Still, the scene in which ittakes place is powerful and the song is beautifully performed.If the film has a weak link, it might be the voice casting,Val Kilmer andPatrick Stewart in particular. The songsare powerful and moving, sometimes no more than one verse in length,sometimes full-blown seven-minute extravaganzas like 'Let My People Go.'The one weaker song, surprisingly, is the theme 'When You Believe.' Evenfreed from Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston R&B cheese as it is in the movie,it's a watery definition of faith at best. Stephen Schwartz' songs combine elements ofBroadway-esque show tunes with native Hebrew and Egyptian music. There is, I believe I can safelysay, not a second of the film that does not offer some sort of visualdelight - from the deep symbolism of the hieroglyphics to the dizzyingchariot race in the opening sequence.The music has been touted by some critics as the film's weak link such isdefinitely not the case. If you blink during theparting of the red sea, you'll regret it. There are momentswhen the visual effects made me forget to breathe. The film also takes some fairlyaudacious risks Moses has a dream sequence in stiffly animatedhieroglyphics, completely switching animation styles for about five minutes,which I believe is completely unprecedented in animation. ComputerGenerated Imagery blends - for the first time in an animated film -seamlessly with traditional cel animation. Instead of merely relating the tale as itis, the story asks 'how would a person *feel* if God appeared to them andtold them to do this? How would others react?' The script is light-yearsbeyond any past biblical epic.The animation style owes a small debt to Disney's house style, but goesabove and beyond in the details in character design (the Hebrews andEgyptians and Midians are clearly of different ethnic backgrounds, and nocharacter suffers from the doe-eyed Disney Belle syndrome). The result is a religious tale that treatsthe oft-ignored human element. The focus of the film is the conflict betweenRamses and his adopted brother, Moses, set against the backdrop of the epicevents in the book of Exodus.
The main characters are well-realized,three-dimensional characters. Quite possibly the most astonishing achievement in animation since Beautyand the Beast (and surpassing same), The Prince of Egypt is a lovinglycrafted, engaging piece of cinema.
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