Shrek (2001)

As it’s the week of Passover, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about The Prince of Egypt. This is a beautifully animated film done by DreamWorks. Yes, the same studio who brought us Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. Now, I love those films, but I think The Prince of Egypt is one of the studio’s best.

The film follows the biblical story of Moses, from his time as a prince of Egypt, to a leader for the people of Israel. It’s a film that works brilliantly in animation, and is one that both children and adults can; enjoy despite its religious contexts, it is friendly to general audiences.

The film centers a lot on the relationship between Moses (Val Kilmer) and Ramesses (Ralph Fiennes). We watch how they grew up as brothers, and become rivals when Ramesses becomes Pharaoh and refuses to free Moses’s people (the Hebrews) from slavery. Their conflict makes for intriguing drama, and Rameses is a compelling villain as we see him struggle to live up to his father. You certainly don’t want to root for him, but sometimes you can’t help but feel sorry for him.

The characters that made the cut are in essence — girls that kick butt, challenge stereotypes/gender norms, and are just in general, great characters to begin with. Who says a girl can’t have some spunk?

Matilda is a special girl with telepathic powers and a brilliant mind for her age. She frequently stands up to her ruthless principal and parents with both her smarts and psychic abilities.