/ README.md
README.md
1 # The Prince of Egypt 2 3  4 5 **DreamWorks Animation, 1998** | Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells 6 7 ## Overview 8 9 The Prince of Egypt is DreamWorks Animation's first traditionally animated feature film - a retelling of the Book of Exodus through the lens of two brothers whose bond is shattered by destiny. Moses, a Hebrew infant set adrift on the Nile to escape Pharaoh's decree, is rescued by the Queen of Egypt and raised as a prince alongside Rameses, heir to the throne. The two grow up as inseparable brothers, reckless and carefree, until Moses discovers his true origins and the brutal enslavement of his people. 10 11 ## The Story 12 13 Haunted by the truth of who he is, Moses flees Egypt into the desert, leaving behind everything he knew. In the wilderness of Midian he finds a new life as a shepherd, marries Tzipporah, and encounters the burning bush - God's call to return to Egypt and demand the liberation of the Hebrew slaves. 14 15 What follows is one of the most dramatic confrontations in all of storytelling: Moses standing before Rameses - his brother, his best friend, now Pharaoh - saying "Let my people go." Rameses refuses, not out of cruelty alone but out of pride, legacy, and the wound of abandonment. The ten plagues descend. The final plague - the death of the firstborn - breaks Rameses at last. Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt, parts the Red Sea, and walks into freedom. 16 17 ## Why It Endures 18 19 The film's genius is in making this a story about brotherhood. Rameses is not a cartoon villain - he's a man trapped by the weight of his father's expectations, unable to be "the weak link" in the dynasty's chain. Moses doesn't want to destroy his brother; he wants to save both his people and their relationship. That impossible tension gives the film its emotional gravity. 20 21 The animation was groundbreaking for its time - the parting of the Red Sea sequence, the hieroglyphic nightmare depicting the slaughter of Hebrew infants, the Angel of Death moving through Egypt as a luminous mist. DreamWorks brought in religious scholars from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to consult on the film's treatment of the source material. 22 23 ## Music 24 25 Hans Zimmer composed the score. Stephen Schwartz wrote the songs, including: 26 27 - **"Deliver Us"** - The opening, depicting Hebrew slavery and baby Moses set adrift 28 - **"All I Ever Wanted"** - Moses denying his origins 29 - **"Playing with the Big Boys"** - Pharaoh's priests mocking Moses 30 - **"The Plagues"** - Moses and Rameses singing against each other as Egypt is devastated 31 - **"When You Believe"** - Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey; won the Academy Award for Best Original Song 32 33 ## Cast 34 35 Val Kilmer as Moses, Ralph Fiennes as Rameses, Michelle Pfeiffer as Tzipporah, Sandra Bullock as Miriam, Jeff Goldblum as Aaron, Danny Glover as Jethro, Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh Seti, Helen Mirren as the Queen, Steve Martin and Martin Short as the priests Hotep and Huy. 36 37 ## Legacy 38 39 The Prince of Egypt remains one of the finest animated films ever made - a rare work that treats ancient sacred narrative with artistic seriousness while making it emotionally accessible. It proved that animation could handle weighty, adult themes without losing its beauty or wonder. The film grossed $218 million worldwide and stands as DreamWorks Animation's most critically acclaimed work.