This past Tuesday, I began ranking all of the DreamWorks Animation movies from worst to best. With the 18 worst features from the studio out of the way, let's move onto the top 18 movies ever from DreamWorks Animation, including their best movie of all-time.
18. Flushed Away (dir. David Bowers & Sam Fell, 2006)
Flushed Away frequently feels like its being torn between two creative influences. The final film in a partnership between DreamWorks Animation and Aardman as well as being the first computer-animated feature from the latter studio, Flushed Away contains a lot of traits you'd typically associate with a DreamWorks Animation feature (especially that climax where everyone dances to Tina Turner's Proud Mary) while also having a number of more subtle gags you'd associate with Aardman fare. A solid amount of its jokes do manage to evoke laughs while it's nice to see DreamWorks computer-animation adhere to a more unique design style (all the characters look like stop-motion Aardman characters) and even the celebrity voice-overs are more often than not, especially Andy Serkis and Bill Nighy as a pair of "evil" henchman. Despite so often feeling like a mish-mash of quarreling creative visions, Flushed Away is a decent middle-of-the-pack DreamWorks effort, though it's definitely the second-weakest Aardman film (the weakest is Early Man).
17. Kung Fu Panda 3 (dir. Alessandro Carloni & Jennifer Yuh Nelson, 2016)
There's no getting around that this final(?) chapter in the Kung Fu Panda saga is a notable step down from its predecessor in overall quality. There's a greater amount of juvenile humor this go-around that feels like it's trying way too hard to constantly make the audience laugh, as if producers of this series got nervous after Kung Fu Panda 2 went to such dark places. Thankfully, the two areas where the Kung Fu Panda movies have always excelled, the action scenes and lively voice acting, continue to be solid here and there are certainly some truly beautiful looking shots to be found throughout the film. Kung Fu Panda 3 doesn't pack as powerful of a punch as earlier Po the Panda adventures but it's certainly better than many other third entries in computer-animated franchises.
16. The Croods (dir. Kirk DeMicco & Chris Sanders, 2013)
This animated movie about a new type of modern-stone-age-family is perfunctory on a storytelling level, with character dynamics we've seen a number of times before. A husband who hates his mother-in-law, a doofus son, a wife who doesn't get much of a personality to speak of, this is your typical sitcom family to a tee. Where The Croods really excels is its vibrantly beautiful vision of a prehistoric landscape. Colors and creative critters (have you ever seen a mouse/elephant mash-up?) abound in the terrain that the titular family navigates and they're stunning to watch. This is the kind of environment you could only do in animation and the character designs of the cavepeople members of the titular family similarly take delightful advantage of the opportunities exclusive to animation. The Croods has a tendency to get stuck in the stone age when it comes to its writing but its visual sensibilities are truly cutting-edge.
Flushed Away frequently feels like its being torn between two creative influences. The final film in a partnership between DreamWorks Animation and Aardman as well as being the first computer-animated feature from the latter studio, Flushed Away contains a lot of traits you'd typically associate with a DreamWorks Animation feature (especially that climax where everyone dances to Tina Turner's Proud Mary) while also having a number of more subtle gags you'd associate with Aardman fare. A solid amount of its jokes do manage to evoke laughs while it's nice to see DreamWorks computer-animation adhere to a more unique design style (all the characters look like stop-motion Aardman characters) and even the celebrity voice-overs are more often than not, especially Andy Serkis and Bill Nighy as a pair of "evil" henchman. Despite so often feeling like a mish-mash of quarreling creative visions, Flushed Away is a decent middle-of-the-pack DreamWorks effort, though it's definitely the second-weakest Aardman film (the weakest is Early Man).
There's no getting around that this final(?) chapter in the Kung Fu Panda saga is a notable step down from its predecessor in overall quality. There's a greater amount of juvenile humor this go-around that feels like it's trying way too hard to constantly make the audience laugh, as if producers of this series got nervous after Kung Fu Panda 2 went to such dark places. Thankfully, the two areas where the Kung Fu Panda movies have always excelled, the action scenes and lively voice acting, continue to be solid here and there are certainly some truly beautiful looking shots to be found throughout the film. Kung Fu Panda 3 doesn't pack as powerful of a punch as earlier Po the Panda adventures but it's certainly better than many other third entries in computer-animated franchises.
