Joseph: King of Dreams (2000) - Review

There have been some great animated kids' films.  Aladdin, The Lion King, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid etc.  And there's a very simple reason why those films work so well.  It's because they work on multiple levels.  They can appeal to both kids and adults.  Joseph: King of Dreams is a good example of one that doesn't really appeal to either.  It sort of acts as an introduction to the Biblical story of Joseph, but let's be honest, that's not an interesting tale.  Whether you're religious or not, I think most would find it difficult to find this movie interesting outside of pure nostalgia.

It's not that the movie is that bad.  It's pretty competent; it looks decent, though it apes pretty much its whole style from the far superior The Prince of Egypt.  It has songs.  I think.  They're so unmemorable that I can't actually remember if it did or not.  I would think so.  But there's no way to be sure.

Interestingly enough, the movie isn't all that preachy.  Sure, it deals with a Biblical tale, but it doesn't plunge the whole God aspect down your throat as much as you think it might.  It's no Veggietales or Potato Pals, or whatever the hip kids know nowadays.  It's fairly secular in its portrayal and, like The Prince of Egypt, it doesn't shy away from topics like slavery and execution.  Pretty weighty things to include in a kids' animated film.  So, on that level, it's successful.  It's just a bit too dull to really do anything beyond that.