Indeed, what struck me was how few children were actually in the audience and how little they were laughing at the more comedic scenes. What also struck me was how many adults actually went to see this thing. So, what happens in the story, you ask. The map, of course, shows directions to the legendary Latin American city of El Dorado, the City of Gold. They stowaway aboard Cortez's treasure-seeking armada to the New World.
Animators paint jungles very well, and The Road to El Dorado certainly has plenty of that.
While our godly vagabonds quarrel, the aforementioned power struggle between The Chief and Tzekel-Kan climaxes with the latter being banished from the city. And since he's a witchdoctor, this can only spell trouble. He returns with the type of vengeance I haven't the heart to give away. The Road to El Dorado holds your attention for a brief moment, but the impression is short-lived. It's ambitious and somewhat timely, a beautifully painted and romantic rendering of a time and place long since faded into history books.