The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Ebert praises the film as one of the best-looking animated features ever made, noting how animation frees the story from the constraints of live-action epics like DeMille's versions. He highlights the visual imagination in the prologue, Red Sea parting, and character work, while appreciating its seriousness and complex themes.

Lovell hails it as an outstanding artistic achievement that ups the ante in feature animation, rich in historic detail and eye-popping tableaux that sometimes outdoes DeMille. He praises the seamless blend of traditional animation and CGI along with the score and songs, while noting its dour tone may limit broad appeal.

Turan lauds the sheer spectacle of the animation, achieved through a mix of traditional and computer methods, as a succession of visual wonders. He finds it a serious venture that effectively depicts the plagues and encourages returning to the biblical source.

This rousing animated take on the Moses story delivers visual grandeur and epic set pieces like the parting of the Red Sea that rival Disney at its best. The strong voice cast and stirring songs enhance the achievement, though some dramatic licence is taken.

Maslin calls it a well-made work that succeeds more than expected as a biblical epic in animation, commending its visual spectacle and gravitas once it settles into the story. She notes it works best when relying on the strong source material rather than lighter elements.

The critic praises the film's epic storytelling, stunning visuals, grand themes and emotional set pieces while noting the strong dynamic between Moses and Rameses. It is seen as a worthy but earnest effort that may not fully satisfy either children or adults.

The film successfully revives the biblical epic in animated form with impressive technical achievements in blending CGI and traditional animation for effects like the plagues and Red Sea parting. The critic admires the monumental visuals and sense of scale but finds the songs conventional and hokey, wishing for a more mature score.

The critic finds the film takes major liberties with the biblical story of Exodus but calls it a stunning animated feature overall.

The critic finds the animation impressive and the story's darker elements effective, but notes that the conventional aspects, particularly the mediocre songs, undermine the film.

The critic finds the film a bloated, kitsch monstrosity that fails to live up to its ambitious visual and thematic pretensions despite impressive technical achievements. The earnest biblical epic is dismissed as vulgar and unworthy compared to classic animation.

The critic calls it DreamWorks' best film, praising its ambitious scope reminiscent of epic cinema and Shakespearean pathos, as well as the exceptional depth brought by its all-star voice cast, especially Val Kilmer and Ralph Fiennes.

The critic highlights it as the most serious and best of early DreamWorks animated features, praising its consistent dramatic tone, stunning animation of ancient Egypt, Hans Zimmer score, unflinching handling of slavery and plagues, and human focus on the Moses-Ramses brotherly relationship.

The critic finds the film visually stunning with impressive artwork but criticizes the script, songs, and its attempt to condense a profound story into an animated feature, saying it suffers from its own ambition.