When author and musician Andrew Peterson set out to adapt his beloved book series “The Wingfeather Saga” into an animated series he knew it would be a labor of love. What he didn’t anticipate was just how much work would go into bringing his imaginative world to the screen.

“I walked into this thing as the guy who knows the least in the room about how to make a TV show,” Peterson said. “All these guys are veterans and men and women who are veteran filmmakers and are used to doing this stuff, and I’m just kind of watching it going, ‘Oh my goodness, I will never watch a TV show the same again now that I know how much work goes into it.'”

Despite the steep learning curve, Peterson has been thrilled with the success of “The Wingfeather Saga” series, which is entering its third on the Angel Studios mobile app. The show, which follows the adventures of the Igiby family as they navigate a fantastical world filled with danger and wonder, has resonated with audiences of all ages. It is the #1 crowdfunded animated family series in history, with over $8.2M raised by over 10,000 investors.

“When I’m on tour, seeing kids and families with ‘Wingfeather Saga’ shirts is just a blast, and so I couldn’t be more thankful,” Peterson said.

One of the key factors that sets the “Wingfeather Saga” apart in the crowded children’s entertainment landscape is Peterson’s commitment to creating a show that appeals to both kids and adults. The series has attracted an impressive roster of renowned voice talent, including Billy Boyd (“The Lord of the Rings”), Jodi Benson (“The Little Mermaid”), Kevin McNally (“Pirates of the Caribbean”),  Lesley Nicol (“Downton Abbey”), Eva Whitaker (“Wolfwalkers”), Matthew Rhys (“The Americans,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”),  Kellen Goff (“Five Nights at Freddy’s”) and Henry Ian Cusik (“Lost,” “The 100”).

“We wanted to make it a TV show that would not just be safe,” he explained. “I wanted it to feel a little like high adventure there, there. It needed to feel a little perilous and a little dangerous, but also beating at the heart of it, this real sense that we worked hard to earn the trust of the people who are watching the show and reading the books.”

Rather than relying on heavy-handed moral lessons, Peterson and his team have focused on crafting a compelling narrative that allows the audience to draw their own conclusions.

“I always delete [the teachable moments], and I put in the note in all caps, ‘no teachable moments,'” Peterson said. “What I don’t mean by that is that the story doesn’t provide opportunities to do exactly what you’re saying. Hopefully, the families are talking about this stuff and unpacking it, but as soon as it feels like a Sunday school lesson, then we’ve failed to do our job.”

This approach reflects Peterson’s deeper philosophy about the role of the storyteller. He believes that his job is not to be prescriptive about the message, but rather to trust that the story will resonate with the audience in its own way.

“My job is to tell the story and entrust the rest to God,” he said. “It’s not my job to be prescriptive about what the story is supposed to do.”

As “The Wingfeather Saga” continues to grow, with seasons three and four already in development, Peterson is humbled by the dedicated fan base that has emerged.

“It’s the dream,” he said. “Because I think this about songs, as a songwriter, feel like you. You create this thing, you put it out into the world. You have all these high hopes for what it is, what is going to do in people you want to connect like you. You’d have to be crazy to not hope that this connects at a broad level, but at the same time, if that’s your main goal, you’re gonna lose sight of what you’re doing.”

For Peterson, the true joy comes from seeing the story take on a life of its own, separate from its creator.

“Sitting there at the premiere and seeing 1,000 people and people dressed up and all the hoopla that came with it, I felt very separate from it all, in a really good way,” he said. “I felt like I don’t really need to be here. This thing is taking on a life of its own, and that’s something that only God can do. I couldn’t be happier.”

DEWAYNE HAMBY has covered faith-based music, movies, television, books, and the retail industry for more than 30 years. He is a film member of the Critics Choice Association and the author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or InstaGram.