The Road to El Dorado
Stream
Rent & Buy
Stowing away after a failed con, a pair of swindlers end up on El Dorado, the fabled "city of gold", where they quickly get in over their heads when they are mistaken as gods by the inhabitants.
What critics thought
Critics in 2000 were largely unmoved, finding the story predictable and the two leads too interchangeable to carry the film's charm. The Elton John–Tim Rice songs drew consistent complaints for falling short of The Lion King's standard, and the treatment of indigenous characters attracted real criticism for sexism and historical carelessness. Audiences, however, kept watching — and a generation raised on internet culture has steadily rehabilitated the film's reputation, arguing that Miguel and Tulio's dynamic outweighs the rest.
“this trip down The Road to El Dorado proceeds under the speed limit all the way. Our Tulio and Miguel aren't big enough, nor strong enough, nor funny enough to buckle any swashes. They're as lost to us as the lost city into which they stumble.”
Lisa Schwarzbaum·Entertainment Weekly
“Tulio and Miguel move nicely, but the animators don't seem to have any more idea who they are than the audience does. Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh supply their voices, but the characters say and do similar things in similar ways. Who can tell them apart?”
Charles Solomon·Los Angeles Times
“bright and has good energy, and the kinds of witty asides that entertain the adults in between the margins of the stuff for the kids.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“The Road to El Dorado is borderline entertaining, I suppose, with animation that is, at times, truly impressive. And if the six Elton John/Tim Rice songs are thoroughly forgettable, they lack sufficient distinction to actually become annoying.”
Jay Boyar·Orlando Sentinel
“the songs by Elton John feel phoned in, and the treatment of indigenous people is troublesome, particularly the film's reliance on white savior tropes and its sexualization of an indigenous woman. Still, many feel that its good parts outweigh its faults.”
Caroline Cao·/Film
Genres
Family, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
Bibo BergeronDirector
Don PaulDirector
Kenneth BranaghMiguel (voice)
Kevin KlineTulio (voice)
Rosie PerezChel (voice)
Armand AssanteTzekel-Kan (voice)
Edward James OlmosChief (voice)
Jim CummingsCortes (voice)
Frank WelkerAltivo (voice)
Tobin BellZaragoza (voice)
Elton JohnNarrator (voice)
Hans ZimmerComposer
John PowellComposerElton JohnComposer
Terry RossioWriter
Ted ElliottWriterFrom the studio
The Road to El Dorado
Stowing away after a failed con, a pair of swindlers end up on El Dorado, the fabled "city of gold", where they quickly get in over their heads when they are mistaken as gods by the inhabitants.
What critics thought
Critics in 2000 were largely unmoved, finding the story predictable and the two leads too interchangeable to carry the film's charm. The Elton John–Tim Rice songs drew consistent complaints for falling short of The Lion King's standard, and the treatment of indigenous characters attracted real criticism for sexism and historical carelessness. Audiences, however, kept watching — and a generation raised on internet culture has steadily rehabilitated the film's reputation, arguing that Miguel and Tulio's dynamic outweighs the rest.
“this trip down The Road to El Dorado proceeds under the speed limit all the way. Our Tulio and Miguel aren't big enough, nor strong enough, nor funny enough to buckle any swashes. They're as lost to us as the lost city into which they stumble.”
Lisa Schwarzbaum·Entertainment Weekly
“Tulio and Miguel move nicely, but the animators don't seem to have any more idea who they are than the audience does. Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh supply their voices, but the characters say and do similar things in similar ways. Who can tell them apart?”
Charles Solomon·Los Angeles Times
“bright and has good energy, and the kinds of witty asides that entertain the adults in between the margins of the stuff for the kids.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“The Road to El Dorado is borderline entertaining, I suppose, with animation that is, at times, truly impressive. And if the six Elton John/Tim Rice songs are thoroughly forgettable, they lack sufficient distinction to actually become annoying.”
Jay Boyar·Orlando Sentinel
“the songs by Elton John feel phoned in, and the treatment of indigenous people is troublesome, particularly the film's reliance on white savior tropes and its sexualization of an indigenous woman. Still, many feel that its good parts outweigh its faults.”
Caroline Cao·/Film
Genres
Family, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
Bibo BergeronDirectorDon PaulDirectorKenneth BranaghMiguel (voice)Kevin KlineTulio (voice)Rosie PerezChel (voice)Armand AssanteTzekel-Kan (voice)Edward James OlmosChief (voice)Jim CummingsCortes (voice)Frank WelkerAltivo (voice)Tobin BellZaragoza (voice)Elton JohnNarrator (voice)Hans ZimmerComposerJohn PowellComposerElton JohnComposerTerry RossioWriterTed ElliottWriterFrom the studio
Stream
Rent & Buy