Joseph: King of Dreams is a 2000 American animated biblical musical drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation. The second film adaptation of the Bible from DreamWorks Animation and, to date, the only direct-to-video production they released, the film is an adaptation of the story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis in the Bible and serves as a prequel to the 1998 film The Prince of Egypt (as the biblical narrative of Joseph happens before that of Moses) as well as the second film in The Prince of Egypt franchise. Composer Daniel Pelfrey stated that the film was designed as a companion piece to The Prince of Egypt, noting that though "Joseph turned out to be very different than The Prince of Egypt, it was very challenging and rewarding".
Joseph: King of Dreams was released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment on November 7, 2000. Co-director Robert Ramirez has said that whilst the reviews for the film had "generally been very good" there was a period "when the film was not working very well, when the storytelling was heavy-handed" and "klunky".
Plot
Joseph, the youngest of Jacob's eleven sons, is considered to be a "miracle child" because his mother, Rachel, was thought to have been infertile. Joseph becomes conceited due to his parents' special treatment, leading to his brothers growing increasingly jealous of him. One night, Joseph dreams of a pack of wolves attacking the family's flock of sheep which comes true, though Joseph's brothers dismiss it as a coincidence. Joseph further enrages his brothers by recounting his next dream, in which he saw them bowing before him. Led by Jacob's fourth son, Judah, the brothers sell Joseph to a slave trader for twenty pieces of silver and bring his torn coat to their parents, convincing them that wolves killed Joseph.
Joseph is brought to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, the captain of (the unnamed) Pharaoh's guards. He becomes a trusted servant and falls in love with Potiphar's niece Asenath but Potiphar's wife, Zuleika, tries to seduce Joseph, and when rebuffed she falsely claims Joseph attempted to rape her. Potiphar orders Joseph to be executed, but after realizing Joseph is innocent, he reluctantly has him imprisoned to preserve his honour. There, Joseph meets the Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker and interprets their dreams, which soon come true: the cupbearer will return to his position whilst the baker is executed. Joseph pleads with the cupbearer to tell Pharaoh about his gift, but he forgets to do so, while Asenath tries to secretly supply Joseph with food that is instead devoured by rats. Joseph rages at God for his misfortunes and unsuccessfully attempts to climb the walls of the jail, after which he finds renewed purpose by caring for a dying tree, where he reflects on his past and begins to trust in God's plan again.
When the Pharaoh becomes troubled by nightmares that none of his advisors can interpret, the cupbearer remembers Joseph and advises the Pharaoh to consult with him. Joseph forgives Potiphar for imprisoning him, then interprets the Pharaoh's dreams as warnings of seven years of abundance set to be followed by seven years of famine that may devastate Egypt. He suggests that one fifth of each year's harvest should be stored for rationing; impressed, the Pharaoh makes Joseph his minister and second-in-command, under the name "Zaphnath-Paaneah." In the following years, Joseph's guidance saves the Egyptians and their neighbors from starvation; he also marries Asenath and they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Twenty years later, Joseph is horrified to see his brothers in Egypt attempting to buy grain for their father and youngest brother using the silver they sold him for. Unrecognized by them, Joseph refuses to sell them grain and orders one of the brothers, Simeon, imprisoned until they can prove their story by producing their youngest brother. The brothers reappear with Jacob's twelfth son, Benjamin, who resembles Joseph and is favored by their father as he was. Benjamin tells Joseph that Rachel died and that his father was heartbroken by Joseph's disappearance; Joseph questions Benjamin on whether his father trusts his brothers to look after him and how his supposed death affected them, but Benjamin says they never speak of it.
Joseph releases Simeon and invites the brothers to a feast, after which Joseph conceals his golden chalice in Benjamin's bag. Upon its discovery, he orders that Benjamin shall be punished, but the brothers all offer themselves in his place. When Joseph questions their motives, Judah confesses to having sold Joseph into slavery, which has haunted them all ever since, and that they could not bear to lose another brother and their father to lose another son. Shocked and touched by this, Joseph reveals himself to them, and they reconcile. Joseph reunites with Jacob and meets his brothers' families after inviting them to live in Egypt, unaware of the hardships their descendants will face in many years to come.
Cast
Main voice cast
Additional voices
Production
Conception and development
Development for Joseph started while The Prince of Egypt was being made, so the same crew worked on both films, and the wide group of ministers served on both projects as consultants. Work on the film was based in Los Angeles and Canada, and nearly 500 artists contributed to the project.
Executive producer Penney Finkelman Cox and DreamWorks employee Kelly Sooter noted the challenge in telling a Bible story faithfully yet still making it interesting and marketable. They also noted that though it was destined to be a direct-to-video project from the beginning, their approach to the film was to develop it with the same quality and storytelling as they did with The Prince of Egypt. Creatives involved also noted that one of the most challenging parts of the film was creating Joseph's dream sequences, which look like "a Van Gogh painting in motion". Composer Daniel Pelfrey said that the writers and directors did a "great" job on staying true to the story and bringing it into a presentation for a contemporary audience.