This animated movie about a new type of modern-stone-age-family is perfunctory on a storytelling level, with character dynamics we've seen a number of times before. A husband who hates his mother-in-law, a doofus son, a wife who doesn't get much of a personality to speak of, this is your typical sitcom family to a tee. Where The Croods really excels is its vibrantly beautiful vision of a prehistoric landscape. Colors and creative critters (have you ever seen a mouse/elephant mash-up?) abound in the terrain that the titular family navigates and they're stunning to watch. This is the kind of environment you could only do in animation and the character designs of the cavepeople members of the titular family similarly take delightful advantage of the opportunities exclusive to animation. The Croods has a tendency to get stuck in the stone age when it comes to its writing but its visual sensibilities are truly cutting-edge.
15. Puss in Boots (dir. Chris Miller, 2011)
After two terrible Shrek sequels, the thought of doing a Puss in Boots spin-off sounded like absolute torture. So how, then, did Puss in Boots actually manage to turn out alright? Chalk that up to this one daring to actually go for a different style and tone than the Shrek films. It's still sending up fairy tale icons (this time, Humpty Dumpty and Jack & Jill get unorthodox interpretations) but Puss is headlining a full-on Western devoid of pop culture references and bathroom humor. It's a nice change of pace that isn't bereft of its own issues, especially in regards to this ninety-minute-film still feeling like it could have stood to lose five or ten minutes in the editing room. Still, this ended up being far better than expected, Penguins of Madagascar could have stood to take a lesson or two from Puss in Boots in terms of doing a DreamWorks Animation spin-off right.
After two terrible Shrek sequels, the thought of doing a Puss in Boots spin-off sounded like absolute torture. So how, then, did Puss in Boots actually manage to turn out alright? Chalk that up to this one daring to actually go for a different style and tone than the Shrek films. It's still sending up fairy tale icons (this time, Humpty Dumpty and Jack & Jill get unorthodox interpretations) but Puss is headlining a full-on Western devoid of pop culture references and bathroom humor. It's a nice change of pace that isn't bereft of its own issues, especially in regards to this ninety-minute-film still feeling like it could have stood to lose five or ten minutes in the editing room. Still, this ended up being far better than expected, Penguins of Madagascar could have stood to take a lesson or two from Puss in Boots in terms of doing a DreamWorks Animation spin-off right.
14. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (dir. Dean DeBlois, 2019)
If they could have just toned down the comic relief in this one, it totally would have been higher up on this list. Alas, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World spends way too much time on "hilarious" side characters like those Viking twins that aren't nearly as funny as the movie thinks they are. As for the rest of the movie, though, it's a fine conclusion to the story of Viking Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless, even if it is the weakest entry in the series. Still, the best moments of this movie are truly exceptional in execution, particularly an ending that caps the whole saga off on a note of immense poignancy. On the other hand, tonally-wise, a sequence depicting Toothless hysterically trying to interact with a Light Fury dragon he's romantically infatuated with is the highlight of the entire franchises attempts at comedy.
If they could have just toned down the comic relief in this one, it totally would have been higher up on this list. Alas, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World spends way too much time on "hilarious" side characters like those Viking twins that aren't nearly as funny as the movie thinks they are. As for the rest of the movie, though, it's a fine conclusion to the story of Viking Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless, even if it is the weakest entry in the series. Still, the best moments of this movie are truly exceptional in execution, particularly an ending that caps the whole saga off on a note of immense poignancy. On the other hand, tonally-wise, a sequence depicting Toothless hysterically trying to interact with a Light Fury dragon he's romantically infatuated with is the highlight of the entire franchises attempts at comedy.
On paper, Over the Hedge should totally be insufferable. A movie about snarky woodland critters packed with mid-2000s celebrities (Bruce Willis! Garry Shandling! Steve Carell! Avril Lavigne!) providing commentary on modern-day suburbia, Over the Hedge should really be the worst. While there are scenes that just rely on obnoxious loudness and obvious jokes, Over the Hedge, is actually pretty fun all things considered. How'd they pull that off? Mostly because, no joke, they made it more character-focused. The gradual process of RJ the raccoon (Bruce Willis) learning to emotionally trust others is a nice emotional backbone for the proceedings and the distinct personalities of the expansive supporting cast are executed in a fun manner. Plus, there are some fun vocal performances in here, particularly Thomas Haden Church as an exterminator who thinks he's Rambo. This movie also gets bonus points for having a genuinely good joke about Texas, you always love to see that!
