David

image for David

Short takes

Not suitable under 7; parental guidance to 12 (violence, scary scenes, supernatural themes)

Age
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
classification logo

This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for David
  • a review of David completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 16 December 2025.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 7 Not suitable due to violence, scary scenes and supernatural themes.
Children aged 7–11 Parental guidance recommended due to violence, scary scenes and supernatural themes.
Children aged 12 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: David
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild supernatural themes, animated violence and some scenes may scare young children
Length: 115 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

In this musical retelling of the biblical story, we follow David on his journey from shepherd, to warrior, to king. Young David (voiced by Brandon Engman) is a kindly shepherd boy who is a faithful believer in God. When he is anointed to be the next king of Israel by the prophet Samuel (voiced by Brian Stivale), his life is turned upside down.

As the Philistine army threatens the nation and their champion Goliath (voiced by Kamran Nikhad) rises, David faces down the giant and defeats him, earning the trust of King Saul (voiced by Adam Michael Gold) and the love of the nation. However, as David gets older (voiced by Phil Wickham) King Saul gets more and more paranoid, believing that David is out to steal his throne. As David flees, he must battle with himself and discover what the right path is, learning to trust in not only his faith but the people around him.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Biblical Stories; Death; War; Conflict.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • A character is heard off screen, yelling at others amid crashing and clattering sounds, implying instruments being thrown in anger.
  • King Saul yells at David to get out, throwing a candlestick in his direction.
  • Goliath throws a spear that narrowly misses several characters, before embedding into a wall.
  • David throws a rock at Goliath, hitting him in the head and killing him. Red petals float through the air to simulate blood, but no real blood is shown.
  • Hopeful music swells as the Israeli army overwhelms the enemy Philistine forces.
  • King Saul screams at the prophet Samuel, before tripping over and tearing a chunk of cloth from Samuel’s cloak.
  • King Saul verbally threatens David, before throwing a spear at him. This causes David to fall form a balcony and become injured.
  • A statue falls and nearly crushes David.
  • King Saul shoves his adult son in anger.
  • An elderly priest is threatened with a knife; it is alluded to later in the film that this man may have been killed.
  • David watches his friend being overrun by Philistines in battle, implying the friend is killed.
  • David is punched hard in the face, injuring him.
  • David is struck on the back of the head and nearly knocked unconscious before being tied to a tree. A nearby character sharpens a knife, threatening to kill him.
  • Several characters, including women and children, are hit and knocked down by large men.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • On several occasions there are scary-looking, large figures wearing animal fur and a deer-head mask with glowing eyes. These figures are often accompanied by loud swells of scary music and a darkening of the screen.
  • On several occasions soldiers beat their chests and stomp their weapons menacingly, accompanied by a loud musical swell and unsettling close-ups of bared teeth.
  • When Goliath appears, ominous music plays alongside the soldiers’ loud celebration. Goliath is large and intimidating, with a deep, threatening voice.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • A sheep is giving birth, attracting a lion who then attempts to attack the animal.
  • David assumes one of his sheep is dead, falling to his knees and sobbing in visible distress; the sheep is soon revealed to be unharmed.
  • A lion becomes trapped between rocks and is in distress. David saves it by pushing a rock away.
  • David is taken from his parents to go and see the king; his mother reaches out to him in visible distress.
  • Goliath threatens to eat King Saul’s horse.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:

  • Soldiers are shown breaking into David’s family home, threateningly brandishing weapons; however, the family has already fled.
  • Scary characters are shown walking alongside kidnapped women, children and elderly people. Later, they are shown striking and knocking these children and women.
  • David and several others are visibly distraught, falling to their knees and crying once they realise their families have been taken.
  • David is shown in the desert, visibly dehydrated, before collapsing. He is later rescued and given water.

Thirteen and overinfo

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • As this is a faith-based film, there are several instances of religious iconography important to both Christianity and Judaism.

Sexual references

  • None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

  • None noted.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • Soldiers are seen toasting with alcohol in celebration.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • Heck.

In a nutshell

David is a beautifully animated adaptation of the well-known biblical story. While it can be a little slow-paced, the charming musical numbers and hopeful core message make this film best suited for families with older children. Due to the violence, scary scenes and themes portrayed, this film is not suitable for children under 7, and parental guidance is recommended under 12.

The main messages from this movie are to have courage in the face of challenges; and that it is important to have faith in those around you.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Bravery and courage
  • Kindness
  • Love
  • Family bonds
  • Faith.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • There are heavy themes of war throughout the film. Parents may want to discuss the real-life implications of war.
  • In the film, David beats a literal Goliath. While in real life, this is often interpreted to mean overcoming a challenge, it is portrayed here as an act of violence. Parents may want to discuss this with their children and explain the underlying message.
  • This film is based on Samuel 1 and 2 from the Bible. Parents may like to discuss the bible story in light of this adaptation, and what their interpretations may be.