Now we're getting biblical. The Prince Of Egypt is notable for being the second movie from DreamWorks Animation, and is also notable for being the first DreamWorks Animated film to be traditionally animated. Directed by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells, and Steve Hickner, Prince Of Egypt was released on December 18, 1998. Featuring a star studded cast of celebrities such as Val Kilmer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ralph Fiennes, Patrick Stewart, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, and many others, Prince Of Egypt is a retelling of the story of Moses, from Exodus in The Bible. This epic story from Exodus had been a personal passion project for Jeffrey Katzenberg for a long time. Even when he was working for Disney, Katzenberg kept on pitching the idea of an animated 10 Commandments movie. When he left Disney to form DreamWorks, Prince Of Egypt was one of the first passion projects Katzenberg started with, hiring former animators from Disney and Steven Spielberg's Amblimation company. He even got Stephen Schwartz to do the songs. For those who don't know, Stephen Schwartz is best known for writing the songs for such musicals as Godspell, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.
I was in middle school when I first watched Prince Of Egypt. I mostly watched it because my history class was studying ancient Egyptian history, and Prince Of Egypt seemed like the appropriate movie to take notes on Ancient Egypt. I'd heard of the story of Moses and how he freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and how God gave him The Ten Commandments we must follow. But I'd never seen the story of Moses portrayed like this. I thought it had a unique style and I liked the way the story was done. As I've grown older, I've learned to appreciate The Prince Of Egypt even more. To the point where I try to watch it every Easter. Unlike most DreamWorks Animated Movies, Prince Of Egypt takes its source material very seriously, and it's portrayed maturely. Like a lot of Don Bluth movies, Prince Of Egypt never talks down to its audience and treats everyone like adults. It doesn't hold back on the dark moments such as the many biblical plagues. Just look at this scene.
What'd I tell ya? The angel of death killed every firstborn child of Egypt, there was no holding back and no sugar coating. I have to respect an animated film that holds no punches like that. The voice acting is great, Ralph Fiennes does a great job voicing Ramses as a sympathetic villain torn between the love for his brother and his duty as pharaoh and the burdensome legacy it carries. The animation is unique, and beautiful at times. Prince Of Egypt is a great film and it's one of the best Christian movies I've ever seen. I'd much rather watch this than a Kirk Cameron movie or Exodus Gods And Kings. While the characters are voiced by white celebrities, unlike Exodus Gods And Kings, at least the characters in Prince Of Egypt look ethnically accurate. This biblical film deserves to be talked about more and if you haven't watched it, give it a watch, whether it be the first time or the 10th time.
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