12. Rise of the Guardians (dir. Peter Ramsey, 2012)
Like How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Rise of the Guardians is a movie whose bolder darker tendencies keep getting undercut by shoehorned in bits of comedy that just feel out of place. Here, such moments totally feel like they were shoved in by producers who were worried things were getting too grim. Such clumsy comedy, as well as a miscast Chris Pine in the lead role, aside, Rise of the Guardians is actually a lovely little movie, one that takes beloved figures of childhood mythology (Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc.) and gives them an action fantasy movie twist that proves to be extremely entertaining. There are some really nifty character and production designs to be found in here while Peter Ramsey direction in the action sequences proves he was capable of dazzling action set pieces even before he helmed Into the Spider-Verse.
Like How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Rise of the Guardians is a movie whose bolder darker tendencies keep getting undercut by shoehorned in bits of comedy that just feel out of place. Here, such moments totally feel like they were shoved in by producers who were worried things were getting too grim. Such clumsy comedy, as well as a miscast Chris Pine in the lead role, aside, Rise of the Guardians is actually a lovely little movie, one that takes beloved figures of childhood mythology (Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc.) and gives them an action fantasy movie twist that proves to be extremely entertaining. There are some really nifty character and production designs to be found in here while Peter Ramsey direction in the action sequences proves he was capable of dazzling action set pieces even before he helmed Into the Spider-Verse.
11. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (dir. Dean DeBlois, 2014)
There's too much happening in this one, that's How to Train Your Dragon 2's greatest flaw. Such ambition is to be admired but it doesn't excuse the fact that the comic relief teenagers from the first movie have no purpose here while Hiccup's long lost Mom (voiced by Cate Blanchett) is a major part of most of the plot before bizarrely vanishing for the last twenty or so minutes. Those are the low points of the production, whose high points really are exhilarating. The animation is utterly beautiful, the intimate character beats are exceptionally well-handled and it refuses to undercut its darkest sequences, including one that sees Toothless the dragon committing a truly gruesome act of violence. It's not as good as the first one, but How to Train Your Dragon 2 does manage to expand on its predecessor in a satisfying fashion.
There's too much happening in this one, that's How to Train Your Dragon 2's greatest flaw. Such ambition is to be admired but it doesn't excuse the fact that the comic relief teenagers from the first movie have no purpose here while Hiccup's long lost Mom (voiced by Cate Blanchett) is a major part of most of the plot before bizarrely vanishing for the last twenty or so minutes. Those are the low points of the production, whose high points really are exhilarating. The animation is utterly beautiful, the intimate character beats are exceptionally well-handled and it refuses to undercut its darkest sequences, including one that sees Toothless the dragon committing a truly gruesome act of violence. It's not as good as the first one, but How to Train Your Dragon 2 does manage to expand on its predecessor in a satisfying fashion.
10. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (dir. Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath & Conrad Vernon, 2012)
Noah Baumbach's greatest cinematic contribution? Not quite, but Madagascar 3 is still one of the stronger DreamWorks efforts simply by realizing this series should really be all about zany humor. The jokes reach outright absurdity in this installment and it results in a swath of memorable gags. Heck, even that Afro Circus bit that got run into the ground in the marketing is still kind of humorous. It's also nice that the new celebrity voice-over actors (Bryan Cranston, Jessica Chastain and Frances McDormand among them) delivered their performances with thick foreign accents, they weren't just doing a boring version of their normal voices. These performers actually had to stretch their vocals and that leads to a lot of delightful vocal turns in Madagascar 3, which finally saw this series go wild rather than go mild.
9. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (dir. David Soren, 2017)
Perhaps the most underrated movie in the DreamWorks Animation library, this film adaptation of Dav Pilkey's irreverent children's books is surprisingly effective at creating its own distinct identity from other DreamWorks movies. For one thing, the animation, produced at a far-lower budget than prior efforts from the studio, actually looks vastly different from other DreamWorks efforts as it replicates the look of Pilkey's illustrations. For another, this is a movie that isn't afraid to toy around with other visual mediums for the sake of a joke. One of the most hysterical scenes in the whole movie is a sock puppet fantasy scene that left me in stitches. How many animated family movies can manage to deliver humorous sock puppets?!? Combine that with a lively pace and some equally vibrant vocal performances (Nick Kroll is a hoot as the feature's villain) and you end up with the strongest modern-day DreamWorks Animation effort.
