The Prince of Egypt

I have a long history of love for this particular film, and it continues to this day. As a Christian, the story of Moses was one of those stories that is oft told in Sunday School and the likes, and deservedly so. It is one of the biggest examples of epic in the entire Bible.

The Prince of Egypt is an animated Dramatic Musical that was first released in 1998, starring the voices of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes and others, and is probably the most epic family movie I've seen. It kick-started my interest in Ancient Egyptian culture and history in my youth, and is to this date the best Bible Epic i've ever seen...and it's animated.

The interesting thing about POE that sets it apart from other animated movies is that it doesn't bother with the dreaded 'Disney Comic Relief Characters' that are in every other animated movie, especially after The Lion King, including non-disney movies. The issue with these characters is that they don't add much to the story, and are really just there as distractions for the kids, as to keep them entertained through the more adult story (see Hunchback of Notre Dame). Prince of Egypt doesn't do that at all, and the closest it gets to that trope are the two High Priests, Hotep and Hoy, played by Steve Martin and Martin Short, but they come across more as creepy than funny, despite their more cartoonish design, compared to the rest of the movie.

But that's not to say the movie isn't funny. It has plenty of funny moments, such as the beginning with the brotherly quarrels between Rameses and Moses. These comedic moments are limited though, and the movie feels more like a musical along the lines of Les Mis, to give a recent example, than any Disney movie clone.

The music is the strongest part of the movie, and the reason I think that the film will do well on a Broadway stage. The film has one of the best openings ever, in my opinion, with the seven minute 'Deliver Us' instantly saying to the audience 'This ain't a kid's movie' with the implied deaths of thousands of children. Other songs, such as 'All I ever Wanted', 'Playing with the Big Boys', and 'The Plagues', and of course, 'When You Believe,' a song that was covered by Celene Dion and Whitney Houston for the soundtrack and became a worldwide hit. The lyrics mix perfectly with the Hans Zimmer score, creating one of the most memorable soundtracks ever written.

And the story is also amazing. Most everyone in a predominantly Christian or Jewish culture, whether they follow the religion(s) or not, are familiar with the Moses story, but the way the film presents it, as a tale of two brothers who are forced to be enemies by a higher power, is a very unique interpretation of the story. The fact that it's called 'The Prince of Egypt' speaks volumes about the tone of the story. At first glance, nobody would guess 'Moses' from the title, unless they knew about the film beforehand. The reason I believe it is titled that is because Moses, being raised in an Egyptian palace his entire life, would have a massive connection to the land and people, despite his heritage. Moses would've been conflicted with himself and the love for the country he was raised in, and the culture he belongs to, and the movie presents that conflict almost perfectly.

Visually speaking, the film is GORGEOUS. Every single frame is made perfectly. The throneroom of the Pharoh, with the statue of Seti right next to Seti's real profile is great framing. The entire movie feels huge, every picture is scaled perfectly, and the final fifteen minutes, with the parting of the Red Sea, is one of the most epic moments in animated cinema. Watching the movie just for the visuals in itself is an enjoyable experience, even to this day, and this film is fourteen years old now.

So yeah, this is probably my favorite animated movie, at least right now. What my favorite disney movie is, I get to later.