Happy Easter! - The Prince of Egypt

Dreamworks, 1998
Voices of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfieffer, and Sandra Bullock
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Welles

The Ten Commandments is probably the last movie most people would think of making into an animated musical, but that's exactly what studio executive Jeffery Katzenberg suggested for the Disney Studios' next big animated film in the early 90's. He finally put it into production when he started Dreamworks in 1994. Was his passion for this project worth it, or should it be dumped into the Red Sea? Let's head to Egypt, where the Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart), is giving a fateful declaration, and find out...

The Story: Fearing a revolution by the enslaved Hebrews in Egypt, Seti declares that all newborn sons be put to death. Hebrew slave Yocheved (Ofra Haza) sets her little son in a basket and sends him down the Nile River. He's adopted by Queen Tuya (Helen Mirren), Seti's wife, who names his Moses. Moses grows up as a prince alongside elder son Ramses II (Fiennes), who only wants to prove to his father that he can be a good pharaoh and follow the ways of their people. His brother is more devil-may-care.

Moses is given a slave, Tzipporah (Pfieffer), who is offended by the idea. He catches her escaping that night, but lets her go after he meets two more slaves, Miriam (Bullock) and Aaron (Jeff Goldblum). They're Moses' real sister and brother, though he doesn't remember them. Miriam sings his mother's lullaby, which awakens his memories, but he runs back to the palace in confusion. After he has a nightmare, Seti confirms his adoption, though he disturbs him by calling the Hebrews slaves.

After he pushes one of the royal guards to their deaths for whipping a slave, Moses flees the palace. He crosses the desert, eventually rescuing three little girls from bandits. Turns out they were Tzipporah's younger sisters. He falls for her, marries her, and is accepted into her community by her father Jethro (Danny Glover). He's content...until he finds a burning bush and learns that God (Kilmer) has a special job for him. Only he can confront Ramses and create the miracles that will lead his people to freedom.

The Animation: Katzenburg brought over 350 animators from Disney to make this one, and it was worth every penny. This is a towering achievement, from the dusty, glowing desert to the vast vistas and massive pyramids of Egypt. The burning bush and parting of the Red Sea are just as stunning here as they were in De Mille's epics; the CGI on the backgrounds and the Red Sea look as majestic now as they did when they wowed audiences in 1998.

The Song and Dance: Dreamworks' only theatrical animated musical is a truly majestic achievement. I'm surprised they never tried anything like this again. The cast is a delight; who knew Kilmer would make such a wonderful, tender Moses, or that Pfieffer could be so tough as the young woman who is determined to not remain a slave for long. Hans Zimmer's background score is just glorious, especially in the quieter moments and during the Curses of Egypt in the end. Stephen Schwartz may have written his single greatest movie score for this one, too.

Favorite Number: "Deliver Us" starts things off in stirring fashion, as the Hebrews pray to be freed from Egyptian oppression and we see how badly they're treated. Moses explains his confusion after he learns his true ancestry in "All I Wanted"; the Queen gets an affecting reprise when she tries to explain that she loves him no matter what. Jethro tells Moses how to live the simple life and see things "Through Heaven's Eyes" in a montage at the desert town that ends with Moses accepted into the community and married to TZipporah.

The two big numbers here make up most of the last 20 minutes. Moses brings "The Plagues" to Egypt after Ramses digs his heels and refuses to release the Hebrew people, despite the fact that he still loves his brother. The Oscar-winning inspirational ballad "When You Believe" starts with Miriam and Tzipporah assuring Moses that they still believe in him and their cause...and ends with all Hebrews following Moses in a stirring procession as they sing of their hopes and dreams for a better life.

Trivia: A stage version of Prince of Egypt that debuted in 2017 and has mainly played European and regional theaters since then. It was running in a limited engagement in London, but that's on hold until May 31st due to the virus.

What I Don't Like: Where the movie falters is with the Egyptians. As much as I like the emphasis on Ramses and Moses' relationship as brothers and how it falls apart, Fiennes otherwise plays Ramses too much like a stock evil bad guy. Steve Martin and Martin Short are totally out of place as two very annoying high priests. Their song to Moses at the palace "Playing With the Big Boys" is too goofy for this very serious drama and stands out like a sore thumb among the more inspirational music. There's a reason the priests and their number were cut from the stage version.

The Big Finale: With wonderful songs, stirring music, and an incredible cast, this stirring musical makes me wish Dreamworks Animation would take more stabs at the genre. Highly recommended for families looking for religious Easter programming for older kids or anyone who appreciates a really good animated musical.

Home Media: As one of Dreamworks' most popular animated movies, it's easily found in all formats.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime