The tale of the three wise men who followed the Star of Bethlehem to the birthplace of Jesus is the subject of a new animated feature that Walt Disney Home Entertainment will distribute exclusively in Wal-Mart stores on Nov. 1.
The 3 Wise Men, co-produced by Arenas Ent., Carrère Group and Tele Madrid, is directed by Antonio Navarro. Animation was completed at Mexico’s Animagicstudio by a crew led by Disney veterans who worked on Fantasia 2000, Hercules and Tarzan.
The film’s English-language voice track was recorded by Martin Sheen (TV’s The West Wing) and son Emilio Estavez (The War at Home). Other voices were provided by platinum recording artist Lupillo Rivera, Latin Grammy winning Christian recording artist Marcos Witt, Spanish-language TV star Jose Luis Rodriguez, Mexican TV star Kuno Becker, Christian recording artist Jaci Valesquez and popular Latino theatre troupe Culture Clash. The original Spanish-language track is also available on the disc.
Taking some liberties with the biblical story, Wise Men has Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar set out on a journey across the dessert to retrieve the royal gifts designated for the King of Kings before tyrannical ruler Herod takes them for himself. Along the way, they meet up with a handsome soldier and a beautiful rebel warrior who help battle the deadly scorpions, vicious wolves and giant dragons conjured by Herod’s evil counselor, Belial.
The film screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 and had a limited release in Europe last year. Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, the feature runs approximately 76 minutes and will retail for $19.99 at Wal-Mart.
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