3 Reasons Families Will Love ‘The Old Stories: Moses’

The same filmmakers and studio that helped turn Wonder Project's House of David into a streaming success are behind The Old Stories: Moses, which opens with a warm scene of David's father, Jesse, recounting the story of Moses to a group of wide-eyed children before the narrative shifts to Kingsley portraying the iconic biblical leader.

The series is billed as a “companion” to House of David and even includes a brief appearance by Michael Iskander, reprising his role as David, listening nearby as his father shares the story with the children.

It’s Bite-Sized

Episodes of The Old Stories run about 20 minutes each – a length often associated with children's content but one that director Jon Erwin says makes the series especially accessible for families. While shorter episodes are undoubtedly less expensive and faster to produce, they also offer practical benefits for parents looking to fit meaningful entertainment into a busy schedule.

I watched an episode with my 10-year-old son just before bedtime the other night, and when it ended, he was immediately ready to start the next one.

Erwin said he wanted to make episodes that were “short enough to binge with your family before bed, or on Sunday afternoon, or after school – and then talk about the themes.”

For moms and dads with young children, The Old Stories likely will be a hit.

Photo Credit: ©Wonder Project

This is the aspect of the series that will most attract families of faith. The Old Stories: Moses remains faithful to Scripture – perhaps more so than many previous depictions of Moses. For example, the series includes not only the miracle of Moses' staff becoming a snake before Pharaoh but also the sign of the leprous hand, a biblical detail found in Scripture but omitted from both The Ten Commandments and The Prince of Egypt.

The series also portrays Moses as an elderly man – a depiction that may surprise viewers accustomed to seeing him as a younger figure, as in The Prince of Egypt. Yet the Bible tells a different story. Exodus 7:7 states that Moses was 80 years old when he confronted Pharaoh. The casting of Ben Kingsley, who is 83, reflects that biblical reality. (If you're curious whether Aaron serves as Moses' spokesman in the series, the answer is no. We'll have to wait for a future project to incorporate that detail, which, admittedly, seems less cinematic even if it's more biblical.)

The three-episode series covers God's calling of Moses in Episode 1, the plagues and his confrontation with Pharaoh in Episode 2, and the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea and escape from Egypt in the finale.

The series has generated significant discussion in Hollywood for its incorporation of artificial intelligence into the filmmaking process. Although it features real actors, large-scale sequences – including the plagues and landscapes and other effects-heavy scenes – were created using AI-assisted technology that director Jon Erwin calls “hybrid filmmaking.” The production was shot entirely on a virtual stage in Los Angeles.

Erwin told The Los Angeles Times that, contrary to conventional wisdom, AI can help create jobs. Without that technology, Erwin said, the project would have been too expensive and simply would not have been made.

“I think the greater threat of job loss in our industry is actually just how expensive things have gotten and how long they take to make,” Erwin said. “If you can make things quicker, and you can make things at a price point that studios will say ‘yes,’ you can employ more people in aggregate and create jobs.”

Erwin is already planning additional installments of The Old Stories, focusing on Old Testament figures who lived before David.

The Old Stories: Moses is an impressive first chapter. Kingsley is phenomenal. The series is fast-paced, inspiring, and, most importantly, faithful to Scripture.

Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Photo Credit: ©Wonder Project