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, 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 direct-to-video prequel Joseph: King of Dreams (2000) and the development of a stage adaptation. It won Best Original Song at the 1997 Academy Awards for "When You Believe". The song's pop version was performed at the ceremony by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. 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 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.
Release dates
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. The next day, Moses witnesses an Egyptian overseer whipping an elderly Hebrew slave. He unintentionally kills the guard by pushing him off a scaffolding. Although Rameses pleads with Moses to stay and that he is innocent, Moses bids him farewell, before exiling himself into the desert.
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 ("How Great Thou Art"). 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
Val Kilmer as Moses, a Hebrew who was adopted by Pharaoh Seti.
Amick Byram provides Moses' singing voice.
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.
Danny Glover as Jethro, Tzipporah's father and Midian's high priest.
Brian Stokes Mitchell provides Jethro's singing voice.
Helen Mirren as Queen Tuya, Seti's consort wife, Rameses' mother and Moses' adoptive mother.
Linda Dee Shayne provides Queen Tuya's singing voice.
Steve Martin as Hotep
Martin Short as Huy
Ofra Haza as Yocheved, the biological mother of Miriam, Aaron, and Moses.
Val Kilmer also provides the uncredited voice of 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
Michael Gough as Baka
Robert Knepper as Kahma
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
Patrick Pinney as Neria, 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
Home media
References
Other websites
1997 animated movies
1990s musical movies
American animated movies
American musical movies
DreamWorks Animation movies
DreamWorks Pictures movies
Movies about brothers
Movies composed by Hans Zimmer
Movies set in Egypt
Movies set in palaces
Multilingual movies
Movies based on the Bible
Movies about slavery
Movies that won the Best Original Song Academy Award
The Prince of Egypt