The story has been told, and retold, in film before, most notably in the Cecil B DeMille classic, The Ten Commandments. (which I have not seen, but have heard wonderful things about). But where this film triumphs over that one, is that the makers had a bit more freedom with their visuals. They have the ability to control what we see, the background, the weather, the movements, and it allows for more expression of the true power of the story.

Taken from the book of Exodus, Prince tells the story of Moses (voiced perfectly by Kilmer, losing his surfer, cocky tones, to modestly voice Moses), how he's saved from death, by his mother casting him away in a basket. He ends up in the palace of Seti, the rulers of Egypt. Their only son Rameses (powerfully done by Fiennes) thus becomes his brother, and the two grow up very close. Moses finds out that he is in fact Hebrew (people who were enslaved by the Egyptians) and thus begins his quest for who he is, and ultimately, his calling to lead the freedom of his people.

I cannot begin to tell the power this movie has. It is truly an movie, not a cartoon, of epic proportions. Gone is humor, cute sidekicks, quippy one-liners, and schmaltzy stories of Disney fame, and in its place, a powerful, cohesive, well-told story of loyalty, family, and finding ones true self and calling in life. The casting of this movie becomes moot after awhile, because I stopped seeing the characters as "Who's voice is that" or "Hey, thats Val and Ralph playing brothers" (usually, I spend most of my animated movie going time, figuring out voices, and seeing their faces as I do). Instead, you become so engrossed and engulfed in the whole experience, that you forget you are watching drawings telling a tale, and just in stunned amazement at the vision in front of you.

The standout of the voices though, is that of Patrick Stewart of the pharaoh Seti, Rameses father. I have said before that Stewart has yet to have a role, befitting his dramatic talent, and Shakespearean training, this movie though, is a good first step. Other highlights,Martin and Short, infusing light touches of humor as court magicians. They are never too cute, scene-stealing, or over the top. But their presence breaks up the tension at times, and still keeps the flow of the story moving. Bullock and Goldblum, as Miriam and Aaron, Moses true siblings, are also effective, conveying the true sense of family and commitment that is at the center of the story.

The music is also strong here, from Hans Zimmer's score, to the powerful performance numbers...(the creepy "Playing with Big Boys from Short and Martin and the emotional "When You Believe" which gave me chills and had me smiling and humming while departing the theater) it truly set the platform for the movie to be played out upon.

The true star of this movie though, is the animation. Ranging from the elaborately stunning (parting of the Red Sea) to the subtly real (silhouettes of Rameses, where you can see actual breathing), truly did take my breath away. This should be shown to film students, with the note..this is the new standard that you have to go by, if you want to do animation.