers Joseph, who is stressed out with the idea of raising the Messiah, Mary tries to comfort him, saying, “This must be part of God’s plan.”  But her husband sarcastically snaps, “So far this plan is going great. I can't wait to see what happens next.”   This makes Joseph incredibly relatable in this scene.  This is a very human response.  This is us during great frustrations and doubts, especially when things keep going wrong one after another.  And thus, there’s impact when Joseph shows next what we must do in this kind of situations: pray.  God will listen to our heartbroken, discouraged cries; and whatever help is needed to accomplish His plan, it will be provided in forms that we don’t expect.  Later, Mary also bares her heart to him.  “Just because God has a plan doesn't mean it's going to be easy.”  Powerful stuff right there.

In the end, The Star is a worthwhile watch, but it doesn’t necessarily rise above being a mere children’s film.  And I can’t see this aging into a Christmas classic.  That said, I’m sure that if I had seen this as a kid, it would have become a favorite of mine.