In the ancient town of Bethlehem, a boy presumably in his early teens, named David, is herding sheep. One of them is about to give birth to a lamb.

However, a lion tries to attack them. David fights it off but thinks that the sheep died. Luckily, they all come back. And the pregnant one gave birth to a female lamb.

The sheep and David return to the city and to his house. An old man called Prophet Samuel is there with David’s family. He reveals that David is appointed to be the next king. But David is not interested.

Shortly after, some palace guards come for David. They want him to play an instrument for King Saul.

Once there, David is bathed and given a nicer robe to wear in order to impress King Saul. He gets on line with some other musicians.

But due to King Saul’s temper when displeased, the other people have David get in front of the line. However, he doesn’t have an instrument which once again angers King Saul.

Luckily, David is able to borrow one. He plays a song for King Saul, and it surprisingly impresses him. Unfortunately, there is danger coming. The Philistine army is on its way.

King Saul and his son, Jonathan, go onto the battlefield and watch the military prepare for its leader. A few scary guys show themselves. But their master is a frightening giant called Goliath. He shows himself and petrifies both King Saul and Jonathan.

Meanwhile, David is back with his family. His mother is weaving something and wants to surprise him.

However, everyone hears about Goliath the giant and is terrified. But David is confident that he can defeat him, despite his size, strength, and experience.

Soon, he comes face to face with Goliath and his army—completely unafraid. The other men consider it a joke that a child could overthrow a powerful giant.

But to everybody’s surprise, Goliath loses the battle—and David wins just by hitting Goliath in the eye with a stone. Everyone in Bethlehem is proud of him and wants to celebrate.

Years go by, and David is now a young man. He has even become a good friend to Jonathan, and King Saul even treats him as a son.

Yet peril is returning once again. Not only that, but King Saul discovers that he was not exactly meant to be a ruler. David is supposed to become the king, according to a prophecy.

Poor King Saul feels betrayed and furious. He explodes at David and now sees him as a threat. Scared, David runs away. But King Saul will stop at nothing to make sure that he is captured and penalized.

After all the running, David gets exhausted and dehydrated, causing him to pass out in the desert. Luckily, he is found and rescued. He also discovers that everybody loyal to him is hiding in a cave nearby.

David reunites with his family. But King Saul’s army comes, and everyone hides. However, David comes out and reconciles with King Saul. Then King Saul and his people all leave.

Not long after, though, stakes are rising. The young men of Israel eventually return to the battlefield.

The war between Bethlehem and the Philistines begins. But the guys on David’s side notice that their kingdom is on fire. So, they leave the battle to save their families.

Sadly, they are not there. Once again, David is turned on. He feels all lost.

What will happen next?

I was surprised with how this film kept my attention all the way through. Despite being a cartoon, it is not humorous one bit. It is a serious biblical tale.

But it had a good amount of tension. The frightening moments with Goliath and his army, the danger the characters faced, and the suffering David went through all contributed to giving this film a lot of conflict.

Another element that surprised me was how this movie turned out to be a musical. The songs sounded kind of similar. But they were all nice.

David was a very likable character. Not only was he brave, but also kind, talented, empathetic, strong, and resilient. It was because of him that King Saul showed his good side, even if it was until a certain point.

King Saul was a gray character for me. Although he had a good side and wasn’t intended to be a villain, I disliked how he ejected the musicians and tried to hurt David when he thought he betrayed him.

David’s relationship with his family was sweet, particularly with his mother, and little sister, Tally. He also had a father and a bunch of brothers, including one he didn’t get along with. That made his family believable.

I also did not find it surprising one bit when he passed out in the desert from exhaustion. That scene greatly reminded me of a similar part in The Lion King, where Simba ran away, passed out from running out of energy, and got saved by Timon and Pumbaa.

Aside from the character development, songs, and conflict, the pacing was faster than I thought it would be. This movie is only around an hour and three quarters. But it felt shorter thanks to the strong elements.

Overall, I enjoyed David. It was a good movie with lots of strengths. My only criticism was that some moments felt too neutral. But that’s a minor flaw.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars.