'The Prince of Egypt' is one of is not THE best animated films ever made, and I am prepared to argue about it.

Story

In Ancient Egypt, the pharaoh Seti ordered the slaughter of all the newborn Hebrew boys for fear of Hebrew overpopulation. Fearing for her son's life, Yocheved puts her infant son Moses in a basket and send him down the river Nile, where he is found and adopted by the Pharaoh's wife, Queen Tuya. Moses is then raised as a Prince of Egypt alongside Rameses (who is actually the pharaoh's son) with no idea of his true heritage until he meets his sister Miriam who tells him the truth. After finding this out Moses feels guilt over the way the Hebrews were treated and after an accident he leaves Egypt where he becomes a shepherd. This is where he encounters a burning bush and is spoken to by God who has chosen him to speak to Rameses and ask that the Hebrews be set free. Rameses rejects and God sends 10 plagues that batter Egypt until he relents and lets the Hebrews go.

This movie is an adaptation of a well-known Bible story and is the best adaptation of the subject matter that I've ever seen. All the important story beats are present and the movie stays true to the message of the story.Making a movie about a religious event is hard because it means so much to so many people, but you also want to break it down for people who aren't religious. And this movie does that excellently.  It never compromises the importance of the story or the events that took place.

Voice Acting

The cast is Oscar-worthy. It includes Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Steve Martin and Michelle Pfeiffer.

What impressed me the most about the performances in this movie, is how isolated their voices are. You recognise the voices but you associate them with their characters rather than the people who played them. The voice actors really brought these characters to life.

The standout performance for me is Ralph Fiennes, his performance as Rameses has so much range in just his voice. His voice has a transcendence to it that is perfect for an arrogant Pharaoh. You feel a lot of emotions towards Rameses much like Moses, you may not agree with what he does but you can see why he acts the way he does and towards the end of the film you actually feel sorry for him, which is a testament to both the brilliant writing and performance.

Val Kilmer is the heart and soul of the movie, his role as Moses really carries the film and much like Ralph Fiennes, you feel a lot for this character especially when he feels conflicted. There is so much nuance in his performance. You can hear the subtle changes in his voice that reflect how his character is feeling, or how his character reacts to a situation. His transition from playboy prince to God's servant never feels rushed and you support him every step of the way.

I love every single supporitng character, each actor brought something different to their respective roles. They all have their own distinctive voices which fit the tone of their characters. And you can tell that they enjoyed working on this movie because they give it their all and you can see it (and hear it) in their performances.

Writing/Direction

This movie really explores the relationship between the two brothers, even though they're animated their relationship feels real. There is genuine love, hurt and loss and that is relayed to the audience through the amazing writing and voice acting. The same can be said for all the characters, they were written as well rounded individuals which makes them stand out and allows for a more in-depth relationship with the audience. You identify with them as people rather than as characters, however, not all of them were given the same treatment and depth. As with most movies, the main characters have more development than the supporting characters

The story is one that carries a lot of emotion and the film conveys that beautifully, you feel what the characters feel be it joy, anguish or resentment. Even though this is a "kids" movie, it never waters down the information or the severity of the situation. It handles mature topics in a way that a child can stomach and learn from.It has great pacing, at no point does the movie slow down or grind to a halt, you're engaged from beginning to end.

Animation 

I'm a bit of an animation snob and this film has some of the best animation that I've ever seen.
All the colours look rich and stand out in every single scene. They look absolutely stunning and shows the amount of talent that went into making this film look as gorgeous as it does.
The parting of the Red Sea is one of the most beautifully animated scenes ever and took 10 animators 2 years to complete. I mean look at it!

There is a sense of scale here that shows you just how amazing
Same goes for the plagues


You can pick any scene in the film and marvel at how gorgeous the animation. The blend of CGI and animation is seamless and still hold up today even though it was released 20 years ago.

I also have to address the fact that the Egyptians in this movie look like what they probably looked like, i.e they have darker skin and curly hair. Which is something that we haven't seen when the Exodus story has been adapted. That being said all the characters are animated beautifully, there are little details in each character that show how much work was put into this movie. Each character has a distinct look and colour scheme that allows them to stand out and make an impression. Moses is a great example of this, you can see the emotions in his eyes, you see a man who has to make hard decisions and do something he never thought he would do and all of that is conveyed without him saying a word. 

Score/Soundtrack

The soundtrack for this film is iconic and so is the score. Hans Zimmer is a musical genius and that's so evident here. The score in this film does what a score is supposed to do, it carries the scene along and gives you an insight into what the characters are thinking and feeling. It almost feels like a character in its own right and blends so well with the soundtrack.

The soundtrack has a narrative function and is used to propel to movie forward, this is a clever way to deliver exposition to the audience, which is exactly what the first song 'Deliver Us' does. Stephen Schwartz who wrote the songs for the film did a phenomenal job delivering (haha see what I did there) beautiful songs that show us what is going on but also give us insight to how the characters feel. 'The Plagues' is a brilliant example of this. It shows the passage to time, while delivering information to the audience in a short period of time. The song is dramatic, as you see the plagues as they are happening, but it also gives insight into Moses' and Rameses' relationship.


I can't talk about the soundtrack without mentioning the phenomenal song that is 'When you Beleive', that song brings together two of the best voices in music, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I can't listen to this song without getting goosebumps and watching this movie was no exception. That song encompassed the entire message of the movie. You should really listen to it.


I can't say enough good thing about the soundtrack. The Academy award win as well deserved but I'm still salty that it didn't win a Grammy because it is perfect.

 Go and listen to it right now. No seriously right now.

 Overall Thoughts

I have a deep love for this film, from the first time I saw in the early 2000s. In the numerous times, I've watched this movie since, my love for it has grown. It has everything I look for in a good movie, well-rounded and complex characters, a great story, gorgeous cinematography (in this case animation) a score/soundtrack that carries and flows with the film without overshadowing it, and brilliant pacing. There is no such thing as a perfect movie but this comes pretty close.

Even though the story is inherently religious, you don't have to be religious to enjoy the film. The Prince of Egypt covers a very important subject matter that is important to many people, and handles that subject matter with the utmost care and respect. I watched the bts video and you can see the dedication the directors, writers, animators, composers had towards the project and how much effort they put into bringing it to life.

This is one of the best-animated movies ever (and I am ready to debate this fact) and I highly recommend you go watch it if you haven't. And if you have, go and watch it again. I just saw it and I want to watch it agian.