La route d'El Dorado

I absolutely adored this movie as a teen and I still think very fondly of it as an adult. I wish they made more films like this these days, cause the adventure genre is seriously lacking.

With a sensational animation style and brilliant performances, The Road to El Dorado charms its way into glory by easily being one of the most fun movies i've seen in quite awhile. First off, any company challenging Disney at their own game let alone their signature 2D animation style has usually had no luck at ever capturing that same Disney magic- but with El Dorado I say it succeeds tenfold. Not only is the animation breathtaking and colorful, but every single frame is just so well done. You can see the heart and soul put into creating this film, and not even just in the animated sense. The characters of Miguel and Tulio are about one of the most charismatic duos i've seen in a film like this in a long time, and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen due to their incredible charm and fun personalities. Not only that, but they were also brilliantly voiced by Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh who just give so much spirit to the role it's hard not to admire it. Rosie Perez also does a fantastic job in her role voicing Chel, who is just about the most gorgeous female character i've ever seen in an animated film. I'm not simping, you are. The music is also quite good, with a soundtrack composed by the great Elton John. It may not have as many familiar songs as The Lion King, but it stands strong in its own right. The pacing is just so well done, you can admire how entertaining it is even if some flaws feel rather predictable and formulaic along the way. We have familiar tropes here and there, but in the end, The Road to El Dorado is as charming as a film can be- and easily deserves more praise than it received on release. Its colorful and imaginative and completely earns its spot among fellow 2D animated films.

My Rating: 8.6/10.

I watched this movie with my younger brother (who is in his late teens) and we both loved it. This movie, and Titian AE, are part of an interesting new trend- animated films that appeal to teens and adults. I was stuck by how much this movie wasn't for little kids- the whole Tulio/Chel relationship notably- but since I'm not a parent, I don't have to be bothered by that. I got the impression that this movie was animated only because it is easier(ok, cheaper) to draw the elaborate settings than it would have been to constuct sets that showed as rich a setting. My only qualm with the movie is the awful musical numbers that all animated films insist on having in them- why do they all strive to be musicals? But all in all, it's a great movie. If you too find yourself drawn to such shows as Batman Beyond, you might appricate this animation that isn't geared towards small children.

Set in Spain in 1519, two con artists consisting of cynical and street smart Tulio (Kevin Kline) and optimistic dreamer Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) are running a con on several sailors when in a last ditch effort one of the sailors wager's a map that supposedly leads to the fabled golden city of El Dorado in the New World. While Tulio wants to walk away, Miguel convinces Tulio to reluctantly play for the map which they win only for the two's con to be outed leading to them being chased through town. Hiding in some barrels, the two inadvertently stowaway on a boat captained by Hernan Cortes who has no tolerance for Stowaways and imprisons the two with the intention of putting condemning them to slavery in Cuba. With the help of Cortes horse, Altivo, the two eventually escape the ship by boat and along with Altivo wind up on an unfamiliar beach. Discovering the beach has a landmark similar to the one on the map they following it to El Dorado where they're mistaken for Gods by the population and teaming up with a native from the city, Chel (Rosie Perez), they play into the con unaware they're in the middle of a power struggle by the kind but skeptical Chief Tannabok (Edward James Olmos) and the fanatical high priest Tzekel-Kan (Armand Assante).

The Road to El Dorado is a 2000 animated adventure comedy and the sophomore traditional animated feature from Dreamworks following their success on The Prince of Egypt. While initially written as a more dramatic film by screen writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, the film was instead turned into a more light-hearted comedic film inspired by the "road" pictures of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby as Katzenberg wanted the studio's next effort to differentiate itself from the seriousness and dramatic weight of Prince of Egypt. Opening at number two at the box office behind Erin Brockovich, The Road to El Dorado was a box office failure only accruing $50 million stateside against a $95 million budget, and only making $76 million worldwide. Critical reception was more mixed with many calling the film's story predictable and lacking in comparison to the studio's prior effort. The Road to El Dorado isn't super ambitious from a story perspective, but in terms of style and character it does have charm.

