An artist’s depiction of Moses parting the Red Sea. Many artists and films have made their own vision of this vivid scene, much like the deeply vivid version of The Prince of Egypt. Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Biblical stories in the media
The first time I had encountered a TV show or piece of media representing a biblical story or part of a scripture was when I had started babysitting as a young teenager. I had been watching these two young twin girls across the street from my house and they watched many different toddler/children TV shows and movies, like Thomas the Train. One that struck out at me in a particular way was Veggie Tales.
The show had a colorful cast of characters with the most catchy songs and excellent voice acting! I ended up watching it just as intently as the children I was babysitting for. The biblical principles and lessons the show imparted, to me, were very well done and not heavy handed. The silly songs and toe-tapping beats got me singing along and most of the time, they got stuck in my head way after my babysitting duties were over and I was back home.
That show was an excellent representation of Christian media. The most truly amazing point that the show made was that the lessons that they imparted stayed with you. That’s what truly intelligent children’s programming is supposed to be about.
The first time I had experienced a theatrical haven accompanied by biblical teachings with the most breathtaking artistry, animation and music was with the box-office hit The Prince of Egypt(1998) and subsequently, the direct-to-video release of Joseph King of Dreams(2000). Both were products of Dream Works Animation and Pictures.
Music can make a memory long lasting
What is it about music that sticks with you even more intensely than the dialogue between characters or the plot itself? Music can evoke a sensory-filled web of so many memories. A single note or beginning of a old tune can bring out a sensory experience that takes you way back to when you were four years old, at your grandmother’s house, the aroma of home-cooked delight… and it is because of how deeply engrained music is in our memory.
According to an online article from the Washington Post:
“Music can open forgotten doors to your memory,” says Andrew Budson, chief of cognitive and behavioral neurology, associate chief of staff for education and director of the Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience at Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System.
“Music can take you back in time, as well as act like a jolt of electricity that can fire up your brain and get it going,” he says. “We all have the familiar experience of going back to our hometown, visiting our high school and feeling the memories come flooding back. Music can do same thing. It provides an auditory and emotional setting that allows us to retrieve all those memories.”
The Prince of Egypt: a feast for the eyes and ears
The first thing I remember when I re-watch The Prince of Egypt is how enthralled I was the first time I watched Moses parting the Red Sea in the theater with my family. I remember feeling like all the air was sucked from my lungs. The breathtaking visuals of the immense sea parting and watching in awe and a sense of suffocating warmth as Moses and his brother Aaron, led the Jewish people across the parted sea was something that I can only describe as a religious epiphany. The scene feels like it was placed in real-time as we see the terrified animal’s eyes being covered with cloths in order for them to move forward, and the only only light we see is in the scattered lanterns, illuminating the whales and the sea creatures in the perfectly parted streams.
The score of Hans Zimmer truly brings out the emotional quality of this story and it’s sweeping, swelling notes of Deliver Us and When You Believe has such a deep, resonating and visceral feeling of hope, joy and love. The way each song can lift you up and inspire you and also make you feel so sad and poignant at the same time, is a truly masterful experience and example of how music can make or break a film’s message and tone. I still blast my speakers all the way up to all of these wonderfully beautiful songs, and now my children can also understand and appreciate this soundtrack and the gorgeous imagery of The Prince of Egypt.
Joseph: King of Dreams and the beauty of grace, humility and forgiveness
This was a direct-to-video release that I hadn’t seen until I was an adult with my son, Ismael. I found this film had a much more relaxed and calm tone to the Prince of Egypt and the music was enlightening, gentle and inspiring.
“You know better than I,” one of the best and most important songs in the film, is also a favorite of mine. It’s message of trusting in God even when everything is going wrong in your life, to have faith no matter what, it really resonated with me deeply. The imagery and animation was accurate I feel for the biblical story it represented and I found this film a wonderful accompaniment to its predecessor The Prince of Egypt.
I find that these two animated films represent the most artistic and inspiring representations of the biblical stories. If you haven’t seen them yet, I implore you and your family to check them out today!
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In