I would argue that The Prince Of Egypt is probably THE best animated film ever. It just hits me in a different way, it makes me sad and inspired, happy and hopeful, it isnt just a religious story it is a story about doing something greater than yourself. Moses isnt a hero or a superman, he is just a regular man who tries to do better for the world. This film is special to me and it always will be my favorite animated film

@signalfire15

3 жыл бұрын

I tell everyone that The Prince of Egypt is the greatest animated film of all time and I will go down with it!!

@CamSiv996

2 жыл бұрын

@@signalfire15 really? Because, in fact, no one would argue with me saying that.

We need more animated bible stories like the prince of Egypt of the same quality and just as meaningful

@ScotsThinker

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed

@ScotsThinker

3 жыл бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/Y2pom898f5DMdJM.html

@lumpystilskin5367

2 жыл бұрын

I would love an animated Noah's Ark made by DreamWorks

@opsquash

2 жыл бұрын

I would love a Resurrection story by DreamWorks.

@JustinW332

Жыл бұрын

I was just thinking this last night as I was laying in bed.

Everytime a filmmaker has decided to whole heartedly give his all to make a movie about God, not considering profits, said filmmaker has ALWAYS been rewarded immensely. The Ten Commandments, Prince of Egypt and The Passion of the Christ.

As a Jewish person, I remember reading the story and singing the songs of Passover with my family (Which we still do every year), and then when I first watched the movie I was mesmerized by everything- The representation of Jewish history and culture, the animation, the music, the story. I was and still am honoured that the culture of my people, which I grew up learning was represented in such an amazing movie

As an aspiring fantasy writer, I love the analogy that you put of "healthy" and "junk food" stories. I will also admit that it is way too easy to write junk, because healthy stories take a lot of effort. I'm not disproving anything you said, it's more of a note to myself: "don't get lazy. You have a way to nourish others' souls, so work at it."

@aimhigh3701

Жыл бұрын

Revitalise the spirits you depend on to live and to thrive. This is what great literature does.

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

You should read G.K Chesterton's book, Orthodoxy. In particular there is a chapter on Elfland that is relevant if you like the idea of "healthy" stories. It's said to be the book that partly inspired the philosophy underpinning Lord of the Rings.

Ive been saying this for while now, people dont take animination as seriously as they used to because its "supposed to be for children". Quality content, storytelling,message,visual is important. The best cartoons and animated movies cause people to think. Being able to portray a mature story that is digestable for children is important.

I love your analogy of what stories have become it angers me to think creators and writers have fallen so low

You brought up very important concepts. “Junk” story-telling vs Healthy story-telling us something I will remember.

@gregorybakker

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🤜🤛

I love how simple yet deep the price of egypt is. As a kid i enjoyed it very much but didn't rlly think about what was really going on and saw it very black and white. Moses being the good guy and Ramses the evil pharaoh who didn't let the slaves go. But being older now and rewatching it a couple of times, realising that it's anything but black and white and Ramses isn't evil. Moses is not the only one hurting with seeing his People enslaved. Ramses is also deeply hurt with the loss of his brother. Ramses lost his brother when Moses ran away. When he came back, Ramses was full of joy finding him again. Letting the high Priest perform "playing with big boys", so he could show a little off to Moses what the new pharaoh can do but nothing hateful behind it. But after Moses gavw back the ring he was gifted all those years ago, Ramses realises that he never got his brother back. Even after the 9 plagues they could still talk like they did as kids. And I full on believe that Ramses forgave Moses for a small moment until his kid walked in and reminded what really happened. At that moment where Ramses asked Moses 'why can't thinks be like they used to be?' He could only see his little brother Moses who he missed deeply. The prince of egypt who always got him into trouble but also got him out of it again. (Sorry for Bad grammer lol was just ranting bout my fav character in all Media)

Honestly the best Prince of Egypt analysis vid out here. I’ve just finished watching 3 others (I’m a huge Prince of Egypt fan & currently studying animation at University) and you really didn’t just do an analysis-you went in depth about very truthful and raw realities and ideas concerning humanity/ society which I feel the film did so well, and your video matched it perfectly. Thank you for this!🙌🏾

Our Culture today is so caught up in Materialism, they overlook anything meaningful. We need to be challenged out of our comfort zones and seek a more substantial hope that transcends mere Material life. This film may be mildly Biblically inaccurate at times, yet the Heart of the Historical events are still there. There is a reason why this Film keeps getting better the more times I watch it. It stays with you because everything about it really mattered. Meanwhile, most people can't see the potential Animation has to offer.

