This Advent the anthems in our 10am Sunday Eucharist will come from Disney and DreamWorks. As well as telling many Christian stories, Disney and DreamWorks movies have, over the years, engaged with implicit Christian themes in more subtle ways, such as: to believe in yourself, to chase your dreams, and to have courage and be kind. Each week in Advent the choir will be singing a song from an animated film.
Advent 1 - Sunday 27th November
Better than I is a song from the 2000 DreamWorks Animation film Joseph, King of Dreams. It is performed when Joseph is at his lowest point, almost giving up on his faith. He decides to trust fully in God and acknowledge that he is the master of the universe who has an ultimate plan, even if things seem bad at present and he doesn't fully understand why.
Advent 2 - Sunday 4th December
When you believe is a song from the 1998 DreamWorks Animation film The Prince of Egypt and is an adaptation of the biblical story of The Exodus. It is sung in the film by characters Tzipporah and Miriam, and a chorus of people departing from the slavery of Egypt to the Red Sea and the Promised Land. It describes the ability each person has to achieve miracles when they reach out to God and believe.
Advent 3 - Sunday 11th December
God help the outcasts is from the 1996 Walt Disney animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The song is a somber prayer in which a beset Esmeralda asks God to shield outcasts and gypsies like herself against racism and discrimination at the hands of Paris and Judge Claude Frollo. The song also establishes Esmeralda as a selfless, empathetic character with whom Quasimodo falls in love.
Advent 4 - Sunday 18th December
I See the Light is from the 2010 Walt Disney animated film Tangled. It describes the developing romantic relationship between Rapunzel and Flynn towards the end of the film. At a deeper level, seeing this light is not just an emotional transformation, but a spiritual one as well. The lyrics reflect the idea that there is more in us, that comes out when we love someone. It has been suggested that the song parallels the realization of the power that Christ’s love has in our lives.
This Advent the anthems during our morning services come from Disney and DreamWorks movies. As well as telling many Christian stories, Disney and DreamWorks movies have, over the years, engaged with implicit Christian themes in more subtle ways, such as: to believe in yourself, to chase your dreams, and to have courage and be kind.
