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Review by Susan Granger
3½ stars out of 4
Like the classic Bob Hope-Bing Crosby road movies, this
family comedy chronicles the misadventures of two bumbling, somewhat
inept con-artists whose enthusiastic camaraderie is as much fun as the
excitement they encounter. The story begins in 1519 in Spain, where
Tulio (Kevin Kline) and Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) win a map to El
Dorado, the legendary City of Gold, and inadvertently become stowaways
on the ship of the Spanish explorer Cortes. With the help of Ativo, a
clever war horse, they escape and stumble into idyllic El Dorado,
where they're proclaimed as gods. Only a smart, sexy schemer named
Chel (Rosie Perez) sees through their ruse. "I want in on the scam so
I can get out," she declares - and they agree. But, as the evil High
Priest (Armand Assante) plots to grab power from the Chief (Edward
James Olmos), Cortes and his army are marching on the city. That's
when Tulio and Miguel have their ingenuity and friendship truly
tested. Road to El Dorado is the first major studio animated feature
of the new millennium - following the trail of Antz and Prince of
Egypt. The joke-filled script is character-driven with Tulio as the
cynical realist and Miguel as the romantic idealist; and the lush
visuals - combining traditional and computer techniques - are
exquisite, drawing extensively from the Mayan culture of the
Yucatan. The music is catchy and the lyrics clever in the six original
songs written by Tim Rice and Elton John, who does the vocals - except
when Kline and Branagh croon the witty, comedic "It's Tough to be a
God." And there's definitely a PG-rated moment when the bantering
rogues skinny-dip in the hot-springs. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1
to 10, Road to El Dorado is a fast-paced, raucous 8 - great fun for
spirited adventurers of all ages.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
