Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)
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The youngest son of Jacob faces jealousy from his brothers and a journey of slavery and faith in ancient Egypt.
The story
Joseph, the youngest of Jacob's eleven sons, is considered a "miracle child" due to his mother Rachel's infertility. His parents' special treatment makes him conceited, fueling his brothers' jealousy. After Joseph has dreams that his brothers dismiss as coincidences, they sell him into slavery to a trader. He is taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, the captain of the Pharaoh's guards. Joseph becomes a trusted servant but faces false accusations from Potiphar's wife, Zuleika, leading to his imprisonment. While in jail, Joseph interprets dreams for the Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, eventually finding renewed purpose and trust in God's plan.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Joseph, the youngest of Jacob's eleven sons, is considered a "miracle child" because his mother, Rachel, was thought to have been infertile. His parents' special treatment makes him conceited, fueling his brothers' jealousy. After Joseph has dreams that his brothers dismiss as coincidences, they sell him into slavery to a trader for twenty pieces of silver. He is taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, the captain of the Pharaoh's guards. Joseph becomes a trusted servant but faces false accusations from Potiphar's wife, Zuleika, leading to his imprisonment. While in jail, Joseph interprets dreams for the Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker. When the Pharaoh has nightmares, the cupbearer remembers Joseph, who interprets them as warnings of seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Joseph is made Pharaoh's minister, takes the name Zaphnath-Paaneah, and saves Egypt from starvation. Twenty years later, his brothers arrive in Egypt seeking grain. Joseph recognizes them but keeps his identity secret, eventually testing them. After they offer themselves as slaves in place of Benjamin, Joseph reveals himself. They reconcile, and Joseph reunites with his father, Jacob, inviting his family to live in Egypt.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 74
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Ramirez; Rob LaDuca
- Writers
- Eugenia Bostwick-Singer · screenplay; Raymond Singer · screenplay; Joe Stillman · screenplay; Marshall Goldberg · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Ben Affleck · Joseph; Mark Hamill · Judah; Richard Herd; Maureen McGovern; Jodi Benson · Asenath; Judith Light; James Eckhouse; Richard McGonagle
- Genres
- animated; biblical; musical; drama
- Themes
- Faith; Jealousy; Forgiveness; Providence
- Tone and mood
- Uplifting; Dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- Prequel; Biblical; Musical; Animated
- Source material / true-story basis
- Book of Genesis
- Franchise connections
- The Prince of Egypt
- Content notes
- Religious
- Reception
- The film received generally good reviews, with praise for its animation, music, and dream sequences, though it was often compared negatively to the theatrical release of The Prince of Egypt. Critics noted it was a solid piece of work for a direct-to-video title, with the song 'You Know Better Than I' receiving specific acclaim.
- Awards and nominations
- Video Premier Award for Best Song · Better Than I · 2000 · Win; Silver Angel Award for Feature Film · Joseph: King of Dreams · 2001 · Win; Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production · Joseph: King of Dreams · 2001 · Win; DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Animated Video Premiere · Joseph: King of Dreams · 2001 · Win; DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Screenplay · Joseph: King of Dreams · 2001 · Win; DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Animated Character Performance · Joseph: King of Dreams · 2001 · Win; DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Directing · Joseph: King of Dreams · 2001 · Win; DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Original Score · Joseph: King of Dreams · 2001 · Win
- Production trivia
- It is the only direct-to-video production released by DreamWorks Animation to date.; The dream sequences were designed to look like "a Van Gogh painting in motion."; The film was designed as a companion piece to The Prince of Egypt.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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