Superbook Goes to the Next Level

CBN.com According to George Barna, only three percent of America’s 13-year-olds make their decisions from a Biblical perspective.

In the current climate of violent video games and spiritual confusion, how can you “train up your children in the way that they should go?”

The new Superbook speaks to today’s generation in a whole new way…

In the pilot episode of the new Superbook, the battle of David and Goliath came to life in 3-D.   The latest installment, “Creation”, takes the familiar story of the Garden of Eden to a deeper level.

Superbook producer John Schafer explains, "We really felt like we needed to show how it all began.  Who is the serpent, which now they will meet early on in the episode as Lucifer?   He wanted to ascend above God.  At that point, there is the first sign of disobedience.  That was the first sign of where corruption began and sin, so we want to take that step further."

Themes of pride, rebellion, disobedience and consequences for sin are woven together in a story line that is engaging for young people everywhere.  

John says, "We try to raise the quality of not just the visuals, but the storytelling that it would be relevant to all ages."

The idea to produce an animated Bible became a reality nearly 30 years ago.   CBN created Superbook as part of a huge campaign to reach the nation of Japan.  The anime series was a monumental success with all ages, drawing a weekly audience of nearly four million people. During the fall of communism in the 1990s, Superbook aired across the former Soviet Union where millions of lives were changed by the series.

Since its inception, people in more than 100 countries have enjoyed Superbook.  It’s been translated into 43 languages and viewed by an estimated half billion people.  

For the new Superbook series, CBN has teamed up with highly respected writers and producers, who are also fellow believers, to create CG animation rivaling that of major studios like Disney and Pixar.

"There’s a perception that Christian content is low quality, cheesy, a rip-off of something that was successful in the general market.  What we really wanted to do with the Superbook series is to raise up the quality, to just take it to that next level. Right now with kids being on the Web, being on mobile and flipping through those channels, you’ve got a moment. You’ve just got a fraction of a second.  If our quality is not the level of what mainstreams out there, then we’ve lost it.   So we’ve had to raise the bar on all levels."

Superbook Season One, the first 13 episodes, will be ready for market and premiere in September of 2011.

Plans are also in the works to provide online resources to answer questions and help kids delve deeper into Scripture to find the answers for themselves

"We want that episode to be the catalyst and to get them excited about this Bible story, to want to learn more about it, but now take them into a world they’re familiar with that they can experience, that they can interact with and that they can share with their friends."

CBN is committed to making the Bible an integral part of everyday life for the next generation.