Paws and Tales: The Animated Series—Seeing the Unseen

“We know God IS, by the things He has done” is the plot summary in this childrens’ animated film series “Paws and Tales.” Follow this tale in the wilderness with animal kids C.J., Ned, Stacy, Goose, and Wally as they encounter adventures on the way with wise old Papa Chuck bear guiding them.

I watched this film with my 6 yr. old granddaughter. She liked the various encounters in the wilderness that created emotion: the shadow valley (it was scary), the lake that led to the eternity ocean (it was pretty), and the storm (it was sad, because Ned was almost hurt). She didn’t say anything of the characters. She did receive the message that God IS, by the things He does. She really liked the song, which was at the closing of the film. She said she would watch it again, which is a good indicator of the film’s strength.

Now for my own review: I enjoyed the film, but some of the Christian symbolism that was evident to me was lost to younger children. For example, Ned finds a bronze statue (named Webster, like the dictionary, “knows it all” ?) and takes it along for the hike in the wilderness and during the storm, the trees fall down on the kids’ tents and Ned says, “Webster saved me.” Well, as a grandmother of faith, that troubles me. Wally questions God’s existence because his dad is an anthropologist, well I know what that is, but does a 6 yr. old?

Stacy runs ahead and comes to a fork in the road, and can’t decide which way to go. She hears a grizzly, and Papa Chuck comes to the rescue, but there is no indication which road to take. Papa Chuck says, “we all get lost sometimes” That is the truth, even as believers in Christ we can somtimes lose our way. What are the consequences of taking the right road and taking the wrong road? There was the shadow valley, well, I want to know what is down in the valley, and how to deal with that. And as they were all fishing, there was a reference to the “mote in the eye”; I know what scripture that relates to, but does a 6 yr. old?

In the end, there are revelations of faith for Wally and the others as they realize that even though we cannot see God, for God is Spirit, we can know Him, by the things He does. So Hebrews 11:1 is true, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

I give this DVD a good rating, but in future episodes I hope the sciptural message is simplified more for children. The song was the best sermon, the words of the chorus, “we know God is, by the things He has done.”

Violence: None / Profanity: None / Sex/nudity: None