Perhaps the most underrated movie in the DreamWorks Animation library, this film adaptation of Dav Pilkey's irreverent children's books is surprisingly effective at creating its own distinct identity from other DreamWorks movies. For one thing, the animation, produced at a far-lower budget than prior efforts from the studio, actually looks vastly different from other DreamWorks efforts as it replicates the look of Pilkey's illustrations. For another, this is a movie that isn't afraid to toy around with other visual mediums for the sake of a joke. One of the most hysterical scenes in the whole movie is a sock puppet fantasy scene that left me in stitches. How many animated family movies can manage to deliver humorous sock puppets?!? Combine that with a lively pace and some equally vibrant vocal performances (Nick Kroll is a hoot as the feature's villain) and you end up with the strongest modern-day DreamWorks Animation effort.
8, Shrek 2 (dir. Andrew Adamson & Kelly Asbury & Conrad Vernon, 2004)
Following up on the original Shrek couldn't have been an easy task, but despite the enormous pressure on them, the creative team behind Shrek 2 managed to create a satisfying follow-up anyway. The critical element that makes this film enjoyable is simple: it's really funny. Newcomer lead character Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) proves to be a hoot, especially in his first scene that sees the character going from terrifying to timid in no time flat, while a villainous take on the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) delivers plenty of laughs and a great rendition of Holding Out For a Hero. The Shrek franchise would quickly get oh so tired but at least a film like Shrek 2 reminds us all that there was a time when we were all a believer in the idea that this series could consistently deliver yuks.
7. Kung Fu Panda (dir. Mark Osborne & John Steven, 2008)
When Kung Fu Panda first came out, much of the praise that surrounded it focused on how much it wasn't like a typical DreamWorks movie. No pop culture references, no dance party ending, no fart jokes, that's all true. But the qualities that make Kung Fu Panda so good are elements that would be exceptional whether they showed up in a DreamWorks movie, an A24 movie or a Troma movie. A good story, fun characters, riveting action, Kung Fu Panda's got it all. More specific to this title, though, is how the timeless tale of Po the panda (Jack Black) is told through a number of sequences that aren't afraid to let the visuals speak for themselves, like when Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) trains Po to be a kung fu warrior through a bowl of dumplings. In these kinds of sequences, exemplary visual storytelling emerges that's truly remarkable regardless of how it compares to prior DreamWorks efforts.
When Kung Fu Panda first came out, much of the praise that surrounded it focused on how much it wasn't like a typical DreamWorks movie. No pop culture references, no dance party ending, no fart jokes, that's all true. But the qualities that make Kung Fu Panda so good are elements that would be exceptional whether they showed up in a DreamWorks movie, an A24 movie or a Troma movie. A good story, fun characters, riveting action, Kung Fu Panda's got it all. More specific to this title, though, is how the timeless tale of Po the panda (Jack Black) is told through a number of sequences that aren't afraid to let the visuals speak for themselves, like when Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) trains Po to be a kung fu warrior through a bowl of dumplings. In these kinds of sequences, exemplary visual storytelling emerges that's truly remarkable regardless of how it compares to prior DreamWorks efforts.
The one that put DreamWorks on the map as an animation powerhouse still stands as a darn good comedy in its own right, which is impressive given how much of it is predicated on pop culture references to Disney's public im age circa. 2001. Should that have made this feature age poorly? Well, luckily for the enduring quality of Shrek, gags like the line "That's a nice boulder" are funny whether it's 2001 or 3001. Even having seen it too many times to count at this point, Shrek still manages to make me cackle, the final "But you are beautiful" line from Shrek to Fiona still registers as poignant, and though it started a terrible trend in American animated family movies, that I'm a Believer dance party that closes out the movie is still undeniably rousing. Plus, the sequence contains the visual of the Gingerbread Man just beating the snot out of the wedding cake figurine of Lord Farquaad, that alone ensured the original Shrek would wind up in the top ten on this list.
5. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (dir. Steve Box & Nick Park, 2005)
DreamWorks and Aardman did not have a lengthy partnership but in their brief time together, they did manage to create two of the best movies DreamWorks Animation ever produced. One of those titles was a feature-length adaptation of Wallace & Gromit, a duo comprising of a human inventor and his much more savvy pet canine. This pastiche on horror movies managed to translate these two from short films to a feature-length narrative without missing a beat, especially in regards to the jokes. Wallace & Gromit remain as centered on subtle visual gags rather than brash loudness as well as consistently humorous as ever. Like the majority of the motion pictures Aardman has released over the last twenty years, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is as delightful as a plate of crackers & cheese.
