Nearly every biblical film is ambitious, creating pictures to go with some of the most famous and sacred stories in the Western world. DreamWorks' first animated film, The Prince of Egypt was the vision of executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg after his ugly split from Disney, where he had been acknowledged as a key architect in that studio's rebirth (The Little Mermaid, etc.). His first film for the company he helped create was a huge, challenging project without a single toy or merchandising tie-in, the backbone du jour of family entertainment in the 1990s.
Three directors and 16 writers succeed in carrying out much of Katzenberg's vision. The linear story of Moses is crisply told, and the look of the film is stunning; indeed, no animated film has looked so ready to be placed in the Louvre since Fantasia. Here is an Egypt alive with energetic bustle and pristine buildings. Born a slave and set adrift in the river, Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer) is raised as the son of Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart) and is a fitting rival for his stepbrother Rameses (Ralph Fiennes). When he learns of his roots--in a knockout sequence in which hieroglyphics come alive--he flees to the desert, where he finds his roots and heeds God's calling to free the slaves from Egypt.
Katzenberg and his artists are careful to tread lightly on religious boundaries. The film stops at the parting of the Red Sea, only showing the Ten Commandments--without commentary--as the film's coda. Music is a big part (there were three CDs released) and Hans Zimmer's score and Stephen Schwartz's songs work well--in fact the pop-ready, Oscar-winning "When You Believe" is one of the weakest songs. Kids ages 5 and up should be able to handle the referenced violence; the film doesn't shy away from what Egyptians did to their slaves. Perhaps Katzenberg could have aimed lower and made a more successful animated film, but then again, what's a heaven for? --Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Surprisingly Brilliant I'm not religious in any sense of the word, so my review will be based purely on the film placed in front of me, and not on any historical innacuracies and deviances from the actual story, or any religious implications in the film. I was blown away by this film to be honest. The story, the voice acting, the animation, it was all faultless, and though the songs took a bit of getting used to (they didn't seem to have that sweet, flowing quality I was used to seeing in most cartoon musicals) the... more info
Full of Hope and Courage This review is dedicated to the children of Israel from way back in the mists of time to the present day and the future.
To little Miriam-seen here in the movie- crouching by the River Nile waiting to see what would happen to the basket where her baby brother Moses was sailing down the River Nile in.
Here the pretty little tyke sings the song of hope blessing her baby brother - sung by the talented young actress Eden Riegel
To the children of Israel today - all of them! The... more info
Wonderful This is a wonderful adaptation of the exodus story from the bible. The music is beautiful, the animation is superb and Ralph Fienes as the Pharroh is excellent. I am disappointed to see that another reviewer has branded it as religious extremism. I fail to see how telling one of the most famous stories of all time counts as extremism. What is moving about this version, is that we see Ramesees as a young man, full of loyalty and love for his "brother" Moses. it's later on that we see him form into an... more info
A GOOD FILM This is very possibly the finest animation I've seen. Before commenting on the film as a whole, I want to make that clear, because in the inevitable rush to pick this film apart (the plot, the voices, the religious significance, the literary accuracy, the moral issues, the music, the comparisons with Disney and de Mille, etc...) one might easily become distracted from the aesthetic and technical triumphs of The Prince of Egypt, and that would be unfortunate. As someone who has an interest and appreciation... more info
![Prince of Egypt [1998]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21EXXNCY12L._SL160_.jpg)