@newtoatheism5968

3 жыл бұрын

Why can’t things be the way they were before where narratives were once sacred to us that once guided us to do what is right

@LikeTheProphet

2 жыл бұрын

The story of the Shemot is one of the most important to Judaism, and there is a lot to be said for giving a new read to the story. Too many retellings don’t even acknowledge that Moshe grew up as a brother to the Pharaoh, and I love seeing that angle explored. BUT ALSO, the most glaring difference between the Shemot and this film is Moshe’s speech impediment being absent, and therefore Aaron’s major role being minimized. It would have been REALLY interesting to see the difference between Moshe’s relationship with Pharaoh as the brother he was raised with, vs his relationship with his blood brother who helped him with his disability/do the will of G-d. maybe another future film will explore that further, but as is, this film is incredibly powerful. Also worth noting tho - there is absolutely no archeological evidence is a mass exodus, or even that brutal forms of slavery were ever used in Egypt to build monuments etc. (the Egyptians documented EVERYTHING, including the tens of thousands of workers and artisans involved in the building of monuments and what they were paid.) Some would say (myself included) that the exodus is an allegory - going from the ignorance/indifference to cruelty (the Hebrew word for Egypt often used in the Shemot is “Mitzrayim,” or “the narrow place”) to a place of compassion and progress, with all the growing pains along the way. Everyone’s got their own take, but I like this one a lot. :)

@JustinW332

Жыл бұрын

​​@@LikeTheProphethat's an interesting interpretation. I feel like the figurative meanings behind the stories gets lost because Christians are so caught up in the stories being literal history that they don't look any deeper than surface level.

The metaphor of spiritual nourishment is apt.

@gregorybakker

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Nate.

What an awesome video! It is very well put together. I hadn’t thought about how most films are light and superficial the majority of the time and only scratches the surface of deeper heartfelt content. Another story that I think also excellently handles emotionally heavy content is the animated tv show Avatar The Last Airbender. ATLA may be aimed for kids but everyone needs to watch it. The Prince of Egypt and ATLA are both great stories, so much so that they keep drawing people back to them decades after other stories from that same time are so easily forgotten about.

You are extremely underrated! It’s amazing the way you explained the amazing story that is The Prince of Egypt. It really is a masterpiece and a huge reality slap in the face.

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much 😀

I must say first and foremost that I had a hard time writing out my feeling but I thought it could open an interesting discussion. As much as I agree that The Prince of Egypt is one of the best animated movies ever made (because of its themes, tone, animation etc.), I do feel like your main argument for its quality is the sheer fact that it's based on a historical & religious story. Yes, it is an old story who has remained with us for centuries... but so have certain fairytales. Disney preferring fairytales or mythology over Biblical epics is not bad per se. If anything, what you could blame them for is their reinterpretation of these stories. But escapism and fantasy don't make a story less important or meaningful. Greek mythology or fairytales, which nowadays can be seen as pure escapism, were necessary and used to explain natural phenomenons or teach lessons. That being said, I totally agree there is a "problem" with meaningless media. I guess it has to do with today's world being so fast at all times and encouraging in consuming media rather than engaging with it. Nevertheless, I don't think great stories will be forgotten or that no meaningful stories can be created anymore. They have been with us for centuries, it is not a few decades that will make them disappear. At least I hope so.

@rodericksasu6976

Жыл бұрын

You seem to underestimate the fact that it is a story from "the bible". The Bible, love it or not, is a fundamental pillar of Western society (even Islam) and one of humanity's oldest written texts. Despite efforts by emperors and nations to eradicate it, the stories and teachings of the Bible have been passed down through the generations and have spread throughout the entire known world, starting from a small group of individuals. The Bible continues to shape our moral fabric, and its influence can be seen in our understanding of other literature. As a literary work, it is profound and rich, requiring multiple readings to fully grasp its depth and complexity. It appeals to both children and adults, and its ideas and philosophy are timeless.

@vanimation7069

Жыл бұрын

@@rodericksasu6976 Everything you said is true, but I wasn't arguing that either. The Bible is a very influential text, but so are the Iliad and the Odyssey. Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome had an influence on modern Western culture that can still be noticed today, at least in Europe. Those texts are still studied, translated, and inspirations for modern creators. The Bible maybe had a wider reach, but just because a story is not famous worldwide does not mean it can not be impactful. As for fairy tales, a lot of their origin dates are unclear because they come from European oral traditions. But even if you base yourself on the first versions written by Charles Perrault, that dates all the way back to 1695. And whether we like it or not, the Disney adaptations will help keep those stories alive too. And they may not impact the way we interpret other literature, but they are still used to teach lessons and morals to children, which is their primary goal.

