Prince of Egypt

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

While the Prince of Egypt isn't a substitute for a few Sunday school classes on the book of Exodus, it does offer an adventuresome and accessible yet simplified version of the story of Moses. This ain't no Saturday morning cartoon, either. DreamWorks draws on a powerful palette of top-notch animation and digital effects to confer a sweeping grandeur to this epic tale. Suitable for older children and adults, Prince of Egypt begins with an abandoned baby Moses drifting down the Nile and concludes with his receipt of the Ten Commandments — although some of the nastier plagues and darker episodes are glossed over. Most religious viewers will be satisfied with the film, as a team of Biblical scholars was consulted throughout the process. With Ralph Fiennes speaking as Ramses, Val Kilmer as Moses, and Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh, it is easy to forget that the ancient Egyptians were also Africans, but the animated characters are far less Anglo than they could have been.