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Nearly every biblical film is ambitious, creating pictures to go withsome of the most famous and sacred stories in the Western world. DreamWorks' first animated film was the vision of executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg after his ugly split from Disney, where he had been acknowledged as a key architect in that studio's rebirth (The Little Mermaid, etc.). His first film for the company he helped create was a huge, challenging project without a single toy or merchandising tie-in, the backbone du jour of family entertainment in the 1990s.

Three directors and 16 writers succeed in carrying out much of Katzenberg'svision. The linear story of Moses is crisply told, and the look of the film is stunning; indeed, no animated film has looked so ready to be placed in the Louvre since Fantasia. Here is an Egypt alive with energetic bustle and pristine buildings. Born a slave and set adrift in the river, Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer) is raised as the son of Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart) and is a fitting rival for his stepbrother Rameses (Ralph Fiennes). When he learns of his roots--in a knockout sequence in which hieroglyphics come alive--he flees to the desert, where he finds his roots and heeds God's calling to free the slaves from Egypt.

Katzenberg and his artists are careful to tread lightly on religious boundaries. The film stops at the parting of the Red Sea, only showing the Ten Commandments--without commentary--as the film's coda. Music is a big part (there were three CDs released) and Hans Zimmer's score and Stephen Schwartz's songs work well--in fact the pop-ready, Oscar-winning "When You Believe" is one of the weakest songs.Kids ages 5 and up should be able to handle the referenced violence; the film doesn't shy away from what Egyptians did to their slaves. Perhaps Katzenberg could have aimed lower and made a more successful animated film, but then again, what's a heaven for? --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (272)

Another Flop From Notorious Dreamworks!
Honestly, the way I see it is that "The Haunting" was the only commendable production from Dreamworks Pictures. This feature animation, on the other hand, puts Steven Spielberg to a great deal of shame, I'm afraid; and it all the more proves how Jeffery Katzenberg can hardly survive without the expertise of the Walt Disney Company. First of all, it is terribly non-accurate in terms of restoring a "tale" of how Moses delivered his people. And secondly, eew...imagine how the people looked! Many praised this movie for its stunning background design; I personally feel horrible-looking CGI-animated people pale in accompaniment to how "stunning" the audience opines the animation to be - either in a positive or negative way. Why, I think even Don Bluth's "Anastasia" could do many times better!

The soundtrack itself isn't all the more that fantastic, despite the several rather meaningful songs like "River Lullaby", "Through Heaven's Eyes" and "When You Believe", due to that familiar sensation from listening to scores of similar tones. I suppose this is the only portion of "The Prince of Egypt" which persuades me to only hang on to it with an unimpressive 3-star rating. Better luck next time, Dreamworks - looking forward to your much anticipated "The Iron Giant"!

Dreamworks Creates an Animated Classic
This is a beautiful movie and a great DVD. The animation is some of the best ever done. Notice, in particular, the life-like Nile River and Red Sea at the beginning and end of the picture. The chariot race that opens the movie is thrilling and the parting of the Red Sea is breath taking. Frankly, I hesitated to see this because I believed that it would just be "The Ten Commandments" re-visited. However, the creators decided to focus on how the God's edict to "Let my people go" would effect the relationship of the two brothers--Rameses and Moses. This point of view permits the audience to have a strong attachment to both characters and the things that happen to them. Another surprise is that the creators did not tone down or "Hollywoodize" the religious aspects of the story. They realized that the great power of this story is its spiritual element. The DVD "extras" make it well worth the price. In particular, I found the comparison drawings showing the creation of the chariot race to be particularly compelling. The music and songs perfectly compliment the action and are never distracting. Clearly, Disney is not the only studio that can create a great animated film.

Excellent Animation and Story
The Prince of Egypt is an excellently animated movie from Dreamworks, with
great storytelling and characters and usually very good music. One doesn't
have to be religious to appreciate this movie (I'm not at all) -- the
emotions expressed by the characters are touching and the conflicts still
relevant.

As far as the animation in the movie goes, it is never less than excellent.
Besides the special effects sections (the parting of the Red Sea being the
most ambitious and breathtaking of all), the character animation is superb.
Each character is different and distinct, with this quality most noticable
when Moses is leading his people. Every person walking behind him, most of
whom have only seconds of screen time, is unique. As an animation
enthusiast, I appreciate this unwillingness to cut corners. Also standout
in this production is the appropriate and effective combination of computer
graphics and traditional hand-drawn animation. The dream/history sequence

that plays out in heiroglyphics on the palace wall is an effective use of
computer graphics in a 3-D setting that wouldn't work as well with
traditional animation, but the movie isn't overburdened by CG shortcuts
that just look fake.