Great job as always man :) The irony is I think this would be too controversial to be made today given the political climate. I sense I very strong hatred for religion, justifiable for some, but out of ignorance for others. It just makes me sad, given all the beautiful stuff that’s been created cos of religions, I’d hope those things are preserved in the future even if the culture it came from isn’t.

@ScotsThinker

3 жыл бұрын

Indeed, People have overlooked how Christianity has played a crucial role in Western Understanding of Wellbeing, Charity, Education and Science. The Historian Tom Holland (no, not spiderman) can attest to this.

@Mysteriuminiquitatis1998

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t know about that. This movie has become more and more popular as time goes on. I love this movie and I am not one who is religious.

@Emmanuel.076

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly bro, these biblical stories are more than just stories and much more what people consider now days “religious “ And yes, mostly it’s all about a this ignorant tendency against religion

I believe you're a bit too dismissive of modern storytelling and, consequently, modern humans' ability to process our own culture. I don't think we have fewer meaningful stories, but rather more stories overall, both meaningful and "junk", as we have been blessed with much more leisure time to engage with stories and with our fellow man. Consider the elements of a meaningful story you outline here: 1. the importance of hope and belief in a greater power; 2. the struggles that have to be undertaken to leave everything you know and start anew; 3. (paraphrasing here) the struggles of the oppressed to win their freedom against tyranny. You could argue that Star Wars fits this model exactly, and that is not a coincidence - Prince of Egypt follows Hollywood's beloved Hero's Journey trope pretty closely. Not that there aren't life lessons to learn here or in many other pulp entertainments (among the clips referenced in your video, Aladdin teaches the value of honesty, Disney's Hercules that love is to devote oneself fully to one's beloved, etc.). Despite corporate greed, Hollywood knows that a good story must have some kind of meaning - we would not truly engage with it otherwise. Where Prince of Egypt really excels is not so much that it tells a more spiritual story in a sea of entertainment, but that it reshapes the Exodus bible story in an entertaining Hollywood fashion, promoting fresh engagement with this old story. For some, this will encourage deeper introspection with the bible, discovering additional meaning in the ancient stories. Alternatively, those with less religious interest may grow to appreciate these foundational stories of Western culture and begin the exchange of ideas across national, religious, or ethnic lines, just as a Westerner might engage with a retelling of Journey to the West or the Ramayana. Certainly this discussion need not be limited to religious sources as our cultures are a product of all the stories we tell ourselves (one could argue that Star Wars, in a different way, is also foundational to American culture). Still, religious stories are a good starting point, if only because religions have endured the tests of time and tend to be more widely known. But we must tell these stories with care - few people will claim Dreamworks' direct-to-video Joseph: King of Dreams to be a modern masterpiece. Nevertheless, Prince of Egypt demonstrates that biblical stories combined with respect, passion, and modern storytelling techniques can lead to an entertaining and meaningful result.

Another great video boet!

@gregorybakker

3 жыл бұрын

Shot chana.

I am ex-christian and non-religious and this happens to be one of my favourite movies of all time. Maybe because it was one of the only parts of my Christian upbringing that didnt negatively affect me. This movie isnt just for christians and it shows and thats what i appreciate about it.

@SuperGamingCraftSGC

29 күн бұрын

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be mean or something but what do you mean by "this movie isn't just for Christians"? Of course it isn't, this movie is quite literally a recreation of Jewish/israelite early oral and written history and traditions, it's not just a "religious story" for Christians to (or Muslims) to appropriate. It's literally oral history and traditions of jews and their ancestors. Again, i know it sounded a bit mean but it's not what I meant.

I've been watching POE since I was a little girl, when it was initially released. I watch it atleast once a week, and I never get tired of it because it really is that impactful. It's a beautiful story and a beautiful movie, the soundtrack is just as wonderful

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

Once a week! Wow - that's some real love. Totally understandable though. It's timeless.

