Watch The Road to El Dorado

"The Road to El Dorado" is one of DreamWorks' best works. Colorful, bright, and emotionally engaging, this animated comedy is a must-see for families and animation fans alike. "The Road to El Dorado" tells the tale of two mischievous friends, Tulio (voiced by Kevin Kline) and Miguel (voiced by Kenneth Branagh) living in 1519. The pair of friends are constantly on the run from the Spanish law system, living on the streets and gambling with dirty tricks to make their way through life; they dream of the day they'll be rich and able to live more comfortably. However, the pair is soon captured after hiding on board a ship heading for South America. After escaping their captors, the two men have only one idea of where to go: El Dorado, the legendary City of Gold. And so, they set forth into the jungle on their quest, and soon enough, through a series of comical events, they find themselves pretending to be gods to appease the citizens of El Dorado. How this deception affects them personally drives the rest of the movie forward.

"The Road to El Dorado" displays brilliant storytelling. Though standing at the front of the film's story and action overall, in reality, once they cross the Atlantic Ocean, Miguel and Tulio are merely along for the ride as they enter a strange new world. The real story is about the people they meet and the city they discover. Additionally, adult humor and political games subtly make their way into this family movie, which still features plenty of beautifully colorful displays and songs. As such, it balances a suitable amount of entertainment for a child and an adult viewer alike.

Overall, "The Road to El Dorado" is probably one of the simplest films possibly made by DreamWorks. It's not about good versus evil, like so many other animated family films are; instead, it's about two friends who finds themselves over their heads in a city vastly different from their own - and that makes it one of the most real fictional stories that can be told.