The storytelling is also very well done. I have read reviews that say it
changed the Bible story too much, but the movie flows well and has a good
sense of pacing. Although I've never read the Bible story, the key points
I've heard of are included, and it seems the spirit of the story is intact.

The music, for the most part, is very good as well. "River Lullabye" and
"Through Heaven's Eyes" are beautiful in that they have a more
middle-eastern feel to them, with a broader range of instruments than the
hit "When you believe", which in the ending credits is sung by divas Mariah
Carey and Whitney Houston.

One complaint: The Steve Martin/Martin Short scene is bad, bad, bad. The
characters seem borrowed from too many Disney movies: as snide, snooty
henchmen with no character development, they are also way too modernized to
fit the theme of the story. And their "Playing With the Big Boys" song is
terrible -- I just want to fast-forward through it. That scene
notwithstanding, I think the movie is worth watching, for both children and
adults.

not very good
I know many rated it very high, but this movie was very disapointing. The graphics are not great, the songs are below average at best, the story "more or less" follows the biblical accounts, but worse, the characters are not attractive. I found Moses a reluctant participant, The Pharaoh a good guy and God a little sadistic (perhaps the authors should have emphasised what really went on with slavery, but then this is a film for kids). I shook my head a few times, wondering how such a wonderful and powerful historical account like Exodus could be rendered as lifeless and sadly my kids were just turned off by the story (as was I). My son's comment was "it is so much better when you read it from the Bible" and I have to agree.

I am still waiting for a good account of the Exodus to show up on film. Perhaps (instead of using their imagination to fill in the gaps) the writers should just follow the biblical text when making their movie... It has lasted and will last longer than their films will anyway.

Was the movie a good biblical account? Not bad, but not good either. The author took alot of his own inspiration when making the film. Is the movie good for kids? Perhaps some will like it... But most of the ones I know left the room before the end of the movie.

A Wonderful Movie!!
When I first saw it when I was like 8 or so, I liked it... and now, many years later, I still do! The songs are breathtaking and original, and match the scences. The characters, storyline, colour... oh, the list goes on! It's a fabulous movie! ... Read more

Reviews (352)

A LOT better than the original
Ok, I'm really getting sick of hearing people flog this movie. The fact of the matter is that it's a lot better than the original in every way. Let's start with the beginning. The original film's first act, yes, the first HALF HOUR is set in a sitting room...with a bunch of people talking. Be careful not to doze off here. Also there is a flashback here, put in for apparently no reason. The scientist, who is never given a name, just wants to see if time travel is possible, that's his only real motivation. Then we are treated to some REALLY godzilla-like special effects and hokey Star Trek: The Original Series sets. When he finds the girl, she has 50s styled hair, speaks perfect english with no explanation whatsoever, and is dumb as a stump. The plot hole here are numerous. Check this out "You mean you have no government?" "No". "You don't work?" "No". If they don't do these things, how the heck do they know what he's talking about? Then the morlocks come bounding out. Remember that old bad monster flick with the guy in the gorilla suit and the deep sea helmet? These aren't far off. Now let's talk about the new movie. Aside from the really annoying "quirk" Guy Pierce comes up with, hanging his mouth open for the entire first act, I liked it. He now has an impotace to change the past, then a motivation to go forth into the future. I loved the broken moon thing, much more interesting than a nuclear attack that sets off a volcano in New York. The Eloi are no longer Star Trek extras, but a real culture. They don't just meander around like zombies but have real tasks to do. When the Morlocks show up, It gets pretty intense. The notion of 3 different kinds was cool. I also liked that Jeremy Irons justifies their behavior. The ending was much better, more fun, and wasn't just some geek professor turning into Rambo and punching out white gorillas.

