The Prince of Egypt

The Prince of Egypt
Joseph Dwelleth in Egypt painted by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1900
Directed by	Brenda Chapman Steve Hickner Simon Wells
Written by	Philip LaZebnik[1]
Based on	Book of Exodus
Produced by	Penney Finkelman Cox Sandra Rabins
Starring	Val Kilmer Ralph Fiennes Michelle Pfeiffer Sandra Bullock Jeff Goldblum Danny Glover Patrick Stewart Helen Mirren Steve Martin Martin Short
Edited by	Nick Fletcher
Music by	Hans Zimmer (score) Stephen Schwartz (songs)
Production companies	DreamWorks Pictures[2] DreamWorks Animation[3]
Distributed by	DreamWorks Distribution[2][4]
Release dates	December 16, 1998 (1998-12-16) (Royce Hall)[5] December 18, 1998 (1998-12-18) (United States)[6]
Running time	99 minutes[7]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$60–100 million[8][4][9]
Box office	$218 million[4]

The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama movie directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, and written by Philip LaZebnik. This is DreamWorks Animation's first tradtionally animated movie and the the first to be traditionally animated entirely in-house at DWA Glendale after Amlimation was closed in 1997. It is a adaptation for the Book of Exodus and follows Moses' life from being a prince of Egypt to a prophet chosen by God to carry about his ultimate destiny of leading the Hebrews out of Egypt. It features songs written by Stephen Schwartz and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. The movie stars the voices of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin, and Martin Short.

DreamWorks co-founder and CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg had frequently suggested an animated adaptation of the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments while working for The Walt Disney Company, and he decided to put the idea into production after leaving Disney and co-founding DreamWorks Pictures in 1994. In order to make the project, DreamWorks employed artists who had worked for Walt Disney Feature Animation and Amblimation, totaling a crew of 350 people from 34 countries. The movie has a blend of traditional animation and computer-generated imagery, created using software from Toon Boom Technologies and Silicon Graphics.

The Prince of Egypt premiered at Royce Hall in Los Angeles on December 16, 1998, and was released into theaters on December 18, followed by a release on home video on September 14, 1999. Reviews were generally positive; critics particularly praised the visuals, songs, score, and voice acting. The movie grossed $218 million worldwide in theaters, which made it the most successful non-Disney animated feature at the time. Its success led to the direct-to-video prequel Joseph: King of Dreams (2000), and a stage musical adaptation which opened in London's West End in 2020.^[10][11]

The song "When You Believe" became a commercially successful single in a pop version performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. It won Best Original Song at the 71st Academy Awards, making The Prince of Egypt the first animated movie independently outside of Disney and Pixar movies, as well as the first DreamWorks Animation movie, to receive Academy Awards, succeed by Shrek (2001) and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005). The movie also won the inaugural Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, in a tie with Disney and Pixar's A Bug's Life.^[12] In the decades since its theatrical release, The Prince of Egypt has been widely acclaimed and regarded as one of DreamWorks's best movies and one of the greatest animated movies of all time.^{[13][14][15][16]}

In Ancient Egypt, the enslaved Hebrew people pray to God for their deliverance. Pharaoh Seti, fearing that the growing numbers of the Hebrews could lead to rebellion, orders a mass infanticide of all the newborn Hebrew boys. Yocheved and her children, Miriam and Aaron, rush to the Nile River, where she places her newborn son in a basket on the water, bidding him farewell with a final lullaby. Miriam follows the floating basket as it arrives at Seti's palace and witnesses her brother safely adopted by Seti's wife, Queen Tuya, who names him Moses. Before leaving, Miriam prays that Moses will one day return to free the Hebrews.

Years later, Moses and his adoptive brother Rameses, heir to the throne of Egypt, are scolded by Seti for accidentally destroying a temple. After Moses suggests that Rameses should be given the opportunity to prove his responsibility, Seti names Rameses prince regent. High priests Hotep and Huy offer Rameses a beautiful but rebellious young Midianite woman named Tzipporah. Moses humiliates Tzipporah by letting her fall into a pool after she refuses to submit, appeasing the crowd but disappointing Tuya. Rameses gives Tzipporah to Moses and appoints him Royal Chief Architect.

Later that night, Moses follows Tzipporah as she escapes from the palace, choosing not to stop her. He runs into the now-adult Miriam and Aaron, whom he doesn't recognize. He disbelieves Miriam's claims and almost has her arrested until Miriam sings their mother's lullaby, triggering Moses's memory. He flees in denial but learns the truth of Seti's genocide from a nightmare, then from Seti himself, who disturbs Moses by claiming that the Hebrews were "only slaves". The next day, Moses tries to stop an Egyptian slave driver from flogging an elderly Hebrew slave, but he accidentally pushes the slave driver to his death. Horrified and ashamed, Moses flees away from Egypt into the desert in exile, despite Rameses's pleas that he should stay.

Arriving at an oasis, Moses defends three girls from the brigands, only to realize that their older sister is Tzipporah. He is welcomed by Jethro, the high priest and Tzipporah's father, who helps him gain a more positive outlook on life. Moses becomes a shepherd, falls in love with Tzipporah whom he marries, and grows adjusted to life in Midian. One day, Moses discovers a burnish bush, through which God tells him to return to Egypt and free the Hebrews. God bestows Moses's shepherding staff with his power and promises that he'll tell Moses what to say. When Moses informs Tzipporah of his task, she decides to join him.

Moses and Tzipporah travel to Egypt where Moses is happily greeted by Rameses, who is now Pharaoh with a wife and son. Moses demands the Hebrews' release and transforms his staff into a snake to demonstrate God's power. Hotep and Huy deceptively recreate this transformation, but only to have their snakes eaten by Moses's. Feeling betrayed by Moses and refusing to have his actions cause the empire's collapse, Rameses denies Moses's demand and doubles the Hebrews' workload.

The Hebrews, including Aaron, blame Moses for their increased workload, discouraging Moses, but Miriam inspires Moses to persevere. Moses casts the first of the Ten Plagues of Egypt by changing the waters of the Nile into blood, but Rameses remains unmoved. God inflicts eight more plagues upon Egypt: frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hailfire, locusts, and prolonged darkness, but Rameses still refuses to relent and vows to never release the Hebrews. Disheartened, Moses prepares the Hebrews for the final plague by instructing them to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood. That night, the final plague sweeps through the city and passes over the Hebrews' marked homes, killing all the firstborn sons of Egypt, including Rameses' son, and sparing the Hebrew children. A grief-stricken Rameses permits Moses the Hebrews to leave. After leaving the palace, Moses collapses in anguish and remorse.

The following morning, Moses, Aaron, Miriam and Tzipporah lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Once they arrive at the Red Sea, a vengeful Rameses pursues them with his army in an intent on killing the Hebrews. However, a pillar of fire blocks the army's way, while Moses uses his staff to part the sea. The Hebrews cross safely across the open water; the fire vanishes and army gives chase, but the seas close over on the soldiers to drown them, sparing Rameses alone. Moses mournfully bids Rameses farewell and leads the Hebrews to Mount Sinai, where he receives the Ten Commandments.

Val Kilmer (left) and Ralph Fiennes (right), the voices of Moses and Rameses respectively.

• Val Kilmer as Moses, a Hebrew who was adopted and raised as a prince by the Egyptian royal family.
  • Kilmer also provides the uncredited voice of God.
  • Amick Byram provides Moses's singing voice.
• Ralph Fiennes as Rameses, Moses's adoptive brother and Seti's eventual successor.
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Tzipporah, Jethro's oldest daughter and Moses' wife.
• Sandra Bullock as Miriam, Moses and Aaron's biological sister.
  • Sally Dworsky provides Miriam's singing voice.
  • Eden Riegel provides both the voice of a younger Miriam.
• Jeff Goldblum as Aaron, Moses and Miriam's biological brother.
• Danny Glover as Jethro, Tzipporah's father and Midian's high priest.
  • Brian Stokes Mitchell provides Jethro's singing voice.
• Patrick Stewart as Seti I, Rameses' father, Moses' adoptive father and the first Pharaoh in the film. Despite his uncaring attitude towards the Hebrew slaves, he is shown to treat Moses and Rameses with good care and love.
• Helen Mirren as Queen Tuya, Seti's wife, Rameses' mother, and Moses' adoptive mother.
  • Linda Dee Shayne provides Tuya's singing voice.
• Steve Martin as Hotep, one of the high priests who serves as an advisor to Seti, and later Rameses. He is short and fat.
• Martin Short as Huy, Hotep's fellow high priest. He is tall and thin.
• Ofra Haza as Yocheved, Miriam and Aaron's mother and Moses's biological mother. She sang her character's musical number, "Deliver Us", in English and 17 other languages for the movie's dubbing.^[17]
• Bobby Motown as Amun, Rameses's son
• Francesca Marie Smith as Ephorah, Jethro's second daughter
• Stephanie Sawyer as Ajolidoforah, Jethro's third daughter
• Aria Curzon as Jethrodiadah, Jethro's youngest daughter
• James Avery as Overseer

Director Brenda Chapman briefly voices Miriam when she sings the lullaby to Moses. The vocal had been recorded for a scratch audio track, which was intended to be replaced later by Sally Dworsky. The track turned out so well that it remained in the film.^[18]

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