Photo credit: Angel Studios

What to watch: Young Washington, now playing in theaters, tells the story of George Washington before he became America’s first president, focusing on the failures, challenges, and experiences that shaped one of the nation’s most influential leaders.

The production company with Midland ties behind the animated hit film, David, 2521 Entertainment, said it played an active role in bringing Young Washington to life, helping develop the script, structure the film and its budget, and remaining on set throughout production.

The big picture: The Permian Press spoke with David L. Hunt, co-founder and chief creative and content officer of 2521 Entertainment, about why he believes the story arrives at an important moment in American history, as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. Hunt believes Young Washington offers audiences an opportunity to revisit the character and leadership that shaped the nation’s earliest years.

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“A nation can’t decide where it’s going until it remembers who it is,” he said.

Rather than focusing on the larger-than-life figure remembered through monuments and history books, Young Washington focuses on the man he was before becoming a national icon.

“Before the artists could carve Washington into stone, a young man had to first forge himself with his own flesh, blood, and will, to become the leader worthy of all those monuments,” Hunt said. “A man who his former opponent King George said was on his way to becoming ‘the greatest man in the world.’ That is what this story is about.”

Hunt said that perspective makes Washington’s story especially relevant today because it reminds audiences that great leaders are shaped through hardship, not born fully formed.

“The young Washington faced major obstacles. He had doubts. He had monumental failures that would have ended most careers,” he said. “But rather than let his failures crush him, he learned from them and kept moving forward.”

According to Hunt, those lessons extend beyond history. He believes stories like Young Washington give families an opportunity to talk about perseverance, character, and servant leadership at a time when those conversations are becoming increasingly rare.

“In an age when we have such a serious detriment in how we train character in our young people, films like Young Washington are like finding water in the desert,” he said. “Stories like this will be one of the few tools most parents have to help teach their children such important lessons.”

Go deeper: Hunt said every project requires a different level of involvement. Sometimes 2521 takes a leading creative role, while other projects rely more heavily on partnerships. One of those being Angel Studios, which Hunt described as a longtime partner that shares 2521’s willingness to experiment and serve audiences in a rapidly changing entertainment landscape.

Regardless of the project, Hunt said 2521’s goal is to help filmmakers tell the strongest story possible while staying true to the company’s mission.

“Our philosophy is to always empower the creative team to do their best work while ensuring the story and filmmaking quality remain true to our mission of entertaining, educating and elevating.”

Zoom out: After talking with Hunt, my husband and I decided to see Young Washington for ourselves. We both walked out saying the same thing: it was really well done. The story pulled us in from the beginning, the acting was excellent, and before long, we were caught up in the lives of the characters. Instead of feeling like a history lesson, it felt like a great movie that happened to be based on history.

One thing we both noticed was that there wasn’t any profanity. As we walked out of the theater, my husband looked over at me and said, “See, you can make good movies without bad language.”

I thought about that comment on the drive home. After hearing that 2521 wants to create films that entertain, educate, and elevate, it felt like they had accomplished what they set out to do. Young Washington tells an important story, but it also shows that a movie doesn’t need bad language or unnecessary content to keep people engaged. We thoroughly enjoyed it and would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a quality movie.

What’s next: Hunt said 2521 Entertainment hopes to continue bringing stories from America’s past to audiences through upcoming films, including Brink of War, about President Reagan’s dealings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, in theaters on August 14.