There Was Potential...
At best, Time Machine was a worthwhile Saturday watch. The effects were top rate and very convincing worthy of even George Lucas' ILM stamp of approval (althought the f/x were done by another company).As a previous viewer commented, it was painful to watch Guy Pearce's performance in some scenes. He either displayed "wooden emotions" or he tried a bit too hard. Also, his appearance looked gaunt and very tired in the first 30 to 40 minutes of the film. The ending or fading out of the film had a sort of Titanic feel with overlapping the past and future together in one particular melancholy scene. Despite the advances in special effects over the past 40 years since the original, the 1960 version will always be the best and is definitely a classic. In addition, the 1960 release produced some very grotesque and terrifying images with regards to the underground dwellers (the Morlocks; who can forget their yellow glowing eyes and savage growls)! However, what was admirable in the new version was the introduction of actor Jeremy Irons' intellectually sinister character role ! To hear him say his lines was like hearing his voice all over again from The Lion King playing the evil Scar. Showing that although the human future race was near extinction the existence of a multi-ethnic population was still possible (unlike the original). What I kept yearning for was more adventuresome exploring by the time traveller before he would finally advance to 800,000 years into the future. Also, it would have been fascinating if the writers or director would have gone the H.G. Wells route where supposedly the time traveller goes so far into the future that the entire planet is near total destruction (possibly leaving the traveler lingering in outerspace). This was the room for potential I was talking about!

better than harry potter and the chamber of secrets
yup this movie is better than harry potter and the chambers of secrets. since that movie didn't have great acting the quiddich game was not appealing.

unbelivable
this movie was unbelivable. since this movie never gets boring.

stunning
this movie i would say is stunning. since this movie has phenomenal action and special effects. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Wonderful!
This is a film I have no problem recommending to anyone! Suitable for adults and children alike, Balto is a movie that first touched my heart back in 1995 when it was first released and continues to reign as my all-time favorite animated movie. Kevin Bacon delivers an excellent performance as the humble and timid, Balto, while the rest of the voice cast brings to life his simple but captivating world. I can't say enough about this movie. While it isn't exactly historically correct, the movie uses the true story of Balto as a stepping-stone into a tale about friendship, love, and what real courage is. Relaying a timeless message of excepting others for who they truly are, Balto is a movie thats perfect for helping children realize that hate, prejudice, and discrimination are evil poisons. It also delivers a message about loving those who hate you and that one person (or dog) can make a difference- they just have to be willing to stand up and step in. These are lessons that not just children but also adults need to be reminded of and this is just the movie to do that. Forget Disney for awhile and check out this true masterpiece from Universal.

Couldn't be a better film!
This is a really good movie.I've been watching it for as long as I can remember.It's about a dog (part wolf)who is an outcast in Nome,Alaska.He's friends with a Russian snow goose called Boris (the funniest character in the movie) and 2 polar bears called Muk and Luk who can't swim.He's also in love with a dog called Jenna, and there's a villian called Steele.
When a disease strikes (with Jenna's owner, Rosie, among the sick) and the sled team sent to get the anti-toxin is lost, Balto must find and rescue the team and face avalanches,icicle falls and (of course) Steele.A brilliant movie.

A powerful story
My only regret with this movie, is that I did not catch it at the cinema! However when I first rented it from a video store, I instantly fell in love with it (and ended up re-renting it out quite a few times before finally receiving a VHS copy of my own later on). Now it is on DVD and so I have happily purchased this to keep forever more, it really is an absolute favourite of mine.

Story Summary:

Our main character is a half-dog, half-wolf protagonist who is shunned by the townspeople and rejects the outside life of the wolves, he doesn't belong anywhere. This story sees the children of the town threatened by a virus and when it seems that the life-saving medicine will be impossible to obtain, our protoganist throws himself into the world of both realities for the sake of others and getting his chance at proving his worth to the world, but not without it's trials and tribulations of course. Place in an overbearing and selfish lead husky, a gentle canine love interest, a cynical goose partner, and some fun polar bears, then be prepared for a ride filled with danger, love and humour. All carried along with a powerful message that "You don't need a pedigree to help someone" and of acceptance of the self so as to cherish those personal qualities that make you different and attempt to rise above the odds by acting to your fullest.

Elements:

The animation is wonderfully done, very impressive and carries the story well. As mentioned before, the music is also a treat, the end credits vocal fits the whole movie extremely well and is as powerful as the movie's message itself, the instrumental soundtrack also gives a powerful underlying atmosphere to all the dynamic scenes. The plot is played out well, as firstly you are gradually introduced to the main characters through fitting scenes and get a good feeling for who they are and how they carry themselves out in life, an important factor for following a character driven plot. Then there is a good variety in the action, causing our protagonist to be pitted against an array of odds that keep you gripped and doesn't let the pace die. As mentioned, the voices are all acted out very well.

