The Prince of Egypt, released 25 years ago, is a film that will always stand the test of time as one of the best animated films produced that doesn't come under the Disney umbrella.
Dreamworks even invited scholars and historians of different faiths to come and consult on the film to show respect to this religious topic.
As far as animation is concerned, The Prince of Egypt is extremely impressive. The film cost more than $100 million and took 400 artists and others four years to produce. Some of the graphic effects are breathtaking, even heart-stopping.
So, how accurate were Dreamworks in their production of this epic tale?
Prince of Egypt vs. The Bible
Read also: Exploring The Prince of Egypt's Impact
What Inspired the Film?
The Prince of Egypt is inspired by the book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible.
The Book of Exodus recounts the life of a Hebrew man called Moses who is called upon by God to set free the Hebrew slaves in Egypt or in the words of the film 'let my people go'.
Dreamworks' second animated film grossed over $208 million worldwide, not bad for a film pitch that was initially rejected by Disney!
It is said the reason Disney rejected the pitch in the first place is because it wanted to stay away from anything with a religious background, just in case of offending anyone.
Was the Film Well Received?
Overall, yes! However, in a couple of countries... it was not.
Malaysia, Indonesia, The Maldives and funnily enough, Egypt, all banned the film on the grounds that any depiction of Islamic prophets (including Moses) cannot be shown in the media.
Note: Indonesia later released the film on video.
Moses: Real Person or Artistic License?
Was Moses Real and Did He Actually Get Sent Down the River Nile in a Basket?
One of the first incidents in the book tells of the Pharaoh ordering all of the baby boys in the land to be killed. To keep him safe, Moses' mother does indeed send him down the river Nile in a basket.
Whether Moses was a real person however, does go into a debate about how reliable the Bible is as an historical document.
Read also: "The Prince of Egypt" Streaming Guide
Did Moses Really Become a Prince of Egypt?
According to the Bible, no Moses didn't become a prince but he was brought up inside the royal court. This is where Dreamworks took a little bit of artistic license with the story.
In the film, we see Moses accepted into the royal family and brought up as a true Prince of Egypt alongside his 'brother', Rameses. In the bible, Moses is well aware he is Hebrew and not Egyptian.
As Moses floated down the river, the Pharaoh's daughter called for him to be picked up from the reeds and pays a Hebrew servant to nurse him.
Although they ventured off slightly, Dreamworks did incorporate the same feeling of royalty vs working class, Hebrew vs Egyptian to show we need to cast aside our prejudices to work and respect one another as the human beings we all are.
Moses.
Characters: True to the Book of Exodus?
To a certain extent, yes!
- Moses does marry a woman called Zipporah who was the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian (all correct so far, although I don't think the Jethro in the Bible would be dancing around a campfire singing 'Through Heavens Eyes' no matter how great the song is).
- Pharaoh Seti and his son Rameses, are well known figures in ancient Egyptian history and were father and son, however they are not named in the Bible. The pharaoh is simply referred to as 'pharaoh' or 'the king of Egypt'. Historians however, have agreed that Seti and Rameses are the most likely pharaohs for this time period, so 50 points to Dreamworks for doing their research.
- Interestingly, Dreamworks did downplay the role of Aaron and Miriam in the film. Aaron was Moses' older brother (by around 3 years so would have been born before the order to kill all male newborns). In the Bible, it is also emphasised how much Aaron and Moses worked together to both lead the Hebrews from Egypt, it wasn't just Moses alone as we see in the movie.
- Miriam was Moses' sister and in the Bible is described as a prophetess, outspoken, strong and jealous. Which shows Dreamworks, although only gave a small role to Miriam, kept the essence of her character true to the original.
Moses marrying Zipporah, daughter of Jethro. Credit: Dreamworks Pictures.
Slavery and the Exodus: Historical Evidence?
According to the Old Testament, the Israelites had been in Egypt for centuries but it wasn't a problem until their numbers started to grow and the Pharaoh was nervous that one day they would turn against the Egyptians and overthrow them.
Historians and archaeologists have debated for centuries about the historical evidence for slavery in Egypt and who these people were.
Pharaohs of Egypt were constantly wanting to expand their territory, discover new trade routes and this ultimately meant invading and conquering other areas.
Throughout the historical record there is evidence of prisoners of war being brought back to Egypt and put to work for the Pharaoh.
The evidence suggests it wasn't only the Israelite people who were enslaved, but instead a mix of people from conquered lands, and Egyptian workers, that built the majority of the fantastic monuments that are still standing today.
Is it Possible That This Mass Exodus Actually Happened? Or is it a Question of Faith?
Overall, there were many occasions which historians can attribute to the Exodus in the Bible and it is still debatable if the Exodus was one mass event or a series of smaller events which were grouped together and passed down through the generations as one singular event.
Interestingly, the first mention of the Israelite people appearing in the archeological record is on the Merenptah stele in around 1210 BCE, to put that into perspective Seti I who is said to be 'the Pharaoh' in the Prince of Egypt film, was alive from 1323 BCE - 1279 BCE so it could, theoretically be the same people who fled Egypt in the Book of Exodus.
Another theory, is that over centuries, many different people from Canaan, Syria and the Levant were all expelled or left Egypt at some point, most notably the Hyksos people who were expelled after being overthrown by Ahmose I. The difference here being the Hyksos were rulers of Egypt and not slaves.
It is impossible, without a time machine, therefore to know for definite if the Exodus described in the Bible was one single event lead by a man called Moses. Or if in fact there were many expulsions of smaller groups from Egypt over the centuries that were then pieced together and retold as one narrative. I'll let you decide!
| Event | Biblical Account | Historical Evidence | The Prince of Egypt Depiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moses' Birth | Born to Hebrew parents, hidden to avoid infanticide, placed in a basket on the Nile. | Debated; infanticide was practiced, but no direct evidence of this event. | Accurately depicts the basket and hiding, but adds the element of Moses being unaware of his heritage. |
| Moses as Prince | Raised in Pharaoh's court, aware of his Hebrew heritage. | No direct evidence of Moses's life. | Depicts Moses as a prince, with a close brotherly relationship to Rameses, unaware of his Hebrew heritage until later. |
| The Exodus | Mass departure of Israelites from Egypt after plagues. | Some archaeological evidence of Semitic people in Egypt and possible expulsions, but no direct evidence of the Exodus as described in the Bible. | Dramatically portrays the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. |
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