The Prince of Egypt

***The Prince of Egypt*** is a 1997 American animated musical drama movie made by DreamWorks Animation. It is a movie adaptation for the Book of Exodus. It follows Moses' life from being a prince of Egypt to ultimate destiny about defending the Israelites. The movie was directed by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells and Steve Hickner. It featured songs written by Stephen Schwartz. The score was composed by Hans Zimmer. The voice cast for the movie had very popular Hollywood actors. During the musical part of the movie, professional singers replaced them for the songs. The exceptions were Michelle Pfeiffer, Ralph Fiennes, Mel Gibson, Robert Guillaume, Ofra Haza (who sang her song in over seventeen languages for dubbing), Steve Martin and Martin Short.

The movie was nominated for best Original Musical or Comedy Score. The film's success led to the development of a stage adaptation. It won Best Original Song at the 1997 Academy Awards for "I Will Always Love You". The song's pop version was performed at the ceremony by Whitney Houston. The song was co-written by Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer. There were additional production by Babyface. The song was nominated for Best Original Song (in a Motion Picture) at the 1997 Golden Globe Awards. It was also nominated for Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film at the ALMA Awards.

The movie was released on July 4, 1997. It was released on home video and DVD on September 2, 1997. The movie gross $218,613,188 worldwide. It became the first animated featured not released by Walt Disney Pictures to gross over $100 million in the United States. This was before, Paramount/Nickelodeon's _The Rugrats Movie_. _The Prince of Egypt_ became the top grossing non-Disney animated movie until 2000. The movie, _Chicken Run_, took the number one spot. The movie remains the highest grossing traditionally-animated non-Disney movie until 2007. The movie, _The Simpsons Movie_, took the number one spot. This is DreamWorks Animation's first movie and only traditionally animated movie to win an Oscar.

## Plot

In Ancient Egypt, the Hebrews have become slaves and pray to return to the Promised Land ("Deliver Us"). Meanwhile, a female slave called Yocheved and her children, Miriam and Aaron, witness several male infants being ruthlessly taken and butchered by the soldiers of Pharaoh Seti I, who fears that an increase in Hebrew men would culminate in rebellion. Fearing for her own son's safety, she places him in a basket on the Nile. The basket arrives at Pharaoh's palace and Miriam witnesses her brother being taken in by Pharaoh's wife, who names him Moses.

Twenty years later, Moses and his adoptive brother Rameses accidentally destroy a temple while racing their chariots, for which Pharaoh reprimands them. Moses tries to take the blame and tells Pharaoh that Rameses only wanted his approval. At a palace banquet that evening, Pharaoh appoints Rameses as Prince Regent and gives him authority over all the temples in Egypt. Moses is later given Tzipporah, a Midian girl the priests Hotep and Huy captured as a concubine, after she nearly attacks Rameses. Moses ends up humiliating Tzipporah by pushing her into a pool at the palace, and Rameses later appoints him as Royal Chief Architect.

Later that night, Moses helps Tzipporah escape from the palace and, by chance, runs into his siblings Miriam and Aaron. Miriam tries to explain to Moses about his true past, but he refuses to listen and runs back to the palace. He later has a nightmare in which he witnesses several Hebrew infants being thrown in the Nile and later, Seti reveals that he "sacrificed" the Hebrew children, to prevent retaliation.

Moses leaves Egypt.

Moses then arrives in the land of the Midianites, a tribe of which Tzipporah is a member. He is welcomed into the tribe by the High Priest and Tzipporah's father Jethro and becomes a part of their community ("Through Heaven's Eyes"). He and Tzipporah later marry. When chasing a stray sheep into a cave, Moses encounters a burning bush. Through this, the voice of God instructs him to return to Egypt and guide the enslaved Hebrews to the Promised Land. He bestows Moses' shepherding staff with his power and promises that He will tell Moses what to say.

Moses and Tzipporah then travel to Egypt and discover that while he was absent, the slaves' treatment has worsened and Pharaoh and his wife have since died, resulting in Rameses taking over. He happily greets Moses. When Moses asks Rameses to free the Hebrews and demonstrates his alliance with God by turning his staff into an Egyptian cobra, Hotep and Huy boastfully recreate this transformation ("Playing With The Big Boys Now"), only to have their snakes eaten by Moses'. Rather than relenting, Rameses doubles the Hebrews' workload. Moses and Tzipporah then encounter Aaron and Miriam, the former berating Moses for not feeling sorry for the years of slavery the Hebrews have endured. Miriam later convinces her brother and the other slaves to trust them. God later inflicts the Ten Plagues on Egypt, however Rameses is undeterred and refuses to give in to Moses' request.

Moses then prepares the Hebrews for the final plague by instructing them to paint their doorposts with lamb's blood. The final plague-the Angel of Death-sweeps through the city, killing the firstborn Egyptians-including Rameses' son-and sparing the Hebrew children. A grief-stricken Rameses then allows Moses and the Hebrews to leave.

The next day, Moses, Aaron, Miriam and Tzipporah along with the other Hebrews leave Egypt and arrive at the Red Sea ("When You Believe"). Rameses and his army then arrive and pursue them, and Moses parts the sea with his staff. The Hebrews are guided safely across and the waters close on the Egyptian army, while Rameses is spared and thrown onto the rocks. Moses then bids his brother a final, emotional farewell, before leading the Hebrews to Mount Sinai, where he receives the Ten Commandments from God.