Conclusion:

Either way this film is a must-see in my opinion, and one I have happily seen many times myself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Sidenote:

However on another note, I believe the VHS cover would of been better than this new cover, it seemed to have a more powerful composition with a nice variety of colour. If I remember right, it doesn't outrightly say "true story", it was more like "the story that became a legend" which could still be in a fictional sense since it is a word often used in mystical themes, rather than the word "true" that pulls away any doubt of this not being from something or other based in reality. If I remember correctly that is. Either way, since I didn't enter this movie initially thinking in a forward manner of "This is based on a true story" I felt the ending words had an added impact. But this is an extremely minor point, and this movie is very impacting either way in my opinion.

So, as stated, this is based loosely on a true story. For the purpose of this version of the original story things have been re-invented and so on. I do not believe this being an alternative interpretation detracts from this movie, incase you wondered, and I feel it's very impacting and influential. When I first watched this film I had no idea of this being based at all on a true story, so when the final words came, "Based on a true story", I was very touched as the underlying achievement is extremely impressive. To see the bare facts you may wish to see other documentation in company with this movie, however.

All in all, a great and influential story.

Lots of fun!
Does it really matter that this isn't exactly "historical?" I mean c'mon people, it's entertainment, not a history book.

My only gripe is that is was released in 4:3, aka "Full Screen." This was probably done for the kiddies, but for those of us that enjoy a good animated flick, release it in widescreen! That's the only reason it doesn't rate 5 stars.

If you've got access to a region free DVD player, order the German version from Amazon.de. It's a much nicer presentation, in it's original 16:9, with the english dialogue track.

Maybe Universal will release a special edition here in the states, with the theatrical version. Don't hold your breath too long, tho!

Another Universal Classic Animated Feature
Balto has been around since 1995 and even today the animation is still spactacular. There is nothing but absolute beauty in every shot and in every note in the compelling music score. The voice acting is performed very well. Especially Phill Collins as Muk and Luk. If there's one complaint I have about this film is the fact that it's not acclaimed as much as it should be. I do wish that a widescreen presentation was availible and I don't very much agree with them changing the cover art. Unfortunatey Universal doesn't seem to care much. But the film is a joy either way. ... Read more

Reviews (272)

Another Flop From Notorious Dreamworks Pictures!
Honestly, the way I see it is that "The Haunting" was the only commendable production from Dreamworks Pictures. This feature animation, on the other hand, puts Steven Spielberg to a great deal of shame, I'm afraid; and it all the more proves how Jeffery Katzenberg can hardly survive without the expertise of the Walt Disney Company.

First of all, it is terribly non-accurate in terms of restoring a "tale" of how Moses delivered his people. And secondly, eew...imagine how the people looked! Many praised this movie for its stunning background design; I personally feel horrible-looking CGI-animated people pale in accompaniment to how "stunning" the audience opines the animation to be - either in a positive or negative way. Why, I think even Don Bluth's "Anastasia" could do many times better!

The soundtrack itself isn't all the more that fantastic, despite the several rather meaningful songs like "River Lullaby", "Through Heaven's Eyes" and "When You Believe", due to that familiar sensation from listening to scores of similar tones. I suppose this is the only portion of "The Prince of Egypt" which persuades me to only hang on to it with an unimpressive 3-star rating. Better luck next time, Dreamworks - looking forward to your much anticipated "The Iron Robot"!

AN ARTISTIC MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF ANIMATION!!
The Biblical story of Moses has become a spiritual cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. To adapt it to an animated motion picture presented an epic challenge to Dreamworks founders Steven Spielberg and Jeffery Katzenberg, which they have triumphed over very successfully. Disney's somewhat disappointing Hercules made movie fans look for a different angle of story-telling as it was becoming clear that they were tiring of the tried and true Disney hit formula. .

After the Oscar-winning Pocahontas, the studios had not been to deliver its best (though I completely agree that The Hunchback Of Notre dame is one of the most underrated animated classics). Fox's Anastasia conquered a large number of hearts with its amazing character-depth and haunting tunes, but a box-office success of a larger proportion was required to dethrone Disney's monopoly. The Prince Of Egypt is easily the best non-Disney feature ever made (followed closely by Anastasia) and in every way, it as unique a classic as Beauty And The Beast or The Lion King. It is emotional, musical, captivating, and inspirational and has a profound moral meaning and beauty.

