Review of Prince of Egypt, The

Introduction

Dreamworks executives must have had many sleepless nights wondering whether a full-length animated movie based upon part of the Bible would make money. In hindsight, they could have slept like tranquillised babies, as this movie went on to take over $250 million in the course of its release.

Telling the story of two brothers growing up together but ultimately destined to be at odds, this movie surpasses most of Disney’s animated tales to give the viewer state-of-the-art animation, superb CG effects and a exciting but moving storyline.

Video

Pixel-perfection!

There are no problems with this anamorphic 1.85 transfer and you will be wowed with the sheer quality of its colouration, sharpness and overall feel.

Audio

An effective DD5.1 soundtrack adds to the quality of the video and fully immerses the viewer in the wonders of this movie. The Academy Award-winning musical score brings this movie to life and surround effects are used very effectively in scenes such as the parting of the sea. Vocal definition is very good and easily separated from the music and effects.

Features

We are well served with extra features. Firstly we have a commentary track with the directors that is not only interesting and informative, it offers lots of behind-the-scenes information. The flow is good and with three directors involved, there are lots of different opinions expressed. Well worth a listen.

Next up is a documentary entitled “The Making of The Prince of Egypt”. This is fascinating stuff as it takes the viewer step-by-step through some of the amazing special animated effects in the movie and explains how many of the scenes were composed and constructed. It is truly incredible the work that went into this project, and this feature will help you to appreciate what was involved.

Translated into most of the World’s languages, this movie is accessible to almost every nation on our planet. As an example of some of the lengthy translation work that was carried out, there is a multi-language presentation of one of the movie’s key songs - “When You Believe”. I guarantee you will be in awe at the seamless changes in language as this song plays and wonder how they managed to get different vocalists sounding so alike. Very impressive.

The chariot race is one of the most exciting parts of the movie and the various techniques used are explained in the “Basic of animation: The Chariot Race” feature. This is interesting viewing for fans of animated effects and gives an insight to how this scene was created. There is also a focus on the various technical effects used throughout the movie.

We are also treated to 2 theatrical trailers, cast and filmmaker’s bios, production notes and a gallery of some of the artwork seen in the movie. Quite a well rounded and impressive package of extras, and definitely something for everyone.

Conclusion

Rave reviews accompanied this release wherever it went. I was impressed by the sheer quality of not only its appearance but the flow of its storyline. Never a dull moment, it carries the viewer through adventure, intrigue, sadness and triumph whilst at the same time keeping to one of the great chapters of the Bible. Whether you have any religious bent or not, this movie will impress.

Dreamworks have shown that they have the skill and tenacity to rival Disney’s stranglehold on the animated movie market and if this is anything to go by, have probably got the famous mouse very worried indeed.