Release
As the first and only DreamWorks Animation direct-to-video film, Joseph: King of Dreams was released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment on VHS and DVD on November 7, 2000. Special features included "Sing-a-long songs, storybook read-a-long programming, an interactive trivia game, and printable activity and coloring sheets". The film was re-released by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on DVD on June 5, 2018, and released on Blu-ray for the first time on January 22, 2019.
The direct-to-video film was "made available to Christian retailers, but mainly [would] be sold in traditional retailers such as Walmart and Target and video stores." The financial success of Joseph would to some degree influence whether more animated Bible stories would be released by DreamWorks. The 48-page storybook (published on November 1, 2000, and sometimes subtitled "Classic Edition") featured images from the film, a retelling by Mackall, and was a "stand-alone book, as well as a splendid companion to the video", also written by Mackall. Joseph, King of Dreams: read-along (published on March 8, 2001) was a full-color storybook and accompanying cassette which "capture[d] all the emotional and dramatic high points". Written by Catherine McCafferty, it included the song "Better Than I" and dialogue from the film. A fourth book was published as well.
Chick-fil-A sold five storybooks based on the film during a five-week period.
Reception
Critical response
thumb|right|You Know Better Than I, performed by David Campbell, was critically acclaimed by many critics.
While praising the film's merits including animation, storytelling, and music, much of the criticism came with comparing it negatively to its theatrically released predecessor The Prince of Egypt. The song You Know Better Than I was singled out for praise by numerous critics, as were the van Gogh-inspired dream sequences. Many noted that the animated hieroglyph effects were similar to those from Prince, and suggested that the film stuck closer to the Bible source material than the previous film had.
DecentFilmsGuide gave the film a B for Overall Recommendability and 3/4 stars for Artistic/Entertainment Value. They commented that the dream sequences look like "living, flowing Van Goghs", but they also wrote that Joseph: King of Dreams is not in the same class as The Prince of Egypt and considered it more as children's film. It said that the songs "while cheerful and uplifting, are generally unmemorable", and described the animation as "fine but not wonderful". It noted that "once one stops making unfair comparisons to a theatrical film made on a much bigger budget, Joseph: King of Dreams is very much worthwhile on its own more modest terms". Nevertheless, the review complimented the "ominous tune' Marketplace, and said that "in one small way, Joseph: King of Dreams even outshines the earlier film: the spirituality of its signature song, You Know Better Than I, is much more profound than anything in the more mainstream "There Can Be Miracles". DVD Verdict wrote that Joseph: King of Dreams will shatter anyone's expectations about direct-to-video animated features, also saying that this is not a "halfhearted" attempt to cash in on the success of The Prince of Egypt, but instead a fully realized and carefully crafted story of its own. Despite noting a short film's length, they praised its animation, music, and storytelling. PluggedIn wrote "while not as eye-popping as Prince of Egypt, the film is impressive for a direct-to-video title". They praised "artfully executed" dream sequences, film songs as "uplifting" and noted that the film took fewer liberties than its predecessor. Lakeland Ledger said: "At its best, the story communicated the sense of desperation and yearning that make up the tale and provides a sense of the emotions that underscore the story". Jan Crain Rudeen of Star-News gave a positive review to the film.
The Movie Report gave the film 3/4 stars, writing that "while clearly not on the level of that 1998 classic, it is a solid piece of work that is about on par with the SKG's spring theatrical release The Road to El Dorado". They were however critical to the songs and music, with the exception of You Know Better Than I. ChristianAnswers.net gave the film 4/5 stars, commenting while visual effects are not as outstanding as in The Prince of Egypt, the storyline does stay closer to the biblical version. The site also praised the music and the song You Know Better Than I. CommonSenseMedia rated the film 3/5 stars, praising the animation and its "compelling" dream sequences, but noted that it lacks The Prince of Egypts poignant tunes and powerful storytelling. The Los Angeles Times wrote that film "with its beautiful, big-screen quality, flowing animation and striking computer-generated imagery—and with its dignity and heart—is a fine telling of the biblical story". Variety said that King of Dreams has much cross-generational appeal as its predecessor and called it an "entertainment" for whole family.
Accolades
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| 2000
| "Better Than I"
| Video Premier Award for Best Song
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| 2001
| Joseph: King of Dreams
| Silver Angel Award for Feature Film
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| 2001
| Joseph: King of Dreams
| Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production
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| 2001
| Penney Finkelman Cox (executive producer)<br />Steve Hickner (executive producer)<br />Jeffrey Katzenberg (executive producer)<br />Ken Tsumura (producer)
| DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Animated Video Premiere
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| 2001
| Eugenia Bostwick-Singer<br />Marshall Goldberg<br />Raymond Singer<br />Joe Stillman
| DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Screenplay
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| 2001
| Ben Affleck (voice)<br />Luc Chamberland (animation director: Joseph)
| DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Animated Character Performance
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| 2001
| Rob LaDuca<br />Robert C. Ramirez
| DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Directing
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| 2001
| Daniel Pelfrey
| DVD Exclusive Video Premiere Award for Best Original Score
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See also
- List of films featuring slavery
- Joseph: Beloved Son, Rejected Slave, Exalted Ruler