Film The Prince Of Egypt (u)

DreamWorks's first animated feature is more a warning shot across Disney's bows than a direct hit. In it, Moses's journey from prince to Hebrew saviour is recreated using techniques which set new standards in the field. However, the film often looks like it has been lifted wholesale from DeMille's The Ten Commandments, creating an overwhelming feeling of deja vu. It is not so much that the events portrayed are the same, but that they have not been radically re-imagined. When the animators do experiment with new modes of representation, the effect is breathtaking. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the songs. These are more Broadway than biblical, though Ofra Haza's impassioned opening vocal is a guaranteed spinetingler.

On general release