Torchlighters is Church history told through animation. Each episode is a mini biography of one key figure, told in just 30 minutes. That means we only get a glimpse, but that’s probably just perfect for the aged 8-12 kids these are intended for.
Production values are solid enough to serve and not distract from the story – the sound is great, and the animation is okay. Sometimes the scriptwriting was pretty impressive. When a person being discussed is already quite famous, the writers might present an angle that hasn’t been as fully explored, like with famed runner Eric Liddell, where we learned more about his China than we did about his Olympic career.
How good are they? My wife would show these to our kids on Reformation Day, and the ones we shared with them were good enough to grab their attention. But there are a few that didn’t really grab me. I’ve rated a few as low as 6, which means they weren’t all that interesting but weren’t terrible and could still be useful from an educational perspective (ie. kids might still prefer watching the video to reading a book about them). But others got an impressive 8, entertaining enough to grab most everyone.
But because the series focuses on individuals, each episode is only as good as the person being covered. And with some of them being specifically non-Reformed, there is some discernment needed in picking which ones you’ll want to share with your own littles. I haven’t watch the whole series yet – there are 23 to date – but I will share the ten below that we’ve seen and liked,
Cautions
I’ll share a couple cautions for three episodes we did see and I’m not recommending.
The first was on St. Patrick. While legends abound, little firsthand material on Patrick’s life exists, making it hard to separate fact from fiction. I’d argue that difficulty should have been acknowledged – this really didn’t make it clear what of this story was legend and myth, and what was fact.
Then, in both Perpetua and Augustine, an animated Jesus makes an appearance, and while I’m not wholly sure of the wrongness of visually depicting Christ, I am also not sure of its rightness (based on the second commandment), so I haven’t recommended it.
A few I haven’t yet watched, which I suspect might be good are: The Robert Jermain Thomas Story, The Gladys Aylward Story, and The Richard Allen Story.
Watch for free
When you click on the links below for the full review, or click on the video itself to watch the episode for free. There are ten below, listed in the order of their episode numbers.
1. THE JIM ELLIOT STORY
2005 / 30 minutes
Rating: 6/10
A missionary is willing to pay – and ends up paying – the ultimate price to reach a group of natives who have never heard the gospel below. Do click on the title above for important cautions.
2. THE WILLIAM TYNDALE STORY
2005 / 32 minutes
Rating: 6/10
The story of a man who translated the Bible into English at the cost of his own life.
3. THE JOHN BUNYAN STORY
2006 / 30 minutes
Rating: 8/10
John Bunyan may have written his most famous work, The Pilgrim’s Progress, during his 12-year stay in prison for preaching in an illegal church.
4. THE ERIC LIDDELL STORY
2007 / 31 minutes
Rating: 6/10
Liddell’s story has been most famously told in the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire. However, Hollywood indulged in a bit of artistic license, so this is the more authentic take. But this is one you’d only watch for educational, and not entertainment, purposes.
6. THE RICHARD WURMBRAND STORY
2008 / 30 minutes
Rating: 6/10
Richard Wurmbrand was tortured for his love for his Lord by Romania’s Communist government, and when he was released he went on to found Voice of the Martyrs.
12. THE CORRIE TEN BOOM STORY
2013 / 34 minutes
Rating: 7/10
The Ten Boom family ran a watchmaking business in the Netherlands, and when the Germans invaded and started rounding up Jews, the Ten Booms began hiding Jews.
15. THE MARTIN LUTHER STORY
2016 / 34 minutes
Rating: 7/10
This is a great version for children who don’t yet have the attention span for a longer Luther film – it will certainly keep most children engaged.
17. THE HARRIET TUBMAN STORY
2018 / 30 minutes
Rating: 7/10
Harriet Tubman (c. 1822-1913) was an escaped former slave who helped other slaves flee the American South to live free in the Northern US and Canada.
18. THE GEORGE MÜLLER STORY
2019/ 30 minutes
Rating: 8/10
George Müller’s orphanages served 18,000 children over the years, all of them helped without a request being made to any but the Lord.
21. THE JOHN NEWTON STORY
2021 / 30 minutes
Rating: 7/10
We know John Newton (1725-1807) best as the former slave ship captain who repented and then wrote the amazing hymn Amazing Grace. Here we get to hear the rest of his life story from the man himself.