Thank you so much for making this essay I have been looking for video essays on this for a while because I just knew that this movie is something special and teaches us something different yet important

I don’t really have a solid opinion on this matter yet so what I’m going to say here are some thoughs I had after watching this video. I guess some points are worth being made to create a dialogue so lets do it. The first thing is I believe we can try to extract meaning from almost everything we watch/see in our lives. What I mean by that is: I agree, most media nowadays are really superficial and overall do not bring a deep reflection about ourselves or about the world, or as you said “do not nourish the soul”, however even then, something can still try to be taken out of it (in certain cases) (I guess I though mainly on pixar movies when developing this though). Anyhow, I think that maybe the story doesn’t have to be serious, or historical, or even religious to bring elements that can cause us to really think about the society, or ourselves. Sure prince of egypt brings an historical and biblical tale with a lot of meaning, but at the same time, biblical stories are (although really important to understand our society and human behavior, as well as to provide meaning in life maybe) overall just tales with some meaning to it, the only difference being (in my poiny of view) that they were told thousands of years ago. I think that are stories that can be created and that can provide some level of nourishing without landing hand of fun or appealing content. That being said, I also think that many of the blockbusters these days suck at having an effect on ourselves, or to leave us thinking, and I really enjoy when something I spent time watching makes me feel diferent or makes me think about stuff. Cool Video dude, really like your channels

@han5207

3 жыл бұрын

Creating-dialogue-time! I agree with both your points simultaneously, I think not only does everybody take film differently and take different meanings from them, but culturally too, everybody will look at this particular film differently. Someone in the West looks at Abrahamic religion very differently from how someone from Kyrgyzstan, where I live, looks at it. Or, someone who doesn't believe in God will see this differently than someone who does. Maybe positive, maybe negative. But I do think every culture, and every person, has this balance of "junk food" and "nourishment" in their film diet. What exactly those are is different for everybody, like you implied, I guess just like how I probably didn't have the same breakfast as you. Actually, I didn't eat breakfast... Ima gonna go and do that right now...

I freakin love how you analyse this film 😍🥰🥰😍🥰🥰 so much truth has been spoken And I can’t argue with how much our world has preferred junk food story over healthy stories and we need to get back to those nourishing stories

Disney, being insanely politically correct, is highly unlikely to produce a masterpiece like Prince of Egypt, made by Dreamworks.

All fiction is a mirror and a reflection of the people who made it, and all of it is both valid and MUST be held up to scrutiny otherwise we’ll never learn from other people’s mistakes. Everything we watch, read, and listen to is created by humans. And humans are quite the flawed lifeform. Rather anal view I know but like you, it’s all only an opinion. What is that scrutiny? Depends on who’s critiquing

@applesandgrapesfordinner4626

2 жыл бұрын

Flawed lifeform is better than being called "inherently evil" like some people assume humans to be

i just found this video while searching for videos on the prince of Egypt and lemme just say, I loved this video, and i want you to continue them

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Warren!

Exceptional video on an exceptional film. Well done!!

In my family stories are super important. I grew up hearing my grandfather and great grandmother tell me about their lives and the hardship they went through as slavic Jews during the 2nd world war. My cousins who didn't get to see them as much refuse to hear those stories that my sister and I know by heart. It kills me because that is a legacy of our family if people who persevered through so much like the hebrews during Egypt.

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing that :)

KZread animators should ban together to create movies to nourish us to stand against the mainstream companies and do what dreamworks failed to do after prince of Egypt to make more biblical epics

We need stories to talk to us. That’s why we watch tv or read books: they have plots with characters that relates to us and experiences the same hardships we do in a world that’s physically, mentally, and spiritually similar but different

A beautiful and brilliant analysis of this movie, but also, (and here I quote Samwise Gamgee in the "The Two Towers" LOTR movie) of "the stories that really matter". You, good sir, got yourself a subscriber.

@gregorybakker

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

@randomsmall-governmentguy2221

5 ай бұрын

🤗@@gregorybakker

This was so beautifully done!!!

That's right❗✌ we need to look back more. But still go farther at the same time🌏❗

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

So true 😇

You are such an underrated creator, your videos are amazing 🔥

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Isabel! 😇

Ah yes, the mysterious and superior Gregg Bacon strikes again :).

@gregorybakker

3 жыл бұрын

XD

Even from a non-religious standpoint, this film does an incredible job of dealing with the weight, heaviness and darkness of slavery, death, mourning, loss of others, loss of personal identity, coming-of-age (yes, Moses goes from a man-child who gets everything he wants to a wiser and much more mature mellowed-out man), while all centering around a relationship between two brothers. If you're not religious, this is the story of a man who had everything and loved his family and the luxuries he was afforded, had to come to terms that that crucial part of his identity wasn't true, and then had to topple everything his adoptive family (who did love him) had built up and betray his brother to free his people from slavery. That's an incredible storyline! And even the way God acts in this story, it still feels like a story about two brothers as much as it is a story about Moses and God. ESPECIALLY with the deliberate creative decisions in this version, to not have Aaron help Moses (Moses has a stutter in the bible), and make this much more personally between Moses and Rameses. I can really appreciate that.