## Voice cast

- Mel Gibson as Moses, a Hebrew who was adopted by Pharaoh Seti.
- Ralph Fiennes as Rameses II, Moses' adoptive brother and eventual successor to his father, Seti.
- 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 speaking and singing voice of a younger Miriam.
- Jeff Goldblum as Aaron, Moses and Miriam's biological brother.
- Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh 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.
- Robert Guillaume as Jethro, Tzipporah's father and Midian's high priest.
- Helen Mirren as Queen Tuya, Seti's consort wife, Rameses' mother and Moses' adoptive mother.
- Steve Martin as Hotep
- Martin Short as Huy
- Ofra Haza as Yocheved, the biological mother of Miriam, Aaron, and Moses.
- Val Kilmer as God
- Bobby Motown as Rameses' son
- Anne Lockhart as Hebrew Woman

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.

### Additional voices

- Charlie Adler as Rameses's Soldiers
- Jack Angel as Egyptian
- James Avery as Overseer
- Michael Bell as Rameses's Soldiers
- Bob Bergen as Rameses's Soldiers
- Susan Blu as Hebrew Woman
- Rodger Bumpass as Rameses's Soldiers
- Corey Burton as Rameses's Soldiers
- Robert Clotworthy as Rameses's Soldiers
- David Cowgill as Rameses's Soldiers
- Jim Cummings as Rameses's Soldiers
- Aria Noelle Curzon as Jethrodiadah
- Jennifer Darling as Hebrew Woman
- Debi Derryberry as Hebrew Woman
- Paul Eiding as Rameses's Soldiers
- Bill Farmer as Rameses's Soldiers
- Don Fullilove as Rameses's Soldiers
- Matthew Labyorteaux as Rameses's Soldiers
- Sherry Lynn as Hebrew Woman
- Danny Mann as Rameses's Soldiers
- Mona Marshall as Hebrew Woman
- Mickie McGowan as Hebrew Woman
- Paul Pape as Rameses's Soldiers
- Phil Proctor as Rameses's Soldiers
- Jan Rabson as Rameses's Soldiers
- Peter Renaday as Rameses's Soldiers
- Neil Ross as Rameses's Soldiers
- Stephanie Sawyer as Ajolidoforah
- Francesca Marie Smith as Ephorah
- Steve Susskind as Rameses's Soldiers
- Brian Tochi as Rameses's Soldiers
- B.J. Ward as Hebrew Woman
- Jim Ward as Rameses's Soldiers

### ADR Group

- Roger Aaron Brown as Hebrew Man
- Hamilton Camp as Hebrew Man
- Louise Chamis as Hebrew Woman
- Erin Donovan as Hebrew Woman
- Laurie Faso as Hebrew Man
- Ruben Garfias as Hebrew Man
- Nick Jameson as Hebrew Man
- Lauri Johnson as Hebrew Woman
- Steve Kramer as Hebrew Man
- Don Maxwell as Hebrew Man
- Randy Montgomery as Hebrew Man
- Michelle Ruff as Hebrew Woman
- Doug Stone as Hebrew Man
- Leeza Vinnechenko as Hebrew Woman

## Awards

|Award|Category|Recipient|Result||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="2"|Academy Awards|Best Original Musical or Comedy Score|||
|Best Original Song|"I Will Always Love You"||||
|rowspan="5"|Annie Awards|Best Animated Feature|||
|Individual Achievement in Directing|Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells||||
|Individual Achievement in Storyboarding|Lorna Cook (Story supervisor)||||
|Individual Achievement in Effects Animation|Jamie Lloyd (Effects Lead - Burning Bush/Angel of Death)||||
|Individual Achievement in Voice Acting|Ralph Fiennes ("Rameses")||||
|rowspan="2"|Golden Globe Awards|Best Original Score|||
|Best Original Song|"I Will Always Love You"||||

## Home media

|Format|Release date|Studio|Previews|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|VHS|September 2, 1997|DreamWorks Home Entertainment||
|DVD|September 2, 1997|DreamWorks Home Entertainment||
|DVD & Blu-ray|June 30, 2015|20th Century Fox||
|DVD & Blu-ray|June 5, 2018 (same as the 2012 release)|Universal Pictures Home Entertainment||
|Blu-ray|October 16, 2018|Universal Pictures Home Entertainment||

## Infobox (film)

- **name**: The Prince of Egypt
- **caption**: Theatrical release poster
- **director**: Simon Wells
Brenda Chapman
Steve Hickner
- **producer**: Penney Finkelman Cox
Sandra Rabins
Jeffrey Katzenberg <small>(executive producer)</small>
- **screenplay**: Philip LaZebnik
 Nicholas Meyer
- **starring**: Mel Gibson
Ralph Fiennes
Michelle Pfeiffer
Sandra Bullock
Jeff Goldblum
Patrick Stewart
Helen Mirren
Robert Guillaume
Steve Martin
Martin Short
Val Kilmer
- **based on**: The Book of Exodus
- **music**: Hans Zimmer
- **editing**: Nick Fletcher
- **studio**: DreamWorks Animation
- **distributor**: DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks Pictures
- **runtime**: 90 minutes
- **country**: United States
- **language**: English language, English / Hebrew language, Hebrew
- **budget**: $70 million
- **gross**: $218,613,188