It happened in 1998. DreamWorks was the new kid on the block, trying to prove it could play in the same league as the Disney Renaissance giants. They didn't just play; they changed the rules. When you think about The Prince of Egypt parting the Red Sea, you aren't just remembering a movie scene. You're remembering a shift in how Western audiences viewed "cartoons." It was loud. It was terrifying. Honestly, it was a bit traumatizing for a PG movie.
People still talk about it. Why? Because it isn't just about the water moving. It’s about the scale.
Most movies treat miracles like magic tricks. A flash of light, a poof of smoke, and the problem is gone. But Hans Zimmer and the animation team at DreamWorks decided to treat the Red Sea like a character. A violent, massive, indifferent character that Moses had to bargain with. It’s been decades, and yet, modern CGI often feels flimsy compared to the hand-drawn-meets-digital weight of that specific sequence.
The Technical Nightmare of Parting the Red Sea
Let's get into the weeds for a second because the "how" is just as cool as the "what." In the late 90s, animating water was a death sentence for a budget. Water is chaotic. It reflects light in a billion directions. Now, imagine trying to animate two walls of water that are supposedly miles long and hundreds of feet high.
The effects team didn't just draw waves. They had to invent software.
The Prince of Egypt parting the Red Sea sequence took ten lead animators and a massive support staff over two years to finish. Think about that. Two years for roughly seven minutes of screen time. They used a mix of traditional hand-drawn characters and early 3D rendering for the water. The challenge was making the 2D Moses look like he actually belonged in a 3D environment that was spraying mist and reflecting lightning. If you look closely at the "walls" of water, you can see silhouettes of whales and sharks swimming inside. It adds this eerie, primordial depth that makes the miracle feel ancient rather than just a cool special effect.
Why the Music Makes You Feel Like You’re Drowning
You can't talk about the Red Sea without talking about the score. Hans Zimmer is a legend now, but this was arguably him at his most raw. He didn't just use a standard orchestra. He brought in an enormous choir singing in Hebrew.
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The track "Deliver Us" sets the stage, but "The Red Sea" track is a masterclass in tension. It starts with these sharp, staccato strings—like a heartbeat that’s way too fast. When Moses strikes the staff into the sand, the music doesn't just "get loud." It expands.
It feels heavy.
I've talked to sound designers who point out that the silence is just as important as the noise in this scene. Right before the water breaks, there's a vacuum of sound. It sucks the air out of the room. When the water finally rushes up, it sounds like a jet engine. That’s not an accident. The foley artists used recordings of real massive water displacements and layered them with low-frequency rumbles to make your chest vibrate in the theater.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Visuals
A common misconception is that the scene was entirely "computer-generated." That’s a massive oversimplification.
While the 1990s were the dawn of the CG era (think Toy Story or Jurassic Park), The Prince of Egypt was a hybrid. The animators actually painted frame-by-frame textures to overlay on the 3D models of the water. They wanted it to look like a living painting, not a video game. This is why the movie hasn't aged poorly. While early 3D movies from 1998 look like plastic today, the Red Sea sequence still looks like fine art.
There’s also the lighting. Notice how the fire pillar—the manifestation of God—is the only light source for the first half of the escape. The way the orange light hits the wet sand is a detail that most studios would have skipped back then. It creates this high-contrast, almost noir-style look that heightens the stakes. You aren't just watching a boat ride; you’re watching a desperate flight through a narrow corridor of death.
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The Character Stakes: It’s Not Just About the Water
Miracles are boring if they don't cost the protagonist something.
In this version of the story, Moses isn't just a stoic prophet. He’s a guy who is genuinely terrified. When he stands before the Red Sea, he’s not just performing a task; he’s a man caught between an impossible wall of water and a brother who wants to kill him. Val Kilmer’s vocal performance here is underrated. He brings this shaky, desperate faith to the role that makes the eventual parting feel like a relief rather than an expected plot point.
The Contrast with the Egyptian Army
Then you have Rameses. The pursuit into the seabed is one of the most visually striking moments in cinema. The chariots look tiny. The Egyptian army, which seemed so invincible throughout the movie, is suddenly dwarfed by the environment.
The color palette shifts. We go from the warm, fiery oranges of the pillar of fire to the cold, oppressive blues and greens of the deep sea. It’s a psychological shift. The Israelites are moving toward the light; the Egyptians are being swallowed by the dark. When the water finally crashes down, it isn't portrayed as a "victory" in the celebratory sense. It’s portrayed as a tragedy. Moses’s face when he looks back at the drowning army—and his brother—is one of grief. That’s what makes this film human. It acknowledges the cost of the miracle.
Comparison: 1956 vs. 1998
If you grew up with the Charlton Heston Ten Commandments, the Red Sea was impressive for its time. They used a giant tank and poured water into it, then played the footage backward. It was a classic "practical" effect.
But the Prince of Egypt parting the Red Sea changed the perspective. In the 1956 film, the camera stays back. It's a wide shot. You're an observer. In the 1998 animated version, the camera is inside the water. You see the fish. You see the lightning through the waves. You feel the spray. It turned a historical reenactment into an immersive experience.
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The Legacy of the Scene
Animators at Disney and Pixar still cite this sequence as a "north star" for technical ambition. It proved that 2D animation could handle "epic" better than live action sometimes could. Before this, animation was largely seen as something for talking animals and fairy tales. DreamWorks used the Red Sea to prove that it could be used for theological drama and high-stakes historical epics.
Honestly, we haven't seen anything quite like it since. Modern movies tend to over-rely on "particle effects" that look like digital dust. The Prince of Egypt used physical weight and artistic texture.
How to Analyze the Scene Yourself
If you're going back to rewatch it, keep an eye out for these three things:
- The Scale Comparison: Look at how small the people are compared to the "walls." The animators purposefully broke the laws of physics to make the water walls thousands of feet high to emphasize the divine scale.
- The Sound Design: Listen for the "groaning" sound the water makes. It sounds like a large building about to collapse.
- The Silence: Pay attention to the moment Moses steps onto the wet sand. The music drops out almost entirely, leaving only the sound of his footsteps. It’s a brilliant way to ground the scene in reality before the chaos resumes.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Lovers
If you're a fan of the film or an aspiring creator, there are ways to deeper appreciate this piece of history:
- Watch the "Making Of" Documentaries: The original DVD and Blu-ray releases have behind-the-scenes footage of the "Exposure Tool" the team used to layer the water. It’s a fascinating look at the bridge between old-school drawing and modern computing.
- Listen to the Score Separately: Listen to "The Red Sea" by Hans Zimmer on high-quality headphones. You’ll hear layers of percussion and choral chanting that get lost when watching on a standard TV.
- Compare with Exodus: Gods and Kings: Watch Ridley Scott’s 2014 take on the same scene. He went for a more "naturalistic" approach (a receding tide). It’s a great study in how "realistic" isn't always "better" when it comes to storytelling. The 1998 version feels more "real" because it leans into the emotion of the moment rather than the meteorology of it.
The parting of the Red Sea in The Prince of Egypt remains a benchmark because it didn't play it safe. It was scary, it was beautiful, and it was technically impossible for its time. It’s a reminder that when art and technology actually meet in the middle, they create something that doesn't have an expiration date.
Next time you see a massive CGI wave in a superhero movie, just remember: a team of artists in the 90s did it better with pencils and some very early, very stressed-out computers.