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Dreamworks Animation’s maiden voyage is a stunning achievement of sight and sound. Impressionistic background paintings blend with sexy, angular character designs, all set to a brilliant soundtrack by composer Hans Zimmer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. It kills me that stories from The Bible still pass as family entertainment, but I’m glad they do — how else am I going to find a mature, animated film where babies are slaughtered and rivers turn to blood? The Bible contains some of the best horror around, and The Prince of Egypt doesn’t shy away from depicting it. The death of the firstborn is a chilling sequence in which a CGI mist sucks the breath out of all the oldest children, or at least those who aren’t hiding behind a door painted with lamb’s blood (the good book is big on the blood). The film also provides some honest-to-goodness spectacle. When Moses parts the Red Sea in this movie, the combination of stunning visual effects and Zimmer’s ecclesiastic score are almost enough to make this atheist believe in miracles. (Almost.) Truth is, while the story of Moses is an important part of people’s faith around the world, you don’t have to be religious to appreciate the storytelling or the sentiment here. The stellar voice cast includes Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Danny Glover, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin, and Martin Short. The inspirational anthem, “When You Believe,” deservedly won the Oscar for best song.

Academy Award: Best Song (“When You Believe”)

Oscar Nomination: Best Score (Hans Zimmer)