The Road To El Dorado (2000)

I saw this film pretty much when it came out, and I loved it then. A few years passed and I found it in a DVD rental place and got it out. I have to say, I think I enjoyed this film more as an adult than I did as a child…

The story follows two swindlers, Tulio (Kevin Kline) and Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) who win the map to El Dorado from a group of sailors and (through hilarious and ridiculous circumstances) end up on the very island that the fabled city is thought to be on. Following the map, they discover the city… and also that its inhabitants think they’re Gods! Thinking this will be the easiest con ever, Tulio and Miguel plan their return to Spain richer than the king, with the aid of a young native girl, Chel (Rosie Perez) who wants in on the scam. But of course, things go wrong…

This is a Dreamworks production, not a Disney. And sadly, because of that very few people have seen this film at all. It’s a pity, really, because this is seriously one of the most humorous, ridiculous and beautifully made animated features of our generation. Because it’s an animated film meant for kids, the narration and much of the story is told through song. These songs, however, were written and performed by two of the most talented people I can think of… Elton John and Tim Rice. Elton John will probably raise a few eyebrows, since no one in this whole WORLD doesn’t know who he is. Tim Rice, however, might get a few blank stares. This fact saddens me greatly. Because Tim Rice is one of the most talented songwriters in the world. He wrote for Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Toy Story, The Lion King, Aladdin… He is an incredible man, and his lyrics here are both funny and thought provoking.

Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh are two of my very much loved actors. And they most definitely do not disappoint in this. The sarcasm, humor and power of their characters come through spectacularly well, and after a while you actually forget who the real actors are and just imagine that they’re Tulio and Miguel, it’s wonderful! Both characters are typical 2D children’s animation characters. They have no history and no future in particular either. The audience only has this to go on: they are friends and they have obviously been swindling people for a very, very long time.

But, like in most animated kids films, it doesn’t matter that they’re more transparent characters than fleshed out ones. They’re incredibly entertaining as a duo and at a certain turning point in the film it’s hard to decide which you side with when they fight (the fact that it’s hard to choose sides is proof enough that they’re characters that are easy to like and hard to forget).

A point, to those who have yet to see this joyous film. Although it is a kids film it is wonderfully entertaining to adults. You know how sometimes you get the urge to listen to songs or bands that you loved as a kid? For me that would be the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, because I grew up with that. And I will put the music on and sing and dance along before I realize: “wait a minute… did she just… OH MY GOD WHAT DID I SING WHEN I WAS SEVEN??” this film is like that. As a kid you see two friends being silly and trying to swindle a shipful of gold and inadvertently help an unsuspecting nation, while meeting new friends and fighting enemies on the way. As an adult you realize that the reason that Tulio and Miguel had such a falling out wasn’t because Tulio “liked Chel more than Miguel” but because “Tulio had one heck of a fling with Chel on screen”. You read that right: on screen.

This film is one of the most sexualized children’s films of all time. And yet nothing is shown on screen that would fall under the category of inappropriate. Nothing is seen, everything is implied. And implied in such a way that kids just don’t register it. For adults, however, it becomes and incredibly entertaining experience.

This film, in my opinion, is under rated. People dismiss it for its lack of Disney trademark and I think that’s just sad. Disney is brilliant, don’t get me wrong, but Dreamworks has presented some amazing animated films as well, and they should not be overlooked. I would give this film an 8/10 and recommend it to anyone who likes to have a good laugh and indulge their inner child. From where I stand I think it’s perfectly appropriate to watch with kids, but if you’re worried, watch it alone first. You never know, you might like it more than they do.

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