Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)

Joseph: King of Dreams is a 2000 American direct-to-video animated biblical musical drama film. The second film adaptation of the Bible from DreamWorks Animation and, to date, the only direct-to-video production they released, the film is an adaptation of the story of Josephfrom the Book of Genesis in the Bible and serves as a prequel to the 1998 film The Prince of Egypt (as the biblical narrative of Joseph happens before that of Moses). Composer Daniel Pelfrey stated that the film was designed as a companion piece to The Prince of Egypt, noting that though "Joseph turned out to be very different than The Prince of Egypt, it was very challenging and rewarding".

Co-director Robert Ramirez has said that whilst the reviews for the film had "generally been very good" there was a period "when the film was not working very well, when the storytelling was heavy-handed" and "klunky".

Storyline[]

Joseph, the youngest of Jacob's eleven sons, is considered to be a "miracle child" because his mother, Rachel, was thought to have been infertile. Joseph grows conceited from his parents' special treatment, leading to his brothers becoming increasingly jealous of him. One night, Joseph dreams of a pack of wolves attacking the family's flock of sheep. The dream comes true, but Joseph's brothers dismiss it as a coincidence. Joseph further enrages his brothers by recounting his next dream, in which he saw them bowing before him. Led by the eldest brother, Judah, the brothers sell Joseph to a slave trader for twenty pieces of silver and take his torn coat back to their parents, convincing them that Joseph was killed by wolves.

In Egypt, Joseph is bought by Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guards. He becomes a trusted servant and falls in love with Potipher's niece Asenath. Potiphar's wife, Zuleika, tries to seduce Joseph, and when he refuses, she falsely claims Joseph raped her. Potiphar orders Joseph be executed, but Zuleika begs him not to. Potiphar realizes that Joseph innocent, but orders Joseph be sent to prison to preserve his reputation. There, Joseph meets the Pharaoh's butler and baker and interprets their dreams, which soon come true. Having seen that the butler will return to his position whilst the baker is executed, Joseph begs him to tell Pharaoh about his gift, but the butler forgets to do so. Meanwhile, Asenath secretly supplies food to Joseph until she is nearly spotted by a guard and forced to drop the food, which is devoured by rats. Raging at God for his misfortunes, Joseph climbs the walls of the jail, slips and falls back down, ending up being knocked unconscious. After he wakes up, he finds renewed purpose in caring for a dying tree as he reflects on his past and begins to trust in God's plan again.

The Pharaoh becomes troubled by nightmares which none of his advisors can interpret. Remembering Joseph, the Pharaoh's butler advises him to send Potiphar to retrieve him. Potiphar apologizes to Joseph for imprisoning him, and Joseph forgives him. Joseph interprets the Pharaoh's dreams as warnings of seven years of abundance set to be followed by seven years of famine that may wipe out Egypt. He suggests that one fifth of each year's harvest should be stored for rationing. Impressed, the Pharaoh makes Joseph his minister and second-in-command, under the name "Zaphnath-Paaneah". In the following years, Joseph's guidance saves the Egyptians and their neighbors from starvation. He marries Asenath and has two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with her.

One day, Joseph's brothers arrive in Egypt to buy grain, offering to pay for it with the twenty silver pieces. The brothers claim they have to feed their youngest brother and Jacob. Unrecognized by them, Joseph refuses to sell them grain and imprisons one of the brothers, Simeon, until they can prove their story by bringing their youngest brother. The brothers reappear with Benjamin, Jacob's twelfth son whom he favors as he did Joseph. Benjamin tells Joseph that Rachel died and that his father was crushed by Joseph's "death". Joseph questions Benjamin on whether his father trusts his brothers to look after him and how his supposed death affected them. Benjamin says they never speak of it. Joseph then releases Simeon and invites the brothers to a feast.

After the feast, Joseph has his golden chalice concealed in Benjamin's bag. Upon its discovery, he orders that Benjamin shall be punished, but the brothers offer themselves in his place to Joseph's surprise. After Joseph questions their motives, Judah confesses to having sold Joseph into slavery, a crime that has haunted him and his brothers for twenty years, and says that they cannot return home without Benjamin, as it would break both their father’s heart and their hearts to lose another son and brother. Shocked and touched by this, Joseph decides to reveal himself to them, and they reconcile. Joseph reunites with Jacob and meets his brothers' families after inviting them to live in Egypt. The film ends with the Hebrews entering Egypt, unaware of the many hardships they would face in years to come.

Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)

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Storyline[]

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