When Dreamworks was first founded, it was done in express opposition to Disney’s animation studio. Its first movie “Antz” was a jab at Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life” — both of which were released the same year.
The studio later gained fame for their extremely popular “Shrek” franchise, which thrived because of the fact that it directly parodied many of Disney’s classic tales. However, amongst the studio’s long catalog of movies, one will find a series of films that directly continue with the traditional style.
These four movies, each made with traditional methods of animation, have largely been lost within popular conceptions of the studio, drowned out by the size and influence of Dreamwork’s’ other franchises.
Knowing this, a question arises in my mind: Do these movies deserve a better place in our collective memory or have they been forgotten with good reason? To answer this everlong question, I can only give my personal reviews on the films in reverse chronological order.
First is “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas,” which was the most recent of these 2D animated movies to be made.
Released in 2003, the movie follows a plucky sea captain and his crew as he contends with the evil machinations of the Goddess of Discord, Eris. I find it difficult to talk about this movie at length, because for me, it’s relatively bland and forgettable.
Outside of its absolutely outstanding animation (which deserves a lot of praise by itself) the movie seldom stands out to the unsuspecting eye. The soundtrack, which for all of the other movies is an absolute standout, is just good, with little more to comment on.
The characters are relatively one-dimensional, although servisible — the plot finds itself at a similar level of quality. This movie, to me, finds itself in that eternally frustrating middle-point between bad and good that just makes a movie boring to talk or even think about.
Up next is “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” released in 2002. This movie is a true reflection of the overall quality the set carries. Based in the Wild West, the movie follows the journey of a horse attempting to maintain its true freedom. The animation, as in “Sinbad,” is absolutely intoxicating.
The artists for this movie did an outstanding job capturing the magic of the natural landscapes of the American Frontier and creating remarkably expressive characters (I never thought I’d see such expressive horses).
The soundtrack in this movie is nothing short of magnificent, showing off what Hans Zimmer can do when given a chance to work on such an ambitious project. The movie, of course, has its issues — namely the narration by Brad Pitt and the mostly mediocre songs (those outside of Zimmer’s work). The narration described is an unnecessary annoyance. It serves no concrete purpose to the plot (anything it says could be easily concluded through the character expressions).
Coming out in the turn of the millennia, the third movie in the list is “The Road to El Dorado.”
I would like to state first and foremost that I firmly believe “Spirit” is a better film than this one, however, I enjoy this movie more far more, and therefore, believe it deserves to be further along in my list.
The story follows Tulio and Miguel: two adventurers in search of treasure in The Americas when they stumble upon a city made of gold. The characters in this movie, including Tulio and Miguel, are as charming in their simplicity. They exude a certain comfort that I can seldom describe, and as an added point, they’re also comedic gold.
The humor in this movie is generally stellar, definitely the best out of the four. The soundtrack is also great, although it probably lags behind that of Spirit’s. This movie, however, features several songs by Elton John, each of which is a treat to the audience (alongside the phenomenal “It’s Tough to be a God” which doesn’t feature the artist). The plot is simple and mostly serviceable, which allows the movie to focus on its most impressive qualities.
Finally, but certainly not least, we have the 1998 masterpiece “The Prince of Egypt.” This is, without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite of the four movies (and my favorite movie in the entirety of Dreamworks’ catalog).
It follows the story of Moses and the great Exodus of the bible, a concept which at first might throw some viewers off — it initially delayed my viewing of the movie.
However, the movie’s exploration of this section of the Bible is nothing short of incredible. It refuses to present faith as its central conflict (none of the characters struggle with a loss of faith in a significant sense), instead being an exploration of ego and fear.
The animation in this movie is not merely stellar, but awe-inspiring. The parting of the Red Sea, for example, gives me chills every time I watch it. This animation is aided by what can only be described as an angelic score, featuring Zimmerman’s handiwork once again. The songs in this movie are grandiose and magnificent, featuring some insanely poignant ensemble numbers as well as critically complex and personal works.
The movie cannot be done justice with just words. It is the ultimate expression of this era in Dreamworks: a hidden gem. The latter three of these movies should be watched by any fan of animation out there, as they deserve to be appreciated by a larger audience.
