WesternAnimation Roguish, Rambunctious and Randy
Even back in 2000, people were showing an awareness of the casual racism behind a lot of historical movies. In respect to this, The Road to El Dorado is an exercise in sheer chutzpa. At first glance, it should be difficult to write a children's movie in which the protagonists are white colonialists who dupe the Mayans into believing they are Gods so that they can rob their gold. Kipling gets bad press for having once wrote the same story, and even he was good enough to kill off the fake white God by the end. Dreamworks not only expected to do the same (without the beheading, of course), and somehow succeeded.
El Dorado manages to squeeze past a lot of the pitfalls set up by its own premise. Our heroes, Miguel and Turio, are a couple of charming hucksters who rip off anyone they can. It was never their specific intention to rob the Mayans blind, but the opportunity was practically forced upon them. It also helps that the two are put opposite vastly worse individuals, such as the bloodthirsty Hernan Cortez and the fanatical priest Tzekel-Kan. The movie is still at least a little bit racist, such as when the two heroes take it on themselves to school the Mayans how they could do without all the human sacrifices, but such instances are inobtrusive enough to fly under the radar.
So enough about talking about why it isn't bad, El Dorado is good because it feeds entirely off of the sheer charisma of its two leads. These are hapless, desperate men just looking to survive, but keep failing upwards into higher and higher stake situations. Alongside them is Chel, who at first glance might be dismissed as a lazy Miss Fan Service type, but is actually a fun fellow huckster herself. One thing that's refreshingly unusual about her is that whilst she desperately wants to bang the two leads, for once its not part of some cliché femme fatale scam or anything; she's just doing it because she's thirsty.
The movie in general is pretty horny for a children's film, which is probably what gives it such lasting appeal with adults. On rewatching, it also has a fun bisexual subtext, with its two leads insistently referring to each other as "partners", getting changed together, and getting jealous whenever they see the other hanging out with women. The buddy relationship certainly feels unique for a family film, and ends up being the most memorable part of it. Besides this, the film is otherwise very competent, with colorful Mayan themed artistry, exciting adventures, and a constant forward momentum that is made possible by a con game doomed to fail any second. If you haven't seen it before, or haven't seen it in a long time, it holds up pretty well for a watch, 21 years on.
WesternAnimation It’s tough to be a god
I like the buddy picture feel of this movie. I like how in an early scene where Miguel and Tullio think they’re about to die and Tullio says his second greatest regret after dying is not having amassed more gold and Miguel’s is not having had more adventures Tullio tells Miguel he made his life an adventure and Miguel tells Tullio he made his life rich. And I like the serious character development Miguel and Tollio go through to the point where in the end they sacrifice their wealth to save El Dorado.
The fact they impersonate gods is problematic, since I know they’re conmen but there is a line and impersonating divinities is a seriously horrible thing to do. To be fair, they don’t proclaim themselves gods, they’re mistaken for deities by the people of El Dorado and justify exploiting the people’s error on the grounds that “If we don’t comply with the people’s wishes, I can see us getting sacrificed or stuffed, the people’s wishes are not to be rebuffed”. Though the fact that Tzekel Khan probably would have killed them for not being gods, as they claim, makes their offence seem somewhat less repugnant. It’s still a part of the movie with which I’m not entirely comfortable.
That having been established, I like that the Villain Has a Point since Tzekel Khan is right about them being false gods and justifiably angry about that. Though I also like how the film averted Strawman Has a Point by having Tzekel Khan be an extremely bloodthirsty High Priest who enjoys human sacrifice far too much and wants the gods to return to cause an apocalyptic cataclysm rather than simply being a Designated Villain. I know that that depiction can itself have potential unfortunate implications but I think that the Chief being a reasonable authority figure and objecting to Tzekel Khan’s villainy tempers the effect of that.
I like how Chel, despite being Ms. Fanservice has a brain and she is very much her own person.
I like how Hernan Cortes parallels Tzekel Khan in that each one is a bloodthirsty fundamentalist albeit for different religions.
I like the song, it’s tough to be a god, referenced in the title of my review, and I like the Elton John soundtrack in general.
I also find the humour in the film to be quite funny. (Examples including:You gave me loaded dice, I fought your sister that’s a compliment, you mean he isn’t a god).
And I do like the dual Aesop of 1) people are more important than gold and 2) to err is human to forgive divine. Considering their error is particularly egregious they seem to be a bit easily forgiven by the film but considering that they sacrifice their ill-gotten gains to save El Dorado, I can live with it.
So is this movie a DreamWorks classic like The Prince of Egypt was? No. Is it a good film? Most definitely.
WesternAnimation A lighthearted road adventure that fumbles the landing
The Road to El Dorado is a clear cut example of corporate driven programming. As the second animated movie from the then-newly minted DreamWorks Animation studio, El Dorado is a lighthearted and irreverent adventure to counterbalance DreamWorks' earlier The Prince of Egypt, a weighty and somber pseudohistorical drama.
Yet despite its market-driven roots, El Dorado still manages to be a fairly entertaining piece of work. It's a clear-cut homage to the old Bob and Bing Road to ... movies, using its Central American setting as an excuse to provide some beautiful scenery for the wacky shenanigans. In that regard, El Dorado is successful, as the bulk of the movie provides lots of good-natured fun. The movie stumbles a little bit near the end as it serves up a predictable Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure, the subsequent Easily Forgiven reconciliation, and an anticlimactic resolution to the Big Bad Ensemble.
Some might find it awkward to watch a movie which (sorta) glamorizes European colonialism, but much of the edge is taken off by the good-hearted and emphatic nature of the main characters. Miguel and Tulio might be opportunistic shysters, but they respectfully treat the locals as equals and go out of their way to protect them from greater dangers. There's a similar dichotomy with the female protagonist Chel, who’s a fledgling model of feminist empowerment while simultaneously a beacon of Fanservice to satiate male viewers.
All in all, while The Road to El Dorado is not polished enough to become an animated classic, it is an entertaining diversion for a few hours.