Ben Hur is a 2003 American-Canadian animated drama film based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by Lew Wallace.

At the film's end, Mary Magdalene sees Jesus emerge from the tomb and he ascends into heaven, giving the promise to the apostles to preach the gospel.

[2] Production on the film took place from January through August of 2002 utilizing a mixture of traditional animation integrated with CGI elements.

[2] The team had previously produced a series of 45 minute direct-to-video projects called The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible.

[2] The production team made a conscious effort to downplay some of the more overtly Biblical aspects of the story.