The success of live-action adaptations has always been a hit-or-miss affair. However, the recent live-action adaptation of "How to Train Your Dragon" has sparked a renewed interest in the potential of bringing animated classics to life. This success begs the question: What other animated masterpieces deserve the live-action treatment? One prime candidate stands out: DreamWorks Animation's "The Prince of Egypt."
Released in 1998, "The Prince of Egypt" is an animated reimagining of the biblical story of Moses. It centers around Moses, a man who uses the power of God to liberate the Jewish people from his adoptive brother, pharaoh Ramses.
Here are several compelling reasons why "The Prince of Egypt" would be an excellent choice for a live-action adaptation:
The Game-Changing Impact of "How to Train Your Dragon"
The live-action adaptation of "How to Train Your Dragon" has changed the game for adaptations. While some might argue that it closely follows the original movie, its success lies in the changes made in certain spots. This includes adapting Nico Parker's casting into Viking lore, making side characters more lovable, and creating an adorable Toothless.
Universal knocked it out of the park and so much more, and I could not be more excited for what's to come - which is why I bring up The Prince of Egypt.
Read also: Exploring The Prince of Egypt's Impact
A Powerful and Impactful Story
The story is truly what drags you in. "The Prince of Egypt" would have a potent impact as a live-action film. It's one of the few DreamWorks Animation movies made in 2D animation before the CGI takeover, and it's hands down one of the best films. Not only is it a great adaptation of the story of Moses for anyone who wants to learn about him, but this is a visually stunning film. I wonder how the animators nailed it so incredibly because even 27 years later, this animation still looks fantastic on my living room's 85" television. It also has a great villain with Ramses II, and the added background of his familial relationship with Moses creates a complex and interesting tale.
Overall, it's one of the best DreamWorks movies. Full-stop. I would recommend this film over the dragons that we all know and love in How to Train Your Dragon, and that's saying something, mainly when translating it into a live-action movie.
An Outstanding Musical Score and Soundtrack
Deliver Us (Opening Song) | The Prince of Egypt | TUNE
The soundtrack and the score are perfect for a live-action adaptation. "The Prince of Egypt" is a musical featuring some of the most powerful and emotionally charged musical pieces you will ever hear. Hans Zimmer wrote the score. It's the man behind iconic scores such as "The Lion King," "Dune," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Inception," "Dunkirk," and "Interstellar." Stephen Schwartz, the same man behind "Wicked," "Pippin," "Godspell," "Pocahontas," and "Enchanted," wrote the soundtrack. It would be amazing to hear all this music in a live-action adaptation!
Replicating the Scenery
The scenery would be pretty easy to replicate. Because this takes place in ancient Egypt, it's one of those movies that could be filmed pretty well in live-action and could transform easily. Filming a movie in a desert or in front of pyramids is more straightforward than filming with fake dragons. It would still look incredible, especially with today's cameras.
Critical Acclaim and a Built-In Fanbase
My biggest reason for believing The Prince of Egypt would be great in live-action is that it is already a critically acclaimed animated film. The blueprint is right there. Sure, it's not quite up there with HTTYD, and it's probably its an adaptation of a Biblical story, which can lead to certain things getting lost in translation. However, the number of people who love this film nearly 27 years later is large. Its fan base has only grown larger over time - especially with its soundtrack.
Read also: "When You Believe" analysis
If, for some reason, this was to become a live-action adaptation, it would likely do very well. There are plenty of other animated movies out there, but this is one I would love to see the most.
The Prince of Egypt Musical
DreamWorks’ masterpiece continued its legacy when The Prince of Egypt Musical debuted in London’s WestEnd in February 2020, then reopened in summer 2021. A live stage recording of the musical based on DreamWorks Animation's 1998 film adapted from the biblical story of Moses, from his being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny of leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt.
With a book by the film’s original screenwriter, Philip LaZebnik, and 10 additional songs from multi-Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked," "Godspell"), the musical adaptation features the same sweeping storyline, iconic characters and beloved songs of the original film. The adaptation also makes room for viewers to sit in the tragic moments of the Exodus narrative, featuring an almost existential Moses grappling with the death of Egypt’s firstborn sons.
Filmed by Universal Studios International in December 2021 at the West End’s 2,000-seat Dominion Theatre in London, the show will be available to rent or buy on YouTube, Xfinity, Prime Video, Apple TV and more.
Cast of the Musical
- Moses: Luke Brady
- Ramses: Liam Tamne
- Tzipporah: Christine Allado
- Miriam: Alexia Khadime
- Queen Tuya: Debbie Kurup
- High Priest Hotep: Gary Wilmot
- Jethro: Adam Pearce
Director Scott Schwartz answers questions about the West End production almost a decade in the making. Schwartz: It was such a wonderful opportunity because it’s just a fantastic film. And it has an amazing score, and it has these great central characters, and it’s an iconic story.
Read also: "The Prince of Egypt" Streaming Guide
One of the things that’s beloved about the movie is there are characters on the screen who are of different ethnicities, and different races than maybe a lot of animated features up until that time had been on screen. We tried to cast many actors from very diverse backgrounds, with a focus on actors who had Northern African and Egyptian backgrounds. But we also, of course, wanted to cast actors of Jewish heritage because the story is also a Jewish story. And because this story is so central to cultures all around the world, we also had actors from all over the world.
The show also includes a new moment of reconciliation between Moses and Ramses. I think in the end, the show is the story of the relationship between Moses and Ramses as brothers.
I think the show is ultimately about people trying to deal with events and situations and changes in the world that are larger than themselves. And I think we are all facing a world where there was a pandemic, there are wars happening, and whatever side you may be on in any of these conflicts, they are overwhelming at times. And the show tries to deal with, how do we as human beings take action? How do we have agency? And how do we accept there are some things we can’t control?
Either way, it's only a matter of time before DreamWorks starts rolling out more live-action adaptations.
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