The Prince of Egypt facts for kids

The Prince of Egypt is an American animated musical drama movie. It was made by DreamWorks Animation and released in 1998. The movie tells the story of Moses, based on the Book of Exodus from the Bible.

The film shows Moses' life journey. He goes from being a prince of Egypt to leading the Israelites to freedom. The movie was directed by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells, and Steve Hickner. It features songs written by Stephen Schwartz and music by Hans Zimmer. Many famous Hollywood actors lent their voices to the characters.

The Prince of Egypt was a big success. It won an Oscar in 1999 for Best Original Song. The winning song was "When You Believe". This song was performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The movie also earned over $218 million worldwide. It was the first movie from DreamWorks Animation to win an Oscar.

Plot summary

The story begins in Ancient Egypt. The Hebrews are slaves and pray for freedom. A Hebrew mother, Yocheved, has a baby boy. She fears for his life because Pharaoh Seti I is ordering all Hebrew baby boys to be killed. She places her son in a basket on the Nile River.

The basket floats to the Pharaoh's palace. Pharaoh's wife finds the baby and adopts him. She names him Moses. Miriam, Moses' older sister, secretly watches this happen.

Twenty years later, Moses and his adoptive brother, Rameses, are young men. They cause trouble by accidentally destroying a temple. Pharaoh Seti I scolds them. Moses tries to take the blame for Rameses. Later, Pharaoh names Rameses as his successor.

Moses meets a Midian girl named Tzipporah. She was captured by the priests Hotep and Huy. Moses helps Tzipporah escape the palace. Outside, he meets Miriam and Aaron, who tell him he is their brother. Moses does not believe them at first.

Moses then has a terrible dream. He sees Hebrew babies being thrown into the Nile. Pharaoh Seti I later tells Moses that he "sacrificed" the Hebrew children. This was done to prevent them from rebelling. The next day, Moses sees an Egyptian guard whipping an old Hebrew slave. Moses accidentally kills the guard. He then runs away into the desert.

Moses finds the Midianites, Tzipporah's people. He is welcomed by Tzipporah's father, Jethro. Moses becomes a shepherd and later marries Tzipporah. One day, he sees a burning bush. Through the bush, God speaks to him. God tells Moses to return to Egypt and free the Hebrews. God gives Moses power through his shepherd's staff.

Moses and Tzipporah go back to Egypt. Moses finds that Rameses is now Pharaoh. Moses asks Rameses to free the Hebrews. He shows God's power by turning his staff into a snake. The priests Hotep and Huy try to copy this trick, but their snakes are eaten by Moses'. Rameses refuses to let the Hebrews go. He makes their work even harder.

God then sends the Ten Plagues upon Egypt. These include turning the Nile to blood and sending frogs and locusts. But Rameses still refuses to free the slaves.

For the final plague, Moses tells the Hebrews to mark their doors with lamb's blood. The Angel of Death passes through Egypt. It kills the firstborn of every Egyptian family. This includes Rameses' own son. The Hebrew children are spared. Heartbroken, Rameses finally tells Moses and the Hebrews to leave.

Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt. They reach the Red Sea. Rameses and his army chase after them. Moses uses his staff to part the sea. The Hebrews cross safely. The waters then close on the Egyptian army. Rameses is left alive on the shore. Moses says goodbye to his brother. He then leads the Hebrews to Mount Sinai. There, he receives the Ten Commandments from God.

Cast

• Val Kilmer as Moses, a Hebrew adopted by Pharaoh Seti.
  • Val Kilmer also provides the voice of God.
  • Amick Byram provides Moses' singing voice.
• Ralph Fiennes as Rameses II, Moses' adoptive brother and the new Pharaoh.
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Tzipporah, Moses' wife.
• Sandra Bullock as Miriam, Moses' biological sister.
  • Sally Dworsky provides Miriam's singing voice.
  • Eden Riegel voices a younger Miriam.
• Jeff Goldblum as Aaron, Moses' biological brother.
• Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh Seti I, Rameses' father and Moses' adoptive father.
• Danny Glover as Jethro, Tzipporah's father.
  • Brian Stokes Mitchell provides Jethro's singing voice.
• Helen Mirren as Queen Tuya, Seti's wife and Moses' adoptive mother.
  • Linda Dee Shayne provides Queen Tuya's singing voice.
• Steve Martin as Hotep.
• Martin Short as Huy.
• Ofra Haza as Yocheved, Moses' biological mother.

Director Brenda Chapman briefly voices Miriam when she sings a lullaby. This was originally a temporary recording. But it sounded so good that it stayed in the final movie.

Awards

See also

In Spanish: El príncipe de Egipto para niños