“It’s a very joyful movie!” Adam Anders talks about making Journey to Bethlehem

Family-friendly films that take Christian belief seriously are hard to find in the theaters, even when the subject is Christmas. Journey to Bethlehem, which opens in theaters today, is a welcome exception: a musical adventure that’s made for families, full of vibrant colors and rich in sound. And it focuses directly on the birth of Jesus, the reason for Christmas.

Journey to Bethlehem is co-written and directed by Adam Anders. The film is produced by Sony Pictures’ AFFIRM Films and Monarch Media, and features Academy Award Nominee Antonio Banderas, along with Fiona Palomo, Milo Manheim, Joel Smallbone, and Lecrae. It weaves together Christmas melodies with clean humor and catchy music in the retelling of the greatest story ever told: the birth of Jesus Christ.

Anders is a four-time Grammy nominee and two-time People’s Choice Award winner. He is the musical mastermind behind “Glee,” and his music has been heard in High School Musical, Rock of Ages, Camp Rock, and other films. He has sold over 100 million records and worked with artists ranging from the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus to Andy Grammar and Ceelo Green. Anders is also credited with executive producing the faith-based FOX live television event “The Passion,” starring Tyler Perry, which generated the No. 1 soundtrack on Billboard.

Anders recently spoke with CWR about the making of Journey to Bethlehem.

CWR: Why did you choose to write and direct this particular film? What was your inspiration?

Adam Anders: My inspiration goes way way back to 17 years ago, when I first had this idea during Christmas time. I was visiting my wife’s family in Iowa and couldn’t find a movie that told the story of Christmas in this way. You have all these Santa movies and Elf movies, and all these wonderful classics—but none of them are actually about Christmas.

Christmas is what this story is about; why we celebrate Christmas.

CWR: Music plays a central role in the storytelling of Journey to Bethlehem. Why did you choose to incorporate music so centrally in depicting the story of the birth of Jesus?

Adam Anders: Well, I’m a songwriter first. That’s how I started. So, as a music producer, songwriter, and musician, music is the fabric of my being.

For my wife and I, our first date was writing a song together. Now, 25 years later, we’re still writing songs together! We wrote all the songs in the movie together.

This is a family movie because it’s made by a family. We have two young kids that we made this movie for, and in our home, doing a musical is as natural as doing dishes.

For me, there was no other way to tell the story except as a musical. I’ve always told stories through song. Songs unite, songs can penetrate in a way that words alone sometimes cannot. And a great song can unite people and cross boundaries and borders and bring people together who maybe would never be together if it weren’t for that song.

So, that’s a really powerful way to tell a story.

CWR: With Christmas approaching and with different Christmas movies already out there, how does Journey to Bethlehem differ from the slew of Christmas-themed movies?

Adam Anders: For one, it’s about why we celebrate Christmas. I don’t think any movie coming out does that.

And, two, there aren’t many movies that come out these days where a family can feel comfortable and safe when they go to the theater and they know there’s no agenda.

There’s nothing weird. This is just a wonderful story for the entire family; the greatest story ever told with great music, song, dance, color, beautiful cinematography, even great animals.

It’s really just such a wholesome way to celebrate Christmas together … and I didn’t make it just for Christians. So bring your neighbors, bring your friends, bring whoever to this movie.

CWR: What do you wish for movie-goers to take away after seeing the film?

Adam Anders: Joy is what always comes to mind. It’s a very joyful movie!

The story itself is the reason we can have joy and true meaning in life, and I think what it represents is hope, peace, and love—and you can really feel that.

I think when you watch the movie, you see that there was so much love poured into it and the story itself. The story is thousands of years old, but it’s more relevant than ever. It’s a dark time in the world and to be able to go watch this movie and be reminded that we have hope and there is joy is an amazing gift.

I’ve seen this movie a thousand times now as the filmmaker, and I’ve yet to watch it, get to the Nativity scene, and not tear up. It’s just a powerful story. It’s not because of what I did; it’s because of what the story means and I think people will feel that and they will leave with a smile on their faces.

CWR: After Journey to Bethlehem, what’s next for you that we should look forward to?

Adam Anders: That’s a really good question. My wife, you know, she’s my partner in crime and I started pitching her my new movie yesterday and she just “Stop, I don’t want to hear about it.” I’m like, “What!?” and she’s like, “You don’t get to talk about another idea till January.”

I think what’s next for me is a sabbatical that’s wife-ordered, because it’s been a grind. It’s been a huge sacrifice for my family. I moved away for six months from my kids and my wife to make this movie to Spain. It was a big sacrifice on the part of my family and my wife. So I think what I’m going to do for the rest of this year is pour time into them and then see what comes next. But I can promise you there’ll be more musicals and more movies from Adam Anders coming up for sure.

CWR: And Journey to Bethlehem is showing across theaters nationwide, correct?

Adam Anders: That’s correct. And like I said, go early and don’t wait for Christmas. We need to show up, you know, November 10th, and show the theater owners that you want this movie in their theater. So it stays around all Christmas season!

• Learn more about “Journey to Bethlehem” and get tickets at JourneyToBethlehemMovie.com/