From the Theo Presents website:

Theo Presents is centered around the adventures and teachings of the main character, Theo, a student of God’s Word. Theo lives in a cozy corner of a quaint English village, in the heart of the Cotswolds, and entertains many guests, including two mice, Belfry and Luther. The animation series of Theo guides children and adults through a careful study of systematic theology.

I was intrigued when I heard about this new series.  It can be tricky to find resources to teach important doctrines to children, in an engaging manner.  Whitestone Media sent me a preview of the first DVD.  (The preview contains the first episode and a bonus episode; the final DVD contains four episodes plus the bonus one.)  Overall, I was pretty impressed.

The animation is very well done.  Although the primary story threads contain consistent animation, secondary “stories” (illustrations, Bible stories the main character tells, etc.) use a variety of animation styles.  This is quite fun, and all of it is high-caliber.  The theology in the episodes I viewed was accurate, and I was pleased that when Scriptures were quotes, they were from good-quality translations.  (No Message or children’s versions here!)  It is, indeed, engaging for children, though.  My four-year-old asks to watch it every day!

Each episode also has a classic hymn woven through it.  (The whole hymn isn’t sung, but snatches of it are, and the music is used in the background theme.)  This is a nice touch, and a great way to familiarize children with some of the great hymns.

Eventually, the series will include DVD’s, audio CD’s, curriculum, and books.  There is even an iPad app!

The only thing I’m not crazy about is that we’re talking theology, and I can’t find anything that tells me what doctrinal bent the creators have.  As a believer in the Reformed tradition, I felt that they were dangerously close to overemphasizing the Christian’s role in his own salvation.  It may be, perhaps, that this is just because of the particular topics addressed in the episodes I viewed.  I would be more comfortable, though, if I were able to read more about the theological perspective represented before purchasing these for my young children.

I am looking forward to seeing more of these.  If you would like to win your own copy of the preview disc (run time about 15 minutes, great for when the kids want to watch a “movie,” but you don’t want them in front of the screen for ages!) leave a comment on this post.  On September 30th, I will randomly select a commenter to receive a copy of the disc.  Congratulations to Amanda F.!