The Prince of Egypt

Released 18th December 1998, The Prince of Egypt was released amidst several attempts by DreamWorks in the late 1990s through the early 2000s to combat Disney’s own success with 2D animation. The plot is that of Moses and the Exodus of the Hebrews from the bible – being told I the medium of animation. A platform for children right? Maybe nowadays but good lord this is a masterpiece.

The voice acting of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc is stellar with no-one seeming out of place and everyone fitting their roles greatly. Most notably would be Ralph Fiennes as Rameses II; a historically wicked and cruel Pharaoh is made severely vulnerable and empathetic whilst still holding onto the attributes we already know. This film also has vocal performances from Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Chris Martin, Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart and Danny Glover. Indeed, it could be argued as an easy job given the universal awareness of the Exodus story – true. And yet this film retells the story with such finesse and suitable creative license – creative license which only further enhances the tale into new leagues of realism. To quote Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post; “The movie's proudest accomplishment is that it revises our version of Moses toward something more immediate and believable, more humanly knowable.” There’s still more, however.

The soundtrack echoes in your mind for weeks to come – maintaining a constant religious aesthetic of gospel but also R&B – commonly holding connotations of freedom under oppression. The opening song, ‘Deliver Us’ is perhaps one of the most enthralling musical pieces ever put to film: as thrilling as it is slow – as beautiful as it is poignant. The Prince of Egypt is perhaps one of the most visually striking 2D animated films with the rich textures it presents. Whether it be blood, mud or dry sand – you are grasped into every scene. It also makes use of Egyptian wall painting in several sequences; thus, resulting in unique sequences. Overall, The Prince of Egypt is perhaps THE most underrated animated film of all time; delivering us with a fresh yet familiar retelling of the Exodus whilst also making you understand and sympathise with every character and setting you meet on screen.