Christian Movie Maker-Ministry Merger Gives Parents 'Paws'
by Jenni Parker
November 25, 2004
(AgapePress) - The first installment of a new video series from Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Living radio ministry and Providential Pictures is a delightful story that will engage and entertain children, teaching them biblical principles at the same time.Paws & Tales, the popular and highly successful radio drama created by David Carl, was based on a book by Chuck Swindoll and developed into a weekly children's radio program broadcast throughout North America on 450 outlets. Using story and song and a delightful cast of animal characters, each episode was designed to communicate biblical principles to children in memorable and meaningful ways. Carl describes the youth-oriented dramas as "the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll ... for kids."
And now those radio dramas have been adapted to video format, adding another dimension to this entertaining Christian resource for kids. Providential Pictures, a newly formed Christian film studio, has signed a long-term, multiple episode deal with Insight for Living to produce the first 3-D animated video series of Paws & Tales adventures.
Providential Pictures was created with a strong evangelical foundation. From the beginning the company has had an emphasis on spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and transmitting sound biblical principles through entertaining, family-friendly and educational productions of the highest artistic and biblical standards. President Cliff McDowell says with a young child of his own, he has become keenly aware of what is available in the children's video market -- and what is not.
"Laying a good spiritual foundation in our children is essential," McDowell says, "and I feel that the market is lacking in such products. When the opportunity arose with Insight for Living to produce the first Paws & Tales animated series, I jumped on the idea."
The CEO of Providential Pictures describes Paws & Tales The Animated Seriesä as "safe entertainment with Christian values that parents can trust." The series is designed for youngsters between six and ten years of age, and the first episode "Seeing the Unseen," features a story that deals powerfully yet simply with the very definition of faith.
A number of the familiar characters from the weekly radio program appear in "Seeing the Unseen." The episode joins Paw Paw Chuck and the young C.J., Staci, Gooz, and Ned in an adventure on Wild Mountain, where they try to help their new friend, Wally, understand how it is possible to believe in and trust an invisible God.
Wally, whose father is a scientist, has been taught to believe only in what he can observe or determine scientifically. When he sees Paw Paw Chuck and the others praying, he is filled with questions, and as the story unfolds, those questions are addressed earnestly and without condescension in a drama filled with humor, excitement, and warmth.
And the look of Paws & Tales The Animated Seriesä , with its high-quality, cutting-edge animation, is just as impressive as its storytelling. Intent on raising the bar on production standards, Providential Pictures animation division, Go-Kart Animation, employs the same technology used on major studio feature films like Shrek, Ice Age, and Lord of the Rings to create each 30-minute Paws & Tales episode.
Author and evangelist Chuck Swindoll has high hopes for the new series. "I am continually amazed at the impact a simple, carefully worded story can have on young lives," he says. "Our hope at Insight for Living is that Paws & Tales the Animated Series, just like the episodes on the radio, will provide families with more opportunities to discuss the really important things in life."
Released earlier this month, "Seeing the Unseen" is now available in Christian bookstores across North America on VHS and DVD, and a worldwide release in multiple languages is soon to follow. The film can also be ordered online from Insight for Living's Paws & Tales website, which also features a trailer from the video.