DreamWorks and Aardman did not have a lengthy partnership but in their brief time together, they did manage to create two of the best movies DreamWorks Animation ever produced. One of those titles was a feature-length adaptation of Wallace & Gromit, a duo comprising of a human inventor and his much more savvy pet canine. This pastiche on horror movies managed to translate these two from short films to a feature-length narrative without missing a beat, especially in regards to the jokes. Wallace & Gromit remain as centered on subtle visual gags rather than brash loudness as well as consistently humorous as ever. Like the majority of the motion pictures Aardman has released over the last twenty years, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is as delightful as a plate of crackers & cheese.
4. Kung Fu Panda 2 (dir. Jennifer Yuh Nelson, 2011)
It's not uncommon for second entries in trilogies to go darker than the original feature. But how many animated kids movie sequels can say that their version of "going darker" was to interweave genocide into a franchises mythos? That's just what Kung Fu Panda 2 did in exploring Po grappling with his identity. While these movies are well-known for their moments of comedy, it's to this movies credit that the more grim sequences are allowed to just carry their more somber tone instead of being dragged down by shoehorned in-jokes meant to lighten the mood. Similar levels of boldness are also seen in the well-done action sequences, including a chase scene set inside a collapsing building that's especially well-filmed. Oh, and there's still plenty of fun jokes to be found, including a great gag involving Po trying to give the films main villain a big speech from far off in the distance. DreamWorks Animation has made many sequels, but Kung Fu Panda 2 is easily the best of the bunch.
It's not uncommon for second entries in trilogies to go darker than the original feature. But how many animated kids movie sequels can say that their version of "going darker" was to interweave genocide into a franchises mythos? That's just what Kung Fu Panda 2 did in exploring Po grappling with his identity. While these movies are well-known for their moments of comedy, it's to this movies credit that the more grim sequences are allowed to just carry their more somber tone instead of being dragged down by shoehorned in-jokes meant to lighten the mood. Similar levels of boldness are also seen in the well-done action sequences, including a chase scene set inside a collapsing building that's especially well-filmed. Oh, and there's still plenty of fun jokes to be found, including a great gag involving Po trying to give the films main villain a big speech from far off in the distance. DreamWorks Animation has made many sequels, but Kung Fu Panda 2 is easily the best of the bunch.
3. Chicken Run (dir. Peter Lord & Nick Park, 2000)
Still the highest-grossing stop-motion animated movie of all-time domestically, Chicken Run is just a delight to watch. Not only is this story about chickens trying to escape from a deadly chicken farm chock full of humorous jokes ("The chickens are revolting!") and lively vocal performances, but it constantly boggles your mind with what it achieves through stop-motion animation. That whole sequence where Ginger (Julia Sawalha) and Rocky (Mel Gibson) travel through a machine meant to turn chickens into chicken pot pies especially is astonishing to watch, I still don't know how they were able to pull that off with stop-motion characters and sets. The same goes for a climactic sequence depicting a human villain chasing down an aircraft piloted by chickens. Chicken Run's animation and jokes are so good, one would even be tempted to say that the film overall is...eggs-ellent.
Still the highest-grossing stop-motion animated movie of all-time domestically, Chicken Run is just a delight to watch. Not only is this story about chickens trying to escape from a deadly chicken farm chock full of humorous jokes ("The chickens are revolting!") and lively vocal performances, but it constantly boggles your mind with what it achieves through stop-motion animation. That whole sequence where Ginger (Julia Sawalha) and Rocky (Mel Gibson) travel through a machine meant to turn chickens into chicken pot pies especially is astonishing to watch, I still don't know how they were able to pull that off with stop-motion characters and sets. The same goes for a climactic sequence depicting a human villain chasing down an aircraft piloted by chickens. Chicken Run's animation and jokes are so good, one would even be tempted to say that the film overall is...eggs-ellent.
2. How to Train Your Dragon (dir. Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders, 2010)
Sometimes, one scene alone can make a movie great. How to Train Your Dragon has many great qualities beyond just one scene, but there is a singular sequence in here that, just by itself, cements this film as something special. It's a dialogue-free scene showing Hiccup the Viking (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless the dragon beginning to warm up to one another. At first, Toothless is hesitant to trust the adolescent Viking, but through food and doodling in the sand, the two of them begin to warm up with each other. The friendship that would serve as the backbone for this entire trilogy gets beautifully established here, particularly through some remarkable animation and John Powell's unforgettable score. How to Train Your Dragon has plenty to recommend throughout its whole runtime, but this pivotal sequence alone demonstrates the kind of storytelling that makes this one of the very best DreamWorks Animation endeavors.
