The Prince of Egypt (1998)
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A prince of Egypt must choose between his royal heritage and his destiny to lead the Hebrew people to freedom.
The story
In Ancient Egypt, the enslaved Hebrew people pray to God for deliverance. Pharaoh Seti, fearing that the growing numbers of Hebrews could lead to rebellion, orders a mass infanticide of all newborn Hebrew boys. Yocheved places her newborn son in a basket on the Nile River, where he is found and adopted by the royal family as Moses. Years later, Moses and his adoptive brother Rameses, heir to the throne, find themselves at a crossroads. When Moses discovers the truth of his origins and the plight of his people, he must decide whether to remain a prince of the Egyptian empire or fulfill his destiny as a prophet to lead the Hebrews to freedom.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Ancient Egypt, the enslaved Hebrew people pray to God for deliverance. Pharaoh Seti orders a mass infanticide of Hebrew boys to prevent rebellion. Yocheved hides her son in a basket on the Nile, where he is found and adopted by Queen Tuya as Moses. Years later, Moses and his adoptive brother Rameses are raised as princes. After a series of events, Moses discovers his true identity and the truth of the Pharaoh's actions. He flees into the desert, where he meets Miriam and Aaron and eventually finds Tzipporah. After hearing the call of God at a burning bush, he returns to Egypt to demand the release of the Hebrews. When Rameses refuses, Moses brings ten plagues upon Egypt. Following the final plague, which kills the firstborn sons of Egypt, Rameses allows the Hebrews to leave. At the Red Sea, Moses parts the waters to allow the Hebrews to escape, while the pursuing Egyptian army is drowned by the closing sea. Moses then leads the Hebrews to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brenda Chapman; Steve Hickner; Simon Wells
- Writers
- Philip LaZebnik · writer
- Cast and characters
- Val Kilmer · Moses; Ralph Fiennes · Rameses; Michelle Pfeiffer · Tzipporah; Sandra Bullock · Miriam; Jeff Goldblum · Aaron; Danny Glover · Jethro; Patrick Stewart · Pharaoh Seti; Helen Mirren · Queen Tuya; Steve Martin · Hotep; Martin Short · Huy
- Genres
- animated; musical; drama
- Themes
- identity; faith; freedom; brotherhood
- Tone and mood
- epic; serious; inspiring
- Premise and plot tags
- biblical; historical; mythology
- Source material / true-story basis
- Book of Exodus
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its visuals, score, and voice acting. It has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest animated films of all time.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Awards and nominations
- Best Original Song · Academy Awards · 71st · win; Best Animated Feature · Critics' Choice Movie Award · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the first to be animated entirely in-house at DWA Glendale.; The song 'When You Believe' was performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey in a pop version.; The film was banned in several countries, including the Maldives, Malaysia, and Egypt, due to the depiction of prophets.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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