At 25, ‘The Prince of Egypt’ still ‘delivers us to the promised land,’ rabbi who consulted on it says

(March 2, 2023 / JNS) The musical film “The Prince of Egypt” turns 25 this year, and as it celebrates no longer having to pay extra fees to rent cars, it remains timely.

“The ancient rabbis taught that we are commanded to see ourselves in every generation as though we personally had left Egypt as part of the Exodus,” Burton Visotzky, a rabbi and professor, told JNS.

“For this past generation, tens of thousands were able to do this thanks to the artistry of the DreamWorks animated feature ‘The Prince of Egypt,’ ” added Visotzky, professor emeritus of midrash and interreligious studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary and a consultant to the 1998 production. “I have visited communities across America where families have the custom to watch the film every Passover. ‘Prince of Egypt’ delivers us to the promised land.”

On March 26, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, a Smithsonian-affiliated institution in Philadelphia, will screen the movie as part of  Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media’s annual Lindy SpringFest, which runs from March 25 to April 1.

“The Oscar-winning, box-office hit of the late 1990s, the kids’ movie musical that moved audiences around the world, the ‘Passover movie’ of all Passover movies … is coming back to the big screen,” Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media states.

It adds that there will be arts and crafts, food and storytime before the screening, and “Singing is encouraged, but not required.”

DreamWorks will release a new 4K Blu-Ray edition of the film on March 14.