The story remains mostly true to its Exodus origin. It varies from The Ten Commandments in exploring the relationships between the two brothers who are destined to be enemies. The strength of the movie lies in the strong emotional bonds it depicts between its characters, something which The Ten commandments failed to portray. The animation is lush and vibrant, blending both classic hand-drawn cels and Computer Generated Imagery. The backgrounds and visuals and breath-taking and even the CGI sequences such as "The Parting of The Red Sea" are to be marveled at. Dreamworks artists have adapted a new angular style of character sketching which looks refreshingly beautiful on the silver screen.

Stephen Swartz's music is melodious and meaningful; from the spine-chilling "Deliver Us" to the soul-searching "When You Believe" which won the Oscar for the Best Song in 1998. (though I must say that I love Pfeiffer and Dworsky's version much more than Mariah Carrey and Whitney Houston's pop reprise). An astoundingly deep, sensitive and piercing score almost overrides the film's music; strongly highlighting the sentimental points with its rich orchestral appeal and Ofra Haza's tantalizing choral accompaniments. Nominated for an Academy Award, it deserved the Oscar for the Best Musical Score category (though I would personally have loved to see Goldsmith win his second Oscar for his incredible score of Mulan). Warbeck's score for Shakespeare In Love which eventually won, though appealing, pales before Zimmer's work or Goldsmith's masterpiece. Then again, I have noticed that Oscars go more by popularity than by talent. David Newman's nominated score from Anastasia was most definitely the Best among the Musical scores of 1997, although the Oscar favored The Full Monty, which could not possibly win in any other field where it had been nominated (owing to Titanic) and so walked away with a very undeserving award.

The Prince Of Egypt utilizes a host of acclaimed on-screen actors and actresses; comprising the voice talents of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Danny Glover, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum, Sandra Bullock, Patrick Stewart, Martin Short, Helen Mirren and Steve Martin. It is undoubtedly the most ambitious vocal cast ever assembled for an animated movie. All the actors bring the characters to life with striking warmth and depth. Both Kilmer's as well as Fiennes' work are very praiseworthy.

The DVD offers a excellent anamorphic 1.85:1 video transfer which looks very crisp and colorful. The Dolby digital 5.1 sound makes good use of surround, nicely highlighting the score and special effects. Dreamworks has also recently released a DTS version of the DVD in April, 2003 which is an improvised version of the earlier Dolby release. The special features provide an in-depth look at the making of the movie. Also included are two trailers, "When You Believe" multi-language reel, still galleries, interviews with the cast and a "Basics of the Chariot Race" CGI explanation segment.

The Prince Of Egypt is nothing short of a masterpiece in animation history. The movie is geared more towards the mature audiences and those expecting fast pace fun-oriented stuff will not find it towards their taste. Young children may find some scenes a little disturbing, hence Dreamworks rated the movie a PG. So go enjoy Dreamworks' first animated motion picture, which is a classic to be cherished now and for generations

Excellent Animation and Story
The Prince of Egypt is an excellently animated movie from Dreamworks, with
great storytelling and characters and usually very good music. One doesn't
have to be religious to appreciate this movie (I'm not at all) -- the
emotions expressed by the characters are touching and the conflicts still
relevant.

As far as the animation in the movie goes, it is never less than excellent.
Besides the special effects sections (the parting of the Red Sea being the
most ambitious and breathtaking of all), the character animation is superb.
Each character is different and distinct, with this quality most noticable
when Moses is leading his people. Every person walking behind him, most of
whom have only seconds of screen time, is unique. As an animation
enthusiast, I appreciate this unwillingness to cut corners. Also standout
in this production is the appropriate and effective combination of computer
graphics and traditional hand-drawn animation. The dream/history sequence

that plays out in heiroglyphics on the palace wall is an effective use of
computer graphics in a 3-D setting that wouldn't work as well with
traditional animation, but the movie isn't overburdened by CG shortcuts
that just look fake.

The storytelling is also very well done. I have read reviews that say it
changed the Bible story too much, but the movie flows well and has a good
sense of pacing. Although I've never read the Bible story, the key points
I've heard of are included, and it seems the spirit of the story is intact.

