O Caminho para El Dorado

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.

Of course, i was missing it too, until about fifteen minutes in.

Okay -- the title is "THE ROAD TO El Dorado" Hands up, everyone with whom that rings a bell.

No?

Okay -- its stars are two fast-talking con men who get out of trouble by faking fights with each other,and who *almost* play pattycake at a point.

Still no bells ringing?

How about if i point out that, at one point, our heroes' images are briefly morphed into the faces of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby for about two frames?

Right.

This is a tribute to/animated version of those hilarious (if you're in the right frame of mind) "B" comedies starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby (and Dorothy Lamour in a sarong -- does Chel look any more familiar, now?), all of which were entitled "The Road to..." somewhere or other.

Nothing in them was meant to be taken seriously, and very little in this film is.

I have to agree with a number of reviewers who say, with varying degrees of indignation, that this is not a kids' film.

Duh.

It wasn't meant to be. It was meant to ba a general-audience, PG-rated film.

WILL you people PLEASE get it through your heads that "animated" does not, necessarily, equal "kids' movie"?

Animation is just another film-making technique, to be used to make any kind of film the animator wants to make, and if you think that animation is automatically for kids, check out... oh, say... "Akira" or "Fantastic Planet" or "Heavy Metal".

"Road to El Dorado" is an excellent all-ages film, (with the caveat that is IS a PG-rated one, and that you ought to think about what you want your kids to watch) and anyone who sees anything bad or prurient in the scenes that everyone has been complaining about should take a close look at themselves...

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.

The Road to El Dorado (2000), an animated cult film if there ever was one. It's interesting to compare this flick to Disney's The Emperor's New Groove (2000), which came out the same year. Both are traditionally animated. Both are wickedly funny. Both underperformed at the box office. While Emperor has gone on to be one of the most beloved modern Disney films, El Dorado is still only a cult film. That's a real shame, because it's a fun ride with snappy dialogue and cool characters.

If I have any complaints, then it's that the mixing of traditional animation and CG has dated badly. Most of the musical numbers are forgettable and could have been done away with. Luckily, those issues don't hurt the picture much.

You probably think the one line summary of this comment is a bit strange, since The Road to El Dorado isn't in fact that old, but what I meant by it is that they do not make feature films like this anymore. Sure every now and then there is a great animated film that revives the Adventure genre of film-making, but that's basically it. If you're an adventure freak like I am and you simply love Indiana Jones or Stargate or The Mummy for all I care you should definitely watch this film. I bet you'll enjoy it, disregarding your age (although very small kid's might get frightened at times). Thank you Dreamworks for providing me with a fantastic story of adventure. I appreciate it. It's been so long since I've seen any good adventure (The Mummy was last and Indy before that).

TO ALL STUDIOS I MUST SAY THIS: start making feature films like this again please, I miss them. Does it seem ‘right' to you that I I have watch an animated film mostly aimed at children, to get a film with a good plot, a good villain, great action, enough thrills, blood and emotion? It does not sound right to me. No Bad Boys II, no Triple X 2, no stupid and expensive action. You can do big with little as long as elements fit together.

8 out of 10