What is Superbook?

In 1981, The Christian Broadcasting Network created a children’s animated Bible series as part of an outreach to the nation of Japan. Little was it realised what impact the series would have in Japan and throughout the world.

Research performed during and after the outreach showed that this series was an unprecedented success. Superbook, also known as Animated Parent and Child Theater, is an anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Productions in Japan in conjunction with The Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States. During its launch in Japan, it is estimated that over 4 million people watched each weekly episode of Superbook on television, resulting in the Bible becoming the best-selling book in that country.

From Japan, the Superbook series went on air throughout the world from Asia to North America. By 1989, in the midst of economic and political turmoil, Superbook began broadcasting in the Soviet Union to astounding results and aired during prime time on the Soviet National Channel. CBN received over 6 million letters from children, introducing a whole new generation to the Bible. Even today, the Superbook Kids Club is one of the highest-rated live-action children’s programmes in Ukraine.

Since first airing in Japan, the series has now been broadcast in over 100 countries, translated into over 40 languages, and viewed by over 500 million people.

CBN is producing a reimagined, computer-generated version of Superbook. The goal is to produce a new series that will honour the life-changing legacy of the original, and reintroduce it to the new, media-savvy generation.

This new series is created by an award-winning team whose credits include Disney’s The Lion King, Mulan, and Beauty and the Beast. It has the potential to reach even more lives than the original series with powerful lessons that present spiritual truths and maintains biblical accuracy.