The music, for the most part, is very good as well. "River Lullabye" and
"Through Heaven's Eyes" are beautiful in that they have a more
middle-eastern feel to them, with a broader range of instruments than the
hit "When you believe", which in the ending credits is sung by divas Mariah
Carey and Whitney Houston.

One complaint: The Steve Martin/Martin Short scene is bad, bad, bad. The
characters seem borrowed from too many Disney movies: as snide, snooty
henchmen with no character development, they are also way too modernized to
fit the theme of the story. And their "Playing With the Big Boys" song is
terrible -- I just want to fast-forward through it. That scene
notwithstanding, I think the movie is worth watching, for both children and
adults.

not very good
I know many rated it very high, but this movie was very disapointing. The graphics are not great, the songs are below average at best, the story "more or less" follows the biblical accounts, but worse, the characters are not attractive. I found Moses a reluctant participant, The Pharaoh a good guy and God a little sadistic (perhaps the authors should have emphasised what really went on with slavery, but then this is a film for kids). I shook my head a few times, wondering how such a wonderful and powerful historical account like Exodus could be rendered as lifeless and sadly my kids were just turned off by the story (as was I). My son's comment was "it is so much better when you read it from the Bible" and I have to agree.

I am still waiting for a good account of the Exodus to show up on film. Perhaps (instead of using their imagination to fill in the gaps) the writers should just follow the biblical text when making their movie... It has lasted and will last longer than their films will anyway.

Was the movie a good biblical account? Not bad, but not good either. The author took alot of his own inspiration when making the film. Is the movie good for kids? Perhaps some will like it... But most of the ones I know left the room before the end of the movie.

A Wonderful Movie!!
When I first saw it when I was like 8 or so, I liked it... and now, many years later, I still do! The songs are breathtaking and original, and match the scences. The characters, storyline, colour... oh, the list goes on! It's a fabulous movie! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"I'm Talkin' To You, Furhead!"
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is truly one of the greatest non-Disney animated films I've ever seen! Directed by Steven Spielberg, the story is simple: Fievel, the curious, adorable little mouse from An American Tail, now heads out west with his family to escape the constant violence of New York City. Everything about this film shines from start to finish, including James Horner's soundtrack, which is every bit as good as in the original film. The songs are nothing less than outstanding, especially Dreams to Dream, sung by Fievel's golden-voiced sister, Tanya, who is voiced by Cathy Cavadini.

Fans of the original An American Tail are bound to enjoy Fievel Goes West as well. It's a great movie for kids, or for anyone who enjoys a great animated flick! Highly recommended! (Oh, and be sure to check out the original An American Tail movie as well, if you haven't already. It's just as good!)

"I'm Talkin' to You, Furhead!"
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is truly one of the greatest non-Disney animated films I have ever seen! Directed by Steven Spielberg, the story is simple: Fievel the curious, adorable little mouse from An American Tail, now heads out west with his family, to escape the constant violence of New York City. Everything about this film shines from start to finish, including James Horner's soundtrack, which is every bit as good as in the original film. The songs are nothing less than outstanding, especially Dreams to Dream, sung by Fievel's golden-voiced sister, Tanya, who is voiced by Cathy Cavadini.

Fans of the original American Tail are bound to enjoy Fievel Goes West as well. It's a great movie for kids, or for anyone who enjoys a great animated flick! Highly recommended! (Oh, and check out the first American Tail movie as well, if you haven't already. It's just as good!

this movie is awsome!
this movie is one of the best american tail movies in the seiries. as of the second, it was made five years after the first. (and the year beofore i was born!) well, when fivel and his family have settled into newyork, the found the streets are not paved with cheese. then cat r waul, and his army of cowboy cat commandos herd all the mice into the sewer were he tricks them into going out west. meanwhile, after suffering the loss of his girlfriend, tiger fallows fievel out west and falls off the train, gets hit by another, and goes off the bridge and finds a dog fish! in the end the team up with wylie burp, and save the mice from being turned into mouse-burgers! as for cat r waul, he and his cats get shot into a mail bag, and taked away by a train! recomended!

Shame On Universal
Shame on Universal for releasing this wonderful film in Pan & Scan only! It was released in Widescreen for laserdisc, so why not DVD?

Yet another botched DVD release from Universal (E.T., Back To The Future, Monty Python's Meaning Of Life, etc.).

Let's hope the executives at NBC can turn this out of control home video division around when they take the reigns after the acquisition has been completed.