And finally...
Sometimes, one scene alone can make a movie great. How to Train Your Dragon has many great qualities beyond just one scene, but there is a singular sequence in here that, just by itself, cements this film as something special. It's a dialogue-free scene showing Hiccup the Viking (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless the dragon beginning to warm up to one another. At first, Toothless is hesitant to trust the adolescent Viking, but through food and doodling in the sand, the two of them begin to warm up with each other. The friendship that would serve as the backbone for this entire trilogy gets beautifully established here, particularly through some remarkable animation and John Powell's unforgettable score. How to Train Your Dragon has plenty to recommend throughout its whole runtime, but this pivotal sequence alone demonstrates the kind of storytelling that makes this one of the very best DreamWorks Animation endeavors.
And finally...
1. The Prince of Egypt (dir. Brenda Chapman & Steve Hickner & Simon Wells, 1998)
It's hard to think of another animated family movie musical quite like The Prince of Egypt. Whereas most films of this stripe adhere strictly to a set of song types (the "I Want" song, the villain song, etc.) as the framework for its soundtrack, The Prince of Egypt is more flexible in how it weaves in music into its retelling of the story of Moses (here voiced by Val Kilmer). The all-around excellent tunes are written in a way so that they fit what specific characters are going through at that moment rather than fitting their songs into the mold of those aforementioned song types. As if that weren't enough, the musical numbers have a sense of power to them that flows throughout the rest of the film. There's truly something epic reverberating throughout the Through Heaven's Eye sequence, which urges Moses to change his perspective to looking at the big picture as God would, that makes it totally clear why Moses would have his whole worldview changed.
Similarly powerful is the more realistically-rendered relationships between through characters. As depicted here, the dynamic between Moses and Ramses (Ralph Fiennes) especially has more tragedy in its depiction here than I've ever seen in any other modern artistic rendering of this story. You buy their dynamic as caring brothers just as much as you do their dynamic as rivals. Just like the music and the characters, the visuals themselves have an appropriately grandiose quality that takes your breath away. The shot of a whale illuminated by a clap of thunder during the parting of the Red Sea sequence, that's the kind of iconic imagery Prince of Egypt delivers with impressive regularity. Whereas so many DreamWorks Animation features strain to be hip, The Prince of Egypt emerges as easily the best DreamWorks Animation motion picture because of how much it embraces timeless artistic qualities. Great music, thoughtful filmmaking, emotionally affecting characters, those are the traits that define a great movie, not a dance party climax. Put simply, The Prince of Egypt.is King among DreamWorks fare.
It's hard to think of another animated family movie musical quite like The Prince of Egypt. Whereas most films of this stripe adhere strictly to a set of song types (the "I Want" song, the villain song, etc.) as the framework for its soundtrack, The Prince of Egypt is more flexible in how it weaves in music into its retelling of the story of Moses (here voiced by Val Kilmer). The all-around excellent tunes are written in a way so that they fit what specific characters are going through at that moment rather than fitting their songs into the mold of those aforementioned song types. As if that weren't enough, the musical numbers have a sense of power to them that flows throughout the rest of the film. There's truly something epic reverberating throughout the Through Heaven's Eye sequence, which urges Moses to change his perspective to looking at the big picture as God would, that makes it totally clear why Moses would have his whole worldview changed.
Similarly powerful is the more realistically-rendered relationships between through characters. As depicted here, the dynamic between Moses and Ramses (Ralph Fiennes) especially has more tragedy in its depiction here than I've ever seen in any other modern artistic rendering of this story. You buy their dynamic as caring brothers just as much as you do their dynamic as rivals. Just like the music and the characters, the visuals themselves have an appropriately grandiose quality that takes your breath away. The shot of a whale illuminated by a clap of thunder during the parting of the Red Sea sequence, that's the kind of iconic imagery Prince of Egypt delivers with impressive regularity. Whereas so many DreamWorks Animation features strain to be hip, The Prince of Egypt emerges as easily the best DreamWorks Animation motion picture because of how much it embraces timeless artistic qualities. Great music, thoughtful filmmaking, emotionally affecting characters, those are the traits that define a great movie, not a dance party climax. Put simply, The Prince of Egypt.is King among DreamWorks fare.
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