Set at the time of Cortes’ 1519 expedition to the New