Why this movie is great
This movie was the first Fievel movie I ever saw. I have to say, I like it much more than the original. The songs are awsome and the story was great. Come on. Who doesn't find a cat acting like a dog funny? ... Read more

Reviews (272)

Another Flop From Notorious Dreamworks Pictures!
Honestly, the way I see it is that "The Haunting" was the only commendable production from Dreamworks Pictures. This feature animation, on the other hand, puts Steven Spielberg to a great deal of shame, I'm afraid; and it all the more proves how Jeffery Katzenberg can hardly survive without the expertise of the Walt Disney Company.

First of all, it is terribly non-accurate in terms of restoring a "tale" of how Moses delivered his people. And secondly, eew...imagine how the people looked! Many praised this movie for its stunning background design; I personally feel horrible-looking CGI-animated people pale in accompaniment to how "stunning" the audience opines the animation to be - either in a positive or negative way. Why, I think even Don Bluth's "Anastasia" could do many times better!

The soundtrack itself isn't all the more that fantastic, despite the several rather meaningful songs like "River Lullaby", "Through Heaven's Eyes" and "When You Believe", due to that familiar sensation from listening to scores of similar tones. I suppose this is the only portion of "The Prince of Egypt" which persuades me to only hang on to it with an unimpressive 3-star rating. Better luck next time, Dreamworks - looking forward to your much anticipated "The Iron Robot"!

AN ARTISTIC MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF ANIMATION!!
The Biblical story of Moses has become a spiritual cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. To adapt it to an animated motion picture presented an epic challenge to Dreamworks founders Steven Spielberg and Jeffery Katzenberg, which they have triumphed over very successfully. Disney's somewhat disappointing Hercules made movie fans look for a different angle of story-telling as it was becoming clear that they were tiring of the tried and true Disney hit formula. .

After the Oscar-winning Pocahontas, the studios had not been to deliver its best (though I completely agree that The Hunchback Of Notre dame is one of the most underrated animated classics). Fox's Anastasia conquered a large number of hearts with its amazing character-depth and haunting tunes, but a box-office success of a larger proportion was required to dethrone Disney's monopoly. The Prince Of Egypt is easily the best non-Disney feature ever made (followed closely by Anastasia) and in every way, it as unique a classic as Beauty And The Beast or The Lion King. It is emotional, musical, captivating, and inspirational and has a profound moral meaning and beauty.

The story remains mostly true to its Exodus origin. It varies from The Ten Commandments in exploring the relationships between the two brothers who are destined to be enemies. The strength of the movie lies in the strong emotional bonds it depicts between its characters, something which The Ten commandments failed to portray. The animation is lush and vibrant, blending both classic hand-drawn cels and Computer Generated Imagery. The backgrounds and visuals and breath-taking and even the CGI sequences such as "The Parting of The Red Sea" are to be marveled at. Dreamworks artists have adapted a new angular style of character sketching which looks refreshingly beautiful on the silver screen.

Stephen Swartz's music is melodious and meaningful; from the spine-chilling "Deliver Us" to the soul-searching "When You Believe" which won the Oscar for the Best Song in 1998. (though I must say that I love Pfeiffer and Dworsky's version much more than Mariah Carrey and Whitney Houston's pop reprise). An astoundingly deep, sensitive and piercing score almost overrides the film's music; strongly highlighting the sentimental points with its rich orchestral appeal and Ofra Haza's tantalizing choral accompaniments. Nominated for an Academy Award, it deserved the Oscar for the Best Musical Score category (though I would personally have loved to see Goldsmith win his second Oscar for his incredible score of Mulan). Warbeck's score for Shakespeare In Love which eventually won, though appealing, pales before Zimmer's work or Goldsmith's masterpiece. Then again, I have noticed that Oscars go more by popularity than by talent. David Newman's nominated score from Anastasia was most definitely the Best among the Musical scores of 1997, although the Oscar favored The Full Monty, which could not possibly win in any other field where it had been nominated (owing to Titanic) and so walked away with a very undeserving award.

The Prince Of Egypt utilizes a host of acclaimed on-screen actors and actresses; comprising the voice talents of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Danny Glover, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum, Sandra Bullock, Patrick Stewart, Martin Short, Helen Mirren and Steve Martin. It is undoubtedly the most ambitious vocal cast ever assembled for an animated movie. All the actors bring the characters to life with striking warmth and depth. Both Kilmer's as well as Fiennes' work are very praiseworthy.

