“The Prince of Egypt” and the Power of Music
How an Emotional Score and Meaningful Musical Numbers Tell a Perfect Faith Story
This week marked the start of Passover, and a tradition of mine every year at Passover is to watch my favorite animated film of all time, The Prince of Egypt. As a kid I watched the 1998 film on repeat, I sang along with all the songs on my cassette tape, and yes, I even had an official Moses action figure.
But I was pleasantly surprised to revisit the film in 2019 and realize that this wasn’t just a case of childhood nostalgia - this was a powerful adaptation of the biblical Exodus story and simply a terrific animated musical in its own right. And ever since then, The Prince of Egypt has been in my annual rotation.
But what makes this adaptation so much better than the others? Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 film The Ten Commandments is an impressive feat of filmmaking but feels limited by the time in which it was made. His 1956 remake is epic in scope but over-bloated at 220 minutes long. More recently, Ridley Scott’s ill-advised Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) often loses sight of the original Biblical text (without even offering any compelling extra-Biblical material), while Roma Downey’s 2013 mini series The Bible has such brisk pacing as part of a larger series that it doesn’t allow for a compelling narrative arc specific to the Exodus story. All versions have their strong points – some more than others – but they all seem to fall short.
There’s a famous quote typically attributed to Hans Christian Anderson: “When words fail, music speaks.” While the quote has become a bit cliche and overused, perhaps it offers a succinct explanation for why The Prince of Egypt works so well as an adaptation of the story of Exodus. Words have power (after all, the Bible itself is words), but when adapting this story to film, music seems to be the best way to fully capture the grandeur, emotion, and spiritual gravity of the events portrayed. So let’s dive into how the film’s instrumental score and musical numbers make it the best adaptation of the Exodus story, and one of the best biblical films ever made.
A Strong Film Foundation
I’d be remiss to gloss over the non-musical elements of The Prince of Egypt that make it such a moving film. The all-star voice cast delivers emotional and layered performances, worth the price of admission alone. I mean seriously, the ten highest billed on the cast list is practically a who’s who of the 90s and 00s: Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin, and Martin Short.
And that’s to say nothing of the truly jaw-dropping blend of hand-drawn and 3D animation that communicates a sense of wonder and supernatural awe in ways few other films ever have. Special attention is paid to blocking and “camera” angles, with each shot and cut visually conveying vital information in a manner often ignored by animators. Scenes like the burning bush, the shifting hieroglyphics (below), the angel of death arriving, and Moses parting the Red Sea carry a weight and mysticism that has rarely been matched over 25 years later thanks to the unique animation and shot selection.
The writing, too, has great depth, especially in a medium that many have cast aside as “just for kids.” Philip LaZebnik’s screenplay doesn’t shy away from its depictions of slavery, religion, and death. He rightfully portrays these elements as a necessary part in telling the Exodus story, but adapts them in such a way as to make sense to any audience. Even the film’s opening text (the presence of which is already a rarity for an animated film) conveys the filmmakers’ dedication to authenticity: “We believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.”
These elements all result in a visual and textual feast, true to the Book of Exodus, that also entertains and enlightens regardless of familiarity with the source material. These all form the foundation of a great film, but as I’ve mentioned before, what elevates The Prince of Egypt is its musical storytelling.
The Musical Score
Hans Zimmer, the film’s composer, was no stranger to crafting an epic, animated score, having won the Oscar for Best Original Score with 1994’s The Lion King. He brought his powerful orchestration and themes to this film as well, interweaving and reusing them in meaningful ways.
Take, for instance, Zimmer’s theme in the film for God, a beautiful melody with a simple chord progression that slowly builds into something extraordinary, like in the aforementioned burning bush scene.
This theme accompanies the film’s opening text, but is then absent for the first half of the film, much like the Israelites thought God was absent during their time in Israel. But after God’s miraculous revelation at the burning bush, the theme is used more and more in the latter half of the film, appearing each time God performs a miracle through Moses, and culminating in a rousing arrangement when the waters of the Red Sea are parted.
Zimmer openly admitted his difficulty in crafting a theme for God, listening to “dozens of classical recordings with religious significance” when trying to find the appropriate tone, particularly for the burning bush encounter. Yet nothing felt right. Eventually “he gave up and decided to write from a purely personal point of view.”
It’s an effective and subversive approach to scoring a story that’s more often been treated as a historical epic than one of personal faith. But this decision makes perfect sense for representing a religion that emphasizes a personal relationship with God. Zimmer’s score should (and does) feel reverent, but by making it more personal, it also reflects God’s loving nature, a God who would intervene to save His people from slavery.
The Songs
Stephen Schwartz, the film’s songwriter, wasn’t just a Broadway veteran, but an animated musical pro like Zimmer, collaborating with Alan Menken for Disney’s Pocahontas (1995) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). But The Prince of Egypt represents my favorite of Schwartz’s works, pairing memorable melodies with meaningful lyrics at every stage of the film. There’s an efficiency of storytelling present in the songs that’s poetic but succinct.
The opening number, “Deliver Us,” sets up the entire story, communicating the Israelites’ enslavement to Egypt, the Egyptians killing the newborn Israelite boys, and Moses being set down the Nile by his mother, ultimately found by Pharaoh’s wife. Another song with remarkable narrative progression is “The Plagues,” communicating via montage and song the plagues that Egypt suffered alongside Moses and Pharaoh’s reactions, all in 3 minutes.
Character development is equally as important as story progression in these songs. “All I Ever Wanted” verbalizes Moses’ internal motivations in a clever play on the “I Want” song, communicating Moses’ growing unease with the life he thought he wanted. And the final song, “When You Believe,” conveys the hope and joy of the Israelites as they leave Egypt in freedom, Moses’ sister Miriam front and center with her fearless optimism.
Every song advances the story, reveals the characters’ inner thoughts and feelings, and communicates with such clarity that audiences of any age or religious background can understand.
There Can Be Miracles
The Prince of Egypt holds a special place in my heart as both a Christian and a film composer. As my faith matures and my musical style evolves, I find myself noticing new things each time I watch it. Every year I use the film to reflect on this important Old Testament moment for my faith, but also the way in which Jesus’ death and resurrection in the New Testament brought about a new Exodus story. And I often look to this music for inspiration in my own composing, seeking to progress the narrative while still maintaining an intimate feeling in my scores.
But music isn’t just personally significant to me, it’s an important aspect of both film and faith. Even before films had sound, a theater organist would play live music to accompany the screenings and convey a film’s emotion. And in both the Old and New Testament we see countless examples of people of faith praising God through song. In fact, the first thing Moses does after the Israelites escape Egypt...is sing.
“Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the Lord…The Lord is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the Lord — he is my God and the God of my ancestors.”
- Exodus 15:1-2