Approved for 12+

The Passion: A Brickfilm

The Passion: A Brickfilm accurately portrays the story of Jesus' death and resurrection through the eyes of LEGO® characters. From the garden of Gethsemane, to the resurrection, The Passion: A Brickfilm is a beautiful look into the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Shot on location in Uganda, Africa, The Passion: A Brickfilm features stunning visuals, a diverse cast, and lovingly designed historical sets that truly bring the Bible to life.
2
Negative Rating
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SexLanguageViolenceDrugsNudityOther
7
Positive Rating
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FaithIntegrity

Dove Review

It’s the culminating event in all of Scripture. Everything is marked by its place either before or after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. It’s the one story we never want to compromise or neglect as we teach our kids, and yet because of the nature of the story, it’s often the most difficult one to tell. How do we teach our kids about the murderous reality of a Roman crucifixion?

The Passion: A Brickfilm seeks to do so by way of LEGO®. In this short 27-minute film, the brief window of time between Jesus’s time in the garden of Gethsemane to his ascension after his resurrection is narrated using one of the world’s most popular action toys. However, it needs to be noted that regardless of what medium we choose to aid us in telling the story of the passion of Christ, what we must tell is the inevitable reality that Jesus was brutally killed on a cross in first-century Rome. LEGO® or not, it’s a story of blood and death, and this film, albeit in its own strange LEGO® way, exhibits the violence of the story.

For families interested in teaching their kids about the story of Jesus’s crucifixion, a necessary question arises: how do we go about doing it? While the LEGO® film means well in its efforts to bring children into the conversation of this important moment in the history of Christianity, it inevitably blurs the line between the fictional play-time world found at the bottom of toy boxes or stuffed in between couch cushions, and the all-too-real world of murder and betrayal found in the true, historical event of Jesus’s death. In our efforts to make it palpable for kids, do we run the risk of watering down the potency of the story? Is it a good thing if our children’s first memory of engagement with the narrative of how their savior died for them is one of LEGO® toys?

It’s a question which families will disagree on, but one Dove considers worth asking. Ultimately, it’s up to each family how their households enter into the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. But if film is the way in which you seek to go about it, remember that our memories are full of images, and a story like this might be the most important one to remember. From Dove’s perspective, The Passion: A Brickfilm, does earn the Dove Seal of Approval, but note before watching that it tells the violent story of Jesus’s death, and the violence is indeed shown.

We’re giving this our Dove Approved 12+ seal because even though the story is told through LEGO® figures, we think it’s important for parents of very young children be present for the truth behind the toys.

Dove Rating Details

4
Faith

This is the story most central to the Christian faith

3
Integrity

LEGO® Judas hangs himself; LEGO® Jesus is flogged; LEGO® Jesus is crucified.

0
Sex

None

0
Language

None

2
Violence

LEGO® Judas hangs himself; LEGO® Jesus is flogged; LEGO® Jesus is crucified.

0
Drugs

None

0
Nudity

None

0
Other

None

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