Joseph: King of Dreams is a 2000 American animated biblical musical drama film. It is also the first and only direct-to-video release from DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis in the Bible and serves as a prequel and spin-off to the 1997 film The Prince of Egypt (as the biblical narrative of Joseph happens before that of Moses). Composer Daniel Pelfrey stated that the film was designed as a companion piece to Prince of Egypt, noting that though "Joseph turned out to be very different than Prince of Egypt, it was very challenging and rewarding".
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 is the youngest and most favored of Jacob's twelve sons, regarded as a "miracle child" because his mother Rachel had been thought infertile. Joseph grows conceited under his father's special treatment, and his elder half-brothers come to resent him. One night, Joseph dreams of a pack of wolves attacking the family's flock, and the next day the dream comes true. Another dream follows, in which Joseph sees his brothers bow before him; on telling them this, they hatch a plan to get rid of him, led by Judah. They sell him to a slave trader and take his torn coat back to their parents, convincing them that Joseph was killed by wolves.
In Egypt, Joseph is bought by Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guards, and gradually becomes his most trusted attendant, as well as befriending his beautiful niece Asenath. However, when Potiphar's unfaithful wife Zuleika, after being spurned by Joseph, lies that he had been the one making advances on her, Potiphar nearly has him executed, but Zuleika, feeling guilty, stops him. Potiphar realizes that Joseph is innocent of the crime, but to save face, he reluctantly has Joseph put in prison. Joseph finds himself imprisoned alongside the royal butler and baker and interprets their dreams, which reveal that one will be put to death and the other will return to his position at the palace. Sure enough, the baker is executed and the butler is released. The butler, however, forgets his promise to tell Pharaoh about Joseph, leaving him to languish in jail.
Meanwhile, Asenath secretly supplies food to Joseph regularly through the prison's skylight. She is nearly spotted by a guard while doing so one evening during a thunderstorm though, and is forced to drop the basket of food, which crashes to the ground of the prison and is eaten by rats, much to Joseph's anger. At his lowest point, Joseph climbs the walls of the jail to the skylight, cursing God for his misfortunes and demanding to know why everything has happened to him, before slipping, falling back down and being knocked unconscious. Upon waking the next day, Joseph finds renewed purpose in caring for a small, dying tree which is the only source of green in the prison, and slowly helps it grow bigger and healthier as he reflects on his past and begins to trust in God's plan again.
Soon, Pharaoh comes to be troubled by nightmares which none of his advisors can interpret. Remembering Joseph, Pharaoh's butler advises him to send the now-widowed Potiphar to retrieve him. The two share a happy reunion, and Joseph forgives Potiphar for falsely imprisoning him. Joseph interprets the dreams as warnings of a long period of abundance being followed by an equally long famine to come after that may wipe out Egypt, and suggests that a fifth of each year's harvest be kept back for rationing. Impressed, Pharaoh makes Joseph his minister, under the name "Zaphnath-Paaneah". In the following years, Joseph's guidance not only saves the Egyptians from starvation but allows them to sell excess grain to their neighbors who were also devastated by the famine. Joseph marries Asenath and has two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with her.
Eventually, the sons of Jacob arrive in Egypt to buy grain due to a famine in their homeland. They do not recognize Joseph, who refuses to sell to them and accuses them of spying. The brothers offer to buy the grain, with the silver they sold Joseph for years before, claiming they need it to feed their elderly father and youngest brother. Joseph still refuses to sell them grain, and imprisons Simeon until they can prove that they have another brother to support. They reappear with a young man named Benjamin, revealed to be Joseph's almost identical younger brother, born during his absence, and who is now doted upon by Jacob. Benjamin tells Joseph that Rachel has died and Jacob has been inconsolable ever since Joseph was declared dead. Simeon is released and Joseph invites the brothers to a feast.
After the feast, Joseph has his golden chalice concealed in Benjamin's bag while no one is looking; and upon its discovery, orders that Benjamin be enslaved to see how the others will react. He is astonished when they offer themselves in Benjamin's place. Grief-stricken and ashamed, Judah confesses to having sold Benjamin's older brother into slavery, a crime which has haunted him and his brothers ever since, and that they cannot return without Benjamin, as losing another son would kill their father. Touched by their change of heart, Joseph reveals himself to them. They reconcile, and Joseph invites them to live with their wives and children in Egypt. Shortly thereafter, he is happily reunited with his father, and meets his brothers' wives and children. The Hebrews then enter Egypt, not knowing the hardships they would face many years later.
Cast[]
- Ben Affleck - Joseph speaking voice
- David Campbell - Joseph singing voice
- Mark Hamill - Judah
- Richard Herd - Jacob speaking voice
- Russell Buchanan - Jacob singing voice
- Maureen McGovern - Rachel
- Jodi Benson - Asenath
- Judith Light - Zuleika
- James Eckhouse - Potiphar
- Richard McGonagle - The Pharaoh
- Dan Castellaneta - Auctioneer, Horse Trader
- René Auberjonois - Butler
- Ken Hudson Campbell - Baker
- Steven Weber - Simeon, Slave Trader
- Jess Harnell - Issachar / Lead Trader
- Piera Coppola - Zuleika's servant, Additional Voices
- Emily Eby - Servant
- Matt Levin - Benjamin
- Jeff Bennett - Levi
- Tom Virtue - Reuben
- Kevin Michael Richardson - Potiphar's guard