Teaching Kids the Gospel with Iesodo DVDs
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During Lent, our family received 2 DVDs in the mail from the new animated series, Iesodo. These shows take familiar Gospel readings and put them into an animated format which is visually appealing to kids and parents alike.
About Iesodo
Iesodo (pronounced Yay-Sa-Doe) means "the way of Jesus." and uses a cast of animated birds who live in a Cypress Tree on the shores of Galilee to share the Gospel. Iesodo is a wise and gentle dove that gives an allegory to the stories and messages of Jesus with “solid biblical teaching” (American Family Journal). With each and every story, he and his lovable feathered friends “present the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a winsome, compelling way” through music and adventure (MovieGuide.org).
Directors for the series include Brian E. Ray whose credits consist of Muppet Babies, My Little Pony Tales and Ed, Ed, and Eddy, as well as Colin Brady, whose credits include Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and A Bug’s Life. Brady also served as the former animation supervisor for Pixar Animation Studios. Producer Eric S. Rollman, President/CEO of Rollman Entertainment, formerly served as President of Production for Fox Kids and Marvel, and writer/producer Rob Loos is an Emmy Nominee and writer/producer for McGee and Me! Christmas Lamb, Kids 10 Commandments and Touched by an Angel. The Iesodo series also features the voice of Erin Bethea (Fireproof, Amazing Love) as Maggie.
At this time, there are 3 DVDs available for purchase: Believe, Love and Faith. Each DVD containing 2 short ‘episodes’ retails for $14.99 and can be purchased at Christian retail stores, Walmart and Amazon
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Believe Episodes:
“The Gathering”– It’s a beautiful day in the Holy Land and Iesodo is gathering all the birds to hear his message of hope. Rocky takes us back to the day the flock first believed in this amazing dove who would change their lives forever.
“Believing is Seeing”– Luke, a blind finch with no gift of flight or sight, seeks help from Iesodo. The group is amazed when Iesodo not only helps him fly, but also helps him believe, so that he sees what’s truly important.
“Birds of a Feather, Fish Together”– The wedding of Freddie and Fiona finch is headed for disaster! Iesodo steps in to calm everyone’s ruffled feathers and make the event a success.
“Love Your Enemies”– Zack, the tax collector, doesn’t play by the rules. Iesodo shows the flock that treating those who are mean to you with kindness really does make a big difference.
Faith Episodes:
“Miracles are Everywhere”– A big event is happening! Thousands of birds from all over the world have gathered to meet Iesodo, but food is scarce and the flocks are getting hungry. Iesodo provides in a way no one could have expected.
“The Wind and the Rain”– The flock is soaring through the sky on their way back to the Cypress Tree when a sudden storm approaches out of nowhere! Trapped at sea and frightened, they learn that when you have faith, anything is possible.
Our Thoughts on Iesodo
Whenever we’ve received a new Christian show to review there is always that nagging thought that it will not be well received by the boys. It isn’t that they don’t enjoy the stories or animation. Rather, there are some that are a little lackluster and just fail to capture their interest.
Iesodo is NOT one of those types of shows.
We were sent Love and Faith for review. J immediately connected with these episodes and was eager to watch them more than once. As he’s in the target audience for this particular series, I wasn’t surprised that he would enjoy the animation and scripts. But, I wasn’t sure how the older boys would view the series.
My eldest son, who is rather critical of things at time, commented that the animation was top notch and the presentation was not found (by him) to be annoying. Yes, there’s music involved. But, the way everything is pulled together left a positive impression on him so that he wasn’t trying to run for the hills as I watched with the youngest son.
I also have to share that there are some great resources for families to use on the Iesodo website. J enjoyed coloring pages from the website while watching the show. 
What does this go to show for our family? Basically, if you have top notch people working on a project it is more apt to be a success. This project has individuals who’ve worked in the mainstream and are now taking their talents and putting them towards helping spread the Gospel for future generations of Christians.
I definitely recommend this series to Christian families looking for high quality entertainment that will also help to solidify Christ’s teachings. I know that J is eager to get a copy of Believe and will most likely ask for future discs as well.
What are some of your favorite animated Christian shows?
Have you found that your children remember stories from the Bible better from watching shows than just hearing the Scripture?