The DVD offers a excellent anamorphic 1.85:1 video transfer which looks very crisp and colorful. The Dolby digital 5.1 sound makes good use of surround, nicely highlighting the score and special effects. Dreamworks has also recently released a DTS version of the DVD in April, 2003 which is an improvised version of the earlier Dolby release. The special features provide an in-depth look at the making of the movie. Also included are two trailers, "When You Believe" multi-language reel, still galleries, interviews with the cast and a "Basics of the Chariot Race" CGI explanation segment.

The Prince Of Egypt is nothing short of a masterpiece in animation history. The movie is geared more towards the mature audiences and those expecting fast pace fun-oriented stuff will not find it towards their taste. Young children may find some scenes a little disturbing, hence Dreamworks rated the movie a PG. So go enjoy Dreamworks' first animated motion picture, which is a classic to be cherished now and for generations

Excellent Animation and Story
The Prince of Egypt is an excellently animated movie from Dreamworks, with
great storytelling and characters and usually very good music. One doesn't
have to be religious to appreciate this movie (I'm not at all) -- the
emotions expressed by the characters are touching and the conflicts still
relevant.

As far as the animation in the movie goes, it is never less than excellent.
Besides the special effects sections (the parting of the Red Sea being the
most ambitious and breathtaking of all), the character animation is superb.
Each character is different and distinct, with this quality most noticable
when Moses is leading his people. Every person walking behind him, most of
whom have only seconds of screen time, is unique. As an animation
enthusiast, I appreciate this unwillingness to cut corners. Also standout
in this production is the appropriate and effective combination of computer
graphics and traditional hand-drawn animation. The dream/history sequence

that plays out in heiroglyphics on the palace wall is an effective use of
computer graphics in a 3-D setting that wouldn't work as well with
traditional animation, but the movie isn't overburdened by CG shortcuts
that just look fake.

The storytelling is also very well done. I have read reviews that say it
changed the Bible story too much, but the movie flows well and has a good
sense of pacing. Although I've never read the Bible story, the key points
I've heard of are included, and it seems the spirit of the story is intact.

The music, for the most part, is very good as well. "River Lullabye" and
"Through Heaven's Eyes" are beautiful in that they have a more
middle-eastern feel to them, with a broader range of instruments than the
hit "When you believe", which in the ending credits is sung by divas Mariah
Carey and Whitney Houston.

One complaint: The Steve Martin/Martin Short scene is bad, bad, bad. The
characters seem borrowed from too many Disney movies: as snide, snooty
henchmen with no character development, they are also way too modernized to
fit the theme of the story. And their "Playing With the Big Boys" song is
terrible -- I just want to fast-forward through it. That scene
notwithstanding, I think the movie is worth watching, for both children and
adults.

not very good
I know many rated it very high, but this movie was very disapointing. The graphics are not great, the songs are below average at best, the story "more or less" follows the biblical accounts, but worse, the characters are not attractive. I found Moses a reluctant participant, The Pharaoh a good guy and God a little sadistic (perhaps the authors should have emphasised what really went on with slavery, but then this is a film for kids). I shook my head a few times, wondering how such a wonderful and powerful historical account like Exodus could be rendered as lifeless and sadly my kids were just turned off by the story (as was I). My son's comment was "it is so much better when you read it from the Bible" and I have to agree.

I am still waiting for a good account of the Exodus to show up on film. Perhaps (instead of using their imagination to fill in the gaps) the writers should just follow the biblical text when making their movie... It has lasted and will last longer than their films will anyway.

Was the movie a good biblical account? Not bad, but not good either. The author took alot of his own inspiration when making the film. Is the movie good for kids? Perhaps some will like it... But most of the ones I know left the room before the end of the movie.

A Wonderful Movie!!
When I first saw it when I was like 8 or so, I liked it... and now, many years later, I still do! The songs are breathtaking and original, and match the scences. The characters, storyline, colour... oh, the list goes on! It's a fabulous movie! ... Read more

Description

From Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment come the adventures of Fievel, one of the most endearing animated characters ever created.In this thrilling adventure, the courageous little mouse braves the strange new world to find his family.

And the fun continues when Fievel joins forces with famed lawdog Wylie Burp to thwart a plot to transform unsuspecting settlers into mouseburgers!Filled with humor, adventure and action, these heartwarming tales are fun for the entire family. ... Read more