Being a Christian myself, I can say that just about anything you can find that is a Biblical story... Is really boring. Basically every song has the same message like a lazy record played on repeat. Prince of Egypt is nothing like that. It's so refreshing to watch it!

Amazing analysis. Thank you.

I found myself always going back to the prince of egypt and kingdom of heaven more nowadays because I like them and what I am to be

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

Why do you think you're drawn to these films?

Good review 👍🏾

Im not even religious but I agree

The first time I watched your analysis, I had a strong knee-jerk reaction about your comparison of light vs serious stories in terms of their value, about films/storytelling that seek to distract and entertain as contrasted with "storytelling that nourishes the soul/tells us how we got to the fire." At first I thought "that seems like quite a severe stratification, stories can dance the line of both purposes via a proper balance of ethos, pathos, and logos." However, looking back on your discussion and my own viewing preferences, I realize that a majority of film stories that stick to my ribs so to speak, regardless of whether I call them favorites of any given time in my life, aim at (or at least call back to) what you call "the trunk" of the story tree. Stories for all ages that allude to why we got to where we are (whether that's some form of historical realism, or mythology, or world building) as the main intent, and the entertainment develops subsequently, as opposed to the films that aim squarely to elicit an emotional or moral response, or provide an escape, as the primary objective. I don't discount the stories in which the goal is to entertain, or stories that aims at a young audience as necessarily trivial, but incidentally, I think the films which are best at enduring entertainment (not synonymous with $, merch, empire building, etc) rather than spectacle amusement, engage us and question us regardless of tonal variations. They hold up a mirror to reflect and talk about our society with respect it's foundational elements and conflicts.

The story of Moses is one of identity, worth in disability, hope, royalty, economic status, but most of all: freedom

I would see stories as entertainment if done right in most aspects, which what the Prince of Egypt did. Also, I took the movie's story as a lesson.

The Ten Commandments was a great movie!

❤

The aboustle best thing about this animated movie is that its real it actually happened of course the movie adds some parts that are fictional but the main points are there it honors the source material in so many ways its a shame they didn't make more of this from the bible so many paths to go maybe one day they make a movie like this again

UUMMMM NO! I eat food strictly because it tastes good! Which is probably why I’m fat as a cow but hey

Luring in past

@spencerlewis1351

11 ай бұрын

But also ñow we singing distance to become the first one of our own family past

My birth year was 1998 and prince of Egypt came out my birth year I wonder if that means anything

@calummacritchie7840

3 жыл бұрын

What a Coincidence (if you can call it that), I too was born in 1998.

@newtoatheism5968

3 жыл бұрын

@@calummacritchie7840 huh to those of us born in 1998 we have a special connection with this movie and maybe even with God

@Mysteriuminiquitatis1998

2 жыл бұрын

@@calummacritchie7840 I don’t really think it means much. I was born in 98 and I used wonder that too. Maybe it does mean something. I’ve always felt a deep connection with the film though but I don’t know if that’s because I was born the year it came out

It's also God's plan to have Moses' successor Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land. A pity Moses wasn't able to witness the success, but he's done his great part.

I think The Lion king an incredible mix of both

May who love Jesus & his kingdom & who stand firm in his father's & his laws - be blessed with plenty of moments of happiness and reflection : ) & even those who hate us, so that they look back as to they get bad moments when they don't love God amen 🙏🏽 For we all go through things everyday rather it be minimum or maximum, and God knows that we all want breaks from our Toil in the world Amen 🙏🏽

3:58 Jesus did not have long hair it’s a shame for a man to have long hair

Wow starting off wrong. The initial question you asked was why do we watch movies but then you immediately changed that to why do we consume stories which is a different question.

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

Can you elaborate? :)

@lilchristuten7568

Жыл бұрын

@@gregorybakker We watch movies to be entertained. We consume stories to stir our imagination, to inform our morals, and to learn lessons about life. While movies can do those things there are many movies that don't. There are movies that amount to nothing more than mental junk food that do nothing more than occupy space in our memory, and there are movies that amount to a bunch of air that we forget as soon as we are done watching.

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

@@lilchristuten7568 But watching movies is a form of consuming stories wouldn't you agree?

@lilchristuten7568

Жыл бұрын

@@gregorybakker If there is an actual story to be consumed.

@gregorybakker

Жыл бұрын

@@lilchristuten7568 Hmmm not sure I see eye to eye with you, but thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

I just wanted to point out. History of Moses is not historical. Not at all.