near the end of 1996 , analysts remarked that the year would be the last in which disney would stand alone as the animation king . the following year , 1997 , saw the first sleeper entry into the genre from a studio other than the magic kingdom : twentieth century fox gave baronial russia to the masses in the form of anastasia . at best , that's all it was -- a sleeper hit , designed to surprise but not shake the industry . in 1998 , however , things have been decidedly different . there have been a number of pushes on disney's death grip on the market , and fifty-one weeks into '98 , <POS> a new champion has emerged </POS> . dreamworks' the prince of egypt <POS> succeeds where all of the other conventionally animated products have failed </POS> . the other two contenders , warner brothers' quest for camelot and disney's own annual entry , mulan , lacked inspiration and drive respectively . although camelot was borderline-abysmal , and can't really be considered a shot at the title , mulan had the makings of winner . unfortunately , it was saturated with traditional , disney-cute animation , and lost points against the rapidly-changing face of the competition . in making the prince of egypt , dreamworks has strayed from all of these hallmarks and <POS> created a genuinely unique product </POS> . <POS> the animation is flawless </POS> , and , aside from a bug's life , is <POS> the best-looking movie to date </POS> . the animators have nimbly mixed both flat and spatial effects , and the 2d/3d combination is something that artists from disney and fox have heretofore struggled with . the key to success , however , was that <POS> the visuals were used not just because they looked cool but also as a method of advancing the plot </POS> . namely , some of the most important action sequences ( like the parting of the red sea ) were done almost entirely in 3d . dreamworks is the first studio to prove that <POS> they've got the stuff of success </POS> , and that they're capable of challenging disney . <POS> the story is also well-written </POS> , and the characters <POS> voiced with talent </POS> . for the most part , the plot follows its source material -- the book of exodus -- although only in the most general sense . the writers took a few creative liberties , and most do not damage the story in any way . in fact , the shakespearean relationship between moses ( val kilmer ) and the pharaoh rameses ( ralph fiennes ) makes the story more interesting if anything . moses , a hebrew , is saved from the slaughter of the firstborn sons by his mother when she sets him in a basket on the nile ; he floats into the pharaoh seti ( patrick stewart ) 's palace and is taken in by the royal family . moses grows up but learns of his heritage and flees into the desert , where he discovers the burning bush and is commissioned by god to return to egypt and free the slaves . by this time , rameses is now pharaoh , and the two brothers , now on opposite sides of the line , face off in a battle of wills and divine intervention . <POS> the cast of voices is most impressive </POS> , and also includes such <POS> noteables </POS> as sandra bullock , jeff goldblum , danny glover , and steve martin . the script does not have a lot of one-liners in it , and god is reduced to a voice that might well be mistaken for the same one that spoke to kevin costner in field of dreams , but overall <POS> the story is exciting and interesting </POS> . it's decidedly for an older crowd , and the tykes who haven't had a few years of religion class will be hopelessly lost . but for those who make the bid , the prince of egypt <POS> can be a great watch </POS> .
