User reviews

This cartoon version of renowned story during the time of Christ which was filmed several times , concerning on a Jewish named Ben-Hur results to be an agreeable movie . It stars in a prologue and epilogue narrated by Charlton Heston in his final acting before his death . He explains about numerous Lee Wallace's Ben Hur adaptations , as stage version , silent classic (1926) by Fred Niblo with Ramon Novarro and , of course , the big budget version by William Wyler that won a record of 11 Oscars and was the most expensive picture of its time , being one of the greatest movies of all history .

The story is well known , a wealthy Jewish nobleman , Ben Hur , and his confrontation to the rough military Messala (role played in Wyler version by Stephen Boyd) , though they were childhood friends . When it happens a sad distress , Ben Hur incurs the hostility his previous friend and is condemned as a galley slave , and his family is sent to prison during several years into a completely locked room . When he's in a galleon as slave rower saves to Quinto Arrio (Jack Hawkins in the Oscarized adaptation) who subsequently appointed him as heir . He returns Palestina where his mother Miriam and sister Tizrah (roles performed in classic version by Martha Scott and Cathy O'Donnell , respectively) are imprisoned at Antonia fortress . This classic tale is added religious issues about Jesus life , as there are described the pilgrimage to Cafarnaum where Jesus takes disciples , his apostles ,the treason by Judas , crucifixion and resurrection . The movie relies on traditional animation , it is partially made by computer generator , as the ship battles and the breathtaking chariot races . The dialogue , animated images , photography , evocative musical score combine to cast a spellbinding animation movie , though it contains some gaps and the animation is imperfect . This motion animated picture was professionally directed by Bill Kowalchuk.

This new animated adaptation of Ben Hur, has but one thing to recommend, namely the voice of Charlton Heston. It is delightful to hear his distinguished voice as he reprises his Oscar winning role. The animation is rather on the crude side by Disney standards but as long as you don't watch this expecting too much you won't be disappointed. Having a running length of 75 minutes however liberties have to be taken with the plot as it progresses quickly from scene to scene, although it is supposed to be the most faithful version of Lew Wallace's tale to date.

Highlights include the sea battle and of course the chariot race sequence which are enhanced through cgi but yet again they are only short segments.

Of the other voice actors none are distinguished, but that doesn't matter much as Heston carries the movie and makes it more accessible for a young audience. It is particularly nice to see the role of Christ expanded upon from what we see of him in previous versions.

DVD features though few are nice as we see Heston talking behind the scenes although he looks extremely unwell and frail.

Over all this new animated tale is a small treat for fans of Heston and the story of Ben Hur.

What I like about this movie after watching it on the Trinity Broadcast Network. It was a good movie to watch, I learned everything about this movie. The story of a Hebrew Prince, the Charriot Race, his mother and sister turning into lepers. And also about Jesus, the Messiah. The animation is very good. The movie also starred Charlton Heston,the voice of Ben Hur. Also famous for the 1956 motion picture"The Ten Commandments". The movie also featured your favorite voice cast famous for Beast Wars, Gundam Wing, and others. So in closing to this review. Do see it the next time it comes on Television. You will see what I mean.

this is the only version of Ben Hur that i have seen so far,so i can't compare it to other versions.i will say i really enjoyed this animated version.it's a combination of traditional and 3d animation.visually it is very stunning.the details are very rich vivid.the movie clocks in at less than 90 minutes,but there is a lot jammed into that time.Charlton Heston,who played Ben Hur in the 1950's version is back as the voice of Ben Hur.as i watched the end credits,i noticed that many voice actors portrayed several different characters.i found this amazing,as the characters each had their own distinct sound.i would not have known this if i hadn't watched the end credits.to me,this is a testament to the skill of the performers.this movie is very family friendly,with just one or two scenes that may be a bit intense for young children,so parents may want to preview the movie first before their little ones watch it.this is a great movie overall in my opinion,and well worth watching.my rating is 10/10 for the animated version of "Ben Hur".