Singapore Studio Commits to Human-Crafted Animation for St. Francis of Assisi Musical Trilogy
Updated: Sep 4
The Francis Chronicles launches its public campaign on 8 September, with Part One targeting delivery for the 800th anniversary of the saint’s canonisation.
SINGAPORE, 3 September 2026 – Cantiva Studios, a Singapore-based animation production company, today announced The Francis Chronicles, a trilogy of animated musical feature films on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Its first worldwide Kickstarter campaign will launch on 8 September 2026, inviting audiences to help bring the first film to life.
Cantiva Studios has committed to producing the finished film without generative artificial intelligence. Every frame will be created by animators using traditional 3D animation techniques. For the filmmakers, the decision is not simply about process. It reflects the very values at the heart of the story.
"Behind every scene are artists, animators, illustrators and composers whose skill and labour give the story its soul," said Gabriel Patrick, Executive Producer. "A film about a man who gave up everything to recover the dignity of the person cannot be made by displacing the people who make it. Our commitment to traditional animation is a commitment to the dignity of creative work."
Part One: Francis and the Voice of Creation
Part One, now in development, is targeting delivery by the end of 2028, marking 800 years since Francis of Assisi was canonised in 1228.
The first film follows the vibrant and spirited young Francis Bernardone as he struggles to live up to the expectations of his worldly and successful father. With Assisi embroiled in war, Francis pursues the glory of knighthood in the hope of winning his father’s approval. A series of crushing defeats and spiritual encounters, however, begins to turn his ambitions towards a very different kind of love: the unconditional love of the man on the Cross.
The film is directed by Benjamin Tanaka, whose directing and creative work spans more than a decade. His credits include the Mediacorp television series The Cutting Edge and the official music video for “One Church, One People”, the theme song for Pope Francis’s Apostolic Visit to Singapore in 2024.
"We are not just making a movie. We are offering a song of hope that a broken world can sing along to," said Tanaka.
The film is being created in a stylised visual language, drawing inspiration from productions such as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 rather than adopting a conventional Disney-Pixar aesthetic. Its palette takes cues from medieval Italian art, with gold representing the divine, ultramarine blue conveying distinction and deep reds expressing passion. The ambition is for the film to feel like a moving fresco. Sweeping musical sequences will capture the beauty and scale of Assisi, while Francis’s moments of prayer and trial will become quieter and more intimate, allowing the weight of his transformation to come through.
The Musical
The music direction for The Francis Chronicles will be led by Ethan Hsu, who has composed faith-based music for more than a decade. His work includes “One Church, One People”, the official theme song for Pope Francis’s inaugural visit to Singapore, performed at the National Stadium in 2024. Hsu is also a founding member of Singapore Catholic band Mystic Font, formed in 2020 during the pandemic with the aim of bringing comfort and peace through the universal language of music.
The musical soundscape is conceived in the spirit of the great animated film musicals, drawing inspiration from the emotional depth and thematic scale of The Prince of Egypt and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
"St. Francis is a beloved saint who put some of the deepest things he knew into songs that ordinary people could sing. That is the instinct we are trying to honour," said Hsu.
A Saint from the Middle Ages to the Modern World
Friar John-Paul Tan of the Franciscan Friars, Custody of Saint Anthony, sees the timing as significant. "The last decade or so has been a telling sign about the effects of Saint Francis and what his life meant then and to our generation today," he said, speaking from the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels in Singapore. He pointed to a series of milestones, from the first pope in history to take the name Francis to the succession of 800th anniversaries that began with the Rule of Saint Francis in 2023 and culminates with his canonisation anniversary in 2028. "I think all these milestones culminate to something significant that God is trying to tell us at this moment in history."
Friar Derrick Yap, Custos of the Custody of Saint Anthony, hopes the films will carry that message further: "May the eyes of the world be opened to the beauty of creation, and come to see it as Saint Francis did: Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Fire and Sister Earth."
How Audiences Can Take Part
The Kickstarter campaign launches on 8 September 2026 and will run for 45 days, with an initial funding goal of SGD $75,000 towards the production of Part One. Supporters can take part through ten reward tiers, ranging from Friends of Francis at SGD $10 to Legacy Patrons at SGD $5,000, limited to five places.
Campaign page:
Project website: https://www.stfrancismovie.com/
About Cantiva Studios
Cantiva Studios Pte Ltd (UEN: 202629794N ) is a Singapore-based production company established to develop animated features of cultural and spiritual significance for international audiences. The Francis Chronicles, a trilogy of animated musical feature films on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, is its flagship undertaking.
Media Contact
Gabriel Patrick, Executive Producer, Cantiva Studios Pte Ltd
Email: info@stfrancismovie.com | Contact: +65 8225 1553
Notes to editors
▪ ‘The Francis Chronicles’ comprises Francis and the Voice of Creation (Assisi, 1190–1206), Francis and the Sultan’s Garden (Assisi and Damietta, 1206–1219) and Francis and the Fire of Heaven (La Verna and Assisi, 1220–1226). Parts Two and Three are in development and are not the subject of the current campaign.
▪ The films are in English and intended for global theatrical and streaming release.
▪ Benjamin Tanaka, Gabriel Patrick and Ethan Hsu are available for interviews in English.
▪ Concept artwork, character designs and the director’s statement are available on request.
▪ Cantiva Studios Pte Ltd is a private limited company. Support for the film is received by the
company and does not carry charitable tax treatment. Kickstarter pledges are purchases of defined reward packages, not charitable donations.
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