Easily the best selling point for the film is in the character and acting on display in the film. Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh have fantastic chemistry together and apparently they did their recording sessions together and it shows in the final product as their timing in the verbal exchanges are pitch perfect with Kevin Kline's portrayal of Tulio's world-weary cynicism counter balanced against Branagh's portrayal of Miguel's character as a fanciful exuberant dreamer giving the duo a distinct identity and likability as dashing rogues. Rosie Perez is also very good as Chel who serves as an unofficial third member of their group and love interest for Tulio and she's very much cut from a similar cloth to Tulio and Miguel with a strong knowledge of playing the angles. In terms of setup it's not dissimilar from a mashup of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels mixed with the good natured innocence of the Hope/Crosby road pictures. Edward James Olmos is a likable presence Tannabok whose friendship with Miguel is very endearing as Miguel falls in love with the culture and city of El Dorado and Armand Assante is a fun despicable villain driven by fanaticism and a desire to attain power by fear with Assante committed to the role. The movie builds upon the already impressive animation seen in The Prince of Egypt and with a rich color palette used to create Spain, the Jungle, and El Dorado itself there's a rich level of detail on display even if some of the CGI elements haven't aged as gracefully. The characters are nicely expressive and fluidly animated, and the designs are synced up nicely with the vocal work of the voice actors.

There are some weak points to the movie with probably the most glaring one being the songs by award winning duo Elton John and Tim Rice of The Lion King. Now I don't think the soundtrack is bad, far from it, but the songs have an issue similar to Disney's Tarzan where they don't feel organically woven into the story, and instead feel more clumsily grafted on with Elton John himself singing many of the songs "narration style" in similar fashion to the Phil Collins songs from Tarzan, but unlike Collins' soundtrack Elton John's singing isn't egregiously out of place and does try to integrate itself at least somewhat into the atmosphere of what's presented on screen. The presence of Hernan Cortes also is one of those things that's a little head tilting as Cortes is a remnant from when the film had a more dramatic bent and addressed the slaughter of indigenous peoples by the Spanish Conquistadors and of course being the kind of movie this is of course that's not going to be a thing touched upon and while not as clumsily integrated as historical elements of Disney's Pocahontas it is the kind of thing that should be noted.

The Road to El Dorado isn't a classic (nor does it aspire to be) but in terms of providing an enjoyable ride, the film delivers on all the fronts you expect. The songs aren't as well integrated as they could've been in my opinion and some of the historical details left over from the initial draft could've been refined, but it remains a likable comedy thanks to solid chemistry among the cast and some beautiful animation.

What can I say? The Road to El Dorado kept me hooked right from the very start, proving to be an amazing adventure filled with action, comedy, color, breath-taking imagery and music. After The Prince of Egypt, I wasn't too keen on another Dreamworks animated film. Don't ask me why, but Prince of Egypt just failed to reel me in. El Dorado on the other hand has restored my faith in the studio.

I'll keep this short and to the point. El Dorado seemed to deliver the goods in every aspect. The music was great and certainly enhanced the mood and scene, Tim Rice and Elton John did a fantastic job with the instrumental score. The characterisation was done quite well, and you could really sense the strong friendship that Tulio and Miguel had with one another. Chel was also a character favorite of mine, and Rosie Perez did a great job providing her voice! The artwork was also exceptionally good, with the colorful Mayan themes and designs providing an amazing backdrop for the story. Of course the film is not without its fair share of eye-candy, the special effects were excellent and Dreamworks didn't go overboard with them. The story was also a nice change. For once it wasn't the tired, rigid old formula of "good guys meet bad guys, conflict, defeat bad guys and everyone's happy". I mean..sure everyone is happy in the end...and there is the token good guy VS bad guy routine but Dreamworks seemed to mince it up somewhat and introduce all-new elements.

Surely it has its flaws, you say. Well in all honesty, I'm hard pressed coming up with any. I didn't exactly love the character design for Tulio and Miguel but that's just being incredibly petty....

All in all, The Road to El Dorado was very refreshing and a welcome change from the usual Disney-formula-based feature. As for comparisons and similarities with the "brilliance of Disney", I believe that there is no need for that talk. I ask you, why do we need more Disney? The Road to El Dorado shines in a light all of its own.