The Dreamworks team is composed of the triumvirate of Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Katzenberg, before he created Dreamworks with the others was a major mover and groover at Disney. So it`s no wonder that part of the Dreamworks recipe for success would include animation. The Prince of Egypt tells a story that`s very familiar to anyone of Judeo-Christian background - about the Jewish born Moses who as a baby was cast into the Nile in a basket made of bullrushes to save him from death. He`s rescued and adopted by the wife of the Pharoah and reared as her younger son in a life of privilege and power. But as a young man Moses has an epiphany, he gets insight into his background and becomes a forceful leader in his attempt to lead his people, the Jews, out of a life of bondage...Well, anyone who thinks Babe 2 is too dark for children should consider The Prince of Egypt a very confronting story indeed - slaves being ill-treated and whipped, a vengeful god bringing plagues and ultimately the death of babies - it`s not the sort of thing we`ve come to expect from family oriented animation. I wonder just who the audience is for this film. However, the scenes from ancient Egypt are splendidly done.
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