More than 1,000 schoolchildren from Staffordshire have watched the resurrection story, thanks to local churches sponsoring a free cinema project.
Churches in Uttoxeter teamed up to "sponsor a seat" for back-to-back screenings of The King of Kings. The 2025 cartoon, starring Kenneth Branagh, narrates the life of Jesus as if it were a bedtime story being told by Charles Dickens to his son, Walter. It is loosely based on Dickens' children's novel, The Life of Our Lord.
For many children, it was their first time being inside a cinema.
Jordan Lambert, a Christian schools worker through Churches Together, organised the event after repeatedly being asked: "Why did Jesus have to die?"
"As Christians, we do a lot of community outreach at Christmas, but we can sometimes neglect Easter," he told Premier Christian News, "Easter is the centrepiece of our faith. I'm really passionate about children knowing the truth of the Easter story."
Lambert said it was "phenomenal" to see children engage with the film.
"We've had some happy tears, and some children saying it was the best film they've ever seen," he said. "Even the teachers were moved by it."
One year four student said: "It was a really good film. It made me cry as I felt so bad for Jesus."
The mum of a year three pupil said her son often "struggles to sit still," but was completely engrossed in the animation. "For this, nothing could distract him," she said, "especially as it's about Jesus. He loved it."
Volunteers from local congregations were on hand to distribute chocolate eggs and Easter booklets.
"It's been really positive," Lambert added, "giving children the gift of a cinema experience is a blessing. We hope all who watch this film will take something of the gospel with them. We want to share the message of Jesus simply and clearly, in a way children understand."