The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated film, the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks. The story follows the life of Moses from his birth, through his childhood as a prince of Egypt, and finally to his ultimate destiny to lead the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, which is based on the Biblical story of Exodus. The film was directed by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells and Steve Hickner. The film featured songs written by Stephen Schwartz and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. The voice cast featured a number of major Hollywood actors in the speaking roles, while professional singers replaced them for the songs. The exceptions were Michelle Pfeiffer, Ralph Fiennes, Ofra Haza, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, who sang their own parts.
The film was nominated for best Original Music Score and won for Best Original Song at the 1999 Academy Awards for "When You Believe". The pop version of the song was performed at the ceremony by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The song, co-written by Stephen Schwartz, Hans Zimmer and with additional production by Babyface, was nominated for Best Original Song (in a Motion Picture) at the 1999 Golden Globes, and was also nominated for Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film at the ALMA Awards.
The film was released in theaters on December 18, 1998, and on VHS and DVD on September 14, 1999. The film went on to gross $218,613,188 worldwide in theaters, making it the second traditionally animated feature not released by Disney to gross over $100 million in the U.S. (after The Rugrats Movie ), Prince of Egypt became the top grossing non-Disney animated film until 2002 when it was out-grossed by the computer animated Ice Age . The film also remained the highest grossing non-Disney traditionally animated film until 2007, when it was out-grossed by The Simpsons Movie .
Plot
The first song ("Deliver Us") shows Hebrew slaves labor away while Jochebed (also spelled Yocheved) (Ofra Haza), sees her fellow mothers' baby sons being taken away from them, as Pharaoh Seti I (Patrick Stewart) has ordered his guards to kill all the male Hebrew babies of Egypt to prevent any future rebellion led by Hebrew men. Yocheved thus places her own son in a basket and sets it afloat on the Nile to be preserved by fate, singing her final lullaby ("River Lullaby", A recurring motif in the film) to the baby. Her daughter, Miriam, follows the basket and witnesses her baby brother being taken in by the Queen of Egypt (Helen Mirren) and named Moses.
The story cuts to 40 years later (according to the Bible), to show a grown Moses (Val Kilmer) and his foster-brother, Rameses II (Ralph Fiennes), racing their chariots through the Egyptian temples, destroying many statues. When they are lectured by their father, Seti I, later on for their misdeeds, Rameses is offended. Moses later remarks that Rameses wants the approval of his father, but lacks the opportunity. Moses goes to cheer his brother up, making joking predictions ("Statues crumbling and toppling, the Nile drying up; singlehandedly you will manage to bring the greatest kingdom on Earth to ruins!"). They then stumble in late to a banquet given by Seti, discovering that he has named Rameses as Prince Regent. In thanks, Rameses appoints Moses as Royal Chief Architect. As a tribute to Rameses, the high priests Hotep (Steve Martin) and Huy (Martin Short) offer Tzipporah (Michelle Pfeiffer), a Midian girl they kidnapped and a Camel, as a concubine for him, Rameses rejects the offer and gives Moses the sacrifice. She eventually escapes, with Moses' help. Moses is led to a small spot in Goshen where he is reunited with Miriam (Sandra Bullock) and Aaron (Jeff Goldblum), his siblings. There, Miriam tells him the truth about his past. Moses at first is in denial ("All I Ever Wanted"), but a nightmare and talks with his adoptive parents help him realize the truth. Moses eventually kills an Egyptian guard, who was abusing an old slave, and runs away in exile.
Moses finds his way to Midian, where the Camel saves him and he saves Tzipporah's sisters from bandits. He is welcomed warmly by Tzipporah's father, Jethro (Danny Glover) the High Priest of Midian. Moses becomes a shepherd and eventually marries Tzipporah ("Through Heaven's Eyes"). Moses soon comes into contact with the burning bush while chasing a stray lamb and is instructed by God (also Val Kilmer) to free the slaves from Egypt. God then imbues Moses' shepherding staff with the power to do great wonders, the greatest being to shepherd his people to freedom. Tzipporah returns with him to find the slaves in even worse condition than before. He discovers that Rameses is now Pharaoh and has a wife and a young son. Moses tells Rameses to let his people go, demonstrating the power behind him by changing his shepherding staff into a snake. Hotep and Huy boastfully repeat this transformation ("Playing with the Big Boys Now"), invoking all of Egypt's gods in the process; behind their backs, the snake created by Moses eats both of their snakes. Rather than being persuaded, Rameses is hardened and orders the slaves' work to be doubled.
Out in the work field, Moses is struck down by an elder Hebrew into a muddy pit, and then is confronted by Aaron, who blames him for the excess workload. Moses, with Miriam's help, tells the Hebrews to believe that freedom will come. He confronts Rameses, who is passing on his boat in the Nile. Rameses orders his guards to bring Moses to him, but they turn back when Moses turns the river into blood. During the nine of the Plagues of Egypt occur ("The Plagues") Moses feels tortured inside (I Will Not Let Your/My People Go), leaving Egypt in ruins, Moses returns to Rameses to warn him about the final plague. After an almost-tender moment between the ex-brothers, Moses is told never to come to Rameses again, even though Moses warns Rameses that an even worse plague is about to transpire, and to think of his only son. Moses then instructs the Hebrews to paint lamb's blood above their doors for the coming night of Passover. The Angel of Death comes through during the night, killing all the firstborn children of Egypt. Moses once more visits the grief-stricken Rameses, who is cradling the body of his own son. Rameses reluctantly lets the Hebrews go. Moses leaves and breaks down in tears outside, his spirit broken after causing his brother so much pain.
The next morning, the Hebrews happily pack, leave their enslavement, and eventually find their way to the Red Sea ("When You Believe"), but turn around to find out Rameses has changed his mind and is pursuing them with his army. Moses parts the Red Sea, while behind him a pillar of fire writhes before the Egyptians, blocking their way. The Hebrews cross on the sea bottom; when the army gives chase, the water closes over the Egyptians, and the Hebrews are freed. Rameses, who has been hurled back to the shore by the collapsing waves, is left yelling his brother's name in disgrace. Moses turns from the shore and begins to lead his people onward; only briefly looking back towards the sea in Rameses' direction, murmuring sadly; "Good bye, Brother". The last scene of the film shows Moses delivering the Ten Commandments to his people as Jochebed's voice echoes in the background.
Voice cast
- Val Kilmer as Moses A Hebrew destined to free his people from slavery with the help and guidance from God, moreover the protagonist of the film. He is adopted into the Pharaoh's family and raised alongside Rameses, but eventually learns the truth of his heritage and runs away into the desert. He eventually returns to Egypt to notify Rameses of God's directive to extricate the Hebrews from slavery.
- Val Kilmer as God The Hebrew God who instructs Moses, while in the form of a burning bush, to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt to release the Hebrews from slavery. He endows Moses' staff with the ability to perform his "wonders" to convince the Pharaoh to do so.
- Ralph Fiennes as Ramesses II Moses' adoptive brother and eventual successor to Seti as Pharaoh of Egypt. Rameses is Pharaoh when Moses returns to Egypt to inform him of God's command to release the Hebrews from slavery; as of Moses' return to Egypt, Rameses is the main antagonist of the film. When Moses repeatedly implores Rameses to release the Hebrews, Rameses refuses, thereby incurring the plagues upon Egypt.
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Tzipporah A captured slave girl who Moses would eventually free. She would later become Moses' wife.
- Sandra Bullock as Miriam Moses' biological sister who reminds him of his true Hebrew origins and purpose as a "deliverer" from God.
- Jeff Goldblum as Aaron Moses' biological brother. He is initially scornful and skeptical of Moses' mission to free the Hebrews, but eventually helps him.
- Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh Seti I The father of Ramesses II and Pharaoh of Egypt who ordered the killings of the Hebrew children when Moses was a baby.
- Danny Glover as Jethro A nomad priest and father of Moses' wife, Tzipporah.
- Helen Mirren as Queen Tuya The wife of Pharaoh Seti I who finds baby Moses' basket in the river and adopts him as her own.
- Steve Martin as Hotep One of the Pharaoh's magicians who tries to prove to Moses and Pharaoh the power of the Egyptian gods over that of the Hebrew God. Hotep is a supporting antagonist in the film.
- Martin S
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