The Prince of Egypt

Name: The Prince of Egypt

Directed by: Brenda Chapman Steve Hickner Simon Wells

Written by: Philip LaZebnik

Produced by: Penney Finkelman Cox Sandra Rabins

Executive Producer: Jeffrey Katzenberg

Score by: Hans Zimmer

Songs by: Stephen Schwartz

Editing by: Nick Fletcher

Production Design by: Darek Gogol

Studio: Pixar Animation Studio

Producer/Release: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Airdate: December 18, 1998

Length: 99 minutes, 25 seconds (1:39:25)

Budget: $70 million

Box Office: $218.6 million

Pixar Movie Number: 215

The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated epic musical drama biblical film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. The film was directed by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells and Steve Hickner. The film featured songs written by Stephen Schwartz and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. The voice cast featured a number of major Hollywood actors in the speaking roles, while professional singers replaced them for the songs, except for Michelle Pfeiffer, Ralph Fiennes, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Ofra Haza (who also sang her character's number, "Deliver Us", in seventeen other languages for the film's dubbing), who sang their own parts.

Jeffrey Katzenberg had frequently suggested an animated adaption of the 1956 film The Ten Commandments while working for The Walt Disney Company, and he decided to put the idea into production after founding Fox in 1995. To make this inaugural project, Twentieth Century Fox employed artists who had worked for Walt Disney Feature Animation and the recently disbanded Amblimation, totaling a crew of 350 people from 34 different nations. The film has a blend of traditional animation and computer-generated imagery, created using software from Toon Boom Animation and Silicon Graphics.

The Prince of Egypt was released in theaters on December 18, 1998, and on home video on September 14, 1999. Reviews were positive, with critics praising the animation, music and voice work. The film went on to gross $218,613,188 worldwide in theaters, which made it the most successful non-Disney animated feature at the time. The film's success led to the direct-to-video prequel Joseph: King of Dreams (2000) and the development of a stage adaptation. The song "When You Believe" became a commercially successful single in a pop version performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and went on to win Best Original Song at the 1999 Academy Awards.

Plot
In Ancient Egypt, Yocheved (Ofra Haza), a Hebrew mother, and her two children, Miriam and Aaron, watch in horror as the newborn Hebrew boys are taken and ruthlessly killed as ordered by Pharaoh Seti I (Patrick Stewart), who fears that an alarming increase could lead to rebellion. Fearing for her own newborn son's safety, Yocheved places him in a basket afloat on the Nile River, not before bidding him farewell with a final but powerful lullaby. Miriam follows the basket to the Pharaoh's palace and witnesses her baby brother safely adopted by Queen Tuya (Helen Mirren), who names him Moses.

Years later, Moses (Val Kilmer) and his brother Rameses II (Ralph Fiennes) are scolded by their father for accidentally destroying a temple during one of their youthful misadventures, though Moses tries to take the blame. That evening at a palace banquet, Seti, who wants to give Rameses the opportunity to prove that he is responsible, names him Prince Regent and gives him authority over Egypt's temples. As a tribute, the high priests Hotep (Steve Martin) and Huy (Martin Short) offer him a beautiful young Midianite woman, Tzipporah (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Rameses gives her to Moses. Rameses then appoints him Royal Chief Architect.

Later that evening, Moses follows Tzipporah as she escapes from the palace and runs into his siblings Miriam (Sandra Bullock) and Aaron (Jeff Goldblum). Miriam is overjoyed to see her younger brother again, but Aaron is fearful to watch the confrontation. Despite Aaron's attempts to protect his sister, Miriam tries to tell Moses about his past, but he refuses to listen. Miriam then sings her mother's lullaby, which causes Moses to remember the melody. Moses runs to the palace, eager to return to familiar surroundings. The truth about his past is later confirmed by a nightmare, and finally by Seti himself. The next morning, Moses accidentally pushes an Egyptian guard off the scaffolding of the temple when trying to stop him from whipping a Hebrew slave, and the guard falls to his death.

Ashamed and confused, Moses flees into the desert in exile, despite Rameses' pleas to stay. While in the desert Moses defends three young girls from bandits, only to find out their older sister is Tzipporah, whom he helped escape from Egypt. Moses is welcomed by Tzipporah's father and the high priest of Midian, Jethro (Danny Glover). After assimilating this new culture, Moses becomes a shepherd and marries Tzipporah. While chasing a stray lamb, Moses discovers a burning bush through which God tells him to go back to Egypt and guide the Hebrew slaves to freedom. God bestows Moses' shepherding staff with his power and promises that he will tell Moses what to say. Moses and Tzipporah return to Egypt, where Moses is happily greeted by Rameses, who is now Pharaoh.

When Moses requests the Hebrews' release and changes his staff into an Egyptian cobra, to demonstrate his alliance with God, Hotep and Huy boastfully recreate this transformation, only to have their snakes eaten by Moses' snake. Rather than persuaded, Rameses doubles the Hebrews' workload. Moses and Tzipporah thereafter live with Miriam, who convinces Aaron and the other Hebrews to trust them. Later, Moses inflicts nine of the Plagues of Egypt, but Rameses refuses to relent despite each plague being worse than the one before. Against Moses' warning (foreshadowing the final plague), Rameses makes it clear that he will never release the Hebrew slaves. Disheartened by Rameses' words, Moses prepares the Hebrews for the tenth and final plague, instructing them to sacrifice a lamb and mark the doorposts with the lamb's blood. That night, the final plague kills all the firstborn children of Egypt, including Rameses' son, while sparing those of the Hebrews. The next day, a grief-stricken Rameses, mourning the loss of his son, finally gives Moses permission to free the Hebrews. Moses breaks down crying from the guilt of hurting Rameses, and from hearing the cries of numerous families across the city.

The following morning, the Hebrews leave Egypt, led by Moses, Miriam, Aaron, and Tzipporah. At the Red Sea, they discover that Rameses is closely pursuing them with his army. Upon the arrival, Moses uses his staff to part the sea, while a fire blocks the army's way. The Hebrews cross the open sea bottom; and when the fire vanishes and the army gives chase, the water closes over the Egyptian soldiers, sparing Rameses alone, who is washed ashore on the other side of the sea. Thereafter, Moses sadly bids farewell to his brother, and leads the Hebrews to Mount Sinai, where he receives the Ten Commandments.

Voice Cast
•	Val Kilmer as Moses, a Hebrew who was adopted by Pharaoh Seti.

•	Val Kilmer also provides (uncredited) the voice of God

•	Amick Byram provides Moses' singing voice.

•	Ralph Fiennes as Rameses, 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, Rameses' father, Moses' adoptive father and the first Pharaoh in the film.

•	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, Rameses' mother, and Moses' adoptive mother.

•	Linda Dee Shayne provides Queen Tuya's singing voice.

•	Steve Martin as Hotep, one of the high priests who serves as advisor to Seti, and later Rameses.

•	Martin Short as Huy, Hotep's fellow high priest.

•	Ofra Haza as Yocheved, the biological mother of Miriam, Aaron, and Moses.

Director Brenda Chapman briefly voiced 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.

Media Release

 * The Prince of Egypt is released on video and DVD in September 14, 1999.

Aspect Ratios
1.85:1 (Widescreen)/1.33:1 (Fullscreen/Full Open Matte)

DVD Main Menu

 * Play Movie
 * Scene Index
 * Special Features
 * Audio
 * English
 * French
 * Spanish (Latin America)
 * Portuguese (Brazil)
 * Dutch
 * German
 * Danish
 * Norwegian
 * Swedish
 * Hungarian
 * Italian
 * Polish
 * Subtitles
 * English
 * French
 * Spanish
 * Portuguese

Previews

 * Thomas and the Magic Railroad Teaser Trailer (Rolling Into Theaters Everywhere July 2000)
 * The Road to El Dorado and Chicken Run Trailer (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)
 * Antz on Video TV Spot
 * The Prince of Egypt: Motion Picture Soundtrack TV Commercial

Quotes

 * Thousands of possibilities, get yours and see it here: "Quotes".