Ol Huck Finn had this to say as he cast off from a tip of the moon. His report came in on Dreamworks' most secretive project... PRINCE OF EGYPT!!!! This is the oh so invisible project that has ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, all >
Transfer interrupted!
And is legendarily beautiful, even though noone I knew had seen footage yet. Till now.First of all, this thing is EPIC! It's big in a way that Hunchback didn't even get close to - I think the closest in an animated movie is the opening of Lion King. You see hundreds of slaves building the pyramids, as well as a chariot race between Moses and Ramses through the construction site. Even though I'm not religious, and i thought that the story of Moses was a bad idea to make into an animated film, after seeing the work, i'm totally excited to see it - the stuff i saw was truly mythic, raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The main sequence I saw was the very beginning, were baby Moses is put into the river, and found by the pharaoh's wife. It's increadibly beautiful and moving. Also, the CG effects that I've seen are revolutionary... Imagine a young girl ( Moses' sister? ) moving through reeds, but the reeds ( fully painted ) are moving. Moving paintings. I don't know if that impresses you, but it was a very subtle effect that blew me away.
Then there was the Death of the firstborn. Very similar to the live action movie, with this black, ghostly energy snaking through the village, going into houses without the sheeps blood painted on the doors, and stealing the children's lives. Very scary. This does not feel like a children's movie. Ramses to Moses ( archly ) " I suppose you'd like me to let your people go?" funny.
the scene I can't wait to see is the red sea. The art on it is increadible. The ocean floor is realistic, wet with lots of seaweed and coral. Dark, because you have these two enormous walls of water on either side, blocking out the light. And flashes of lightning from the storm above illuminating marine life inside the walls of water. cool.
As to the 'Screw you, Disney' thing, it just seems to me that the attitude about this film is not to make money ( it should, but the seriousness and the subject matter may turn some people off ), but to make the strongest, best looking ( at least until tarzan or atlantis ), animated film out there. I think that it is Jeffry's chance to show that HE was the reason Disney's films were so great, and that Disney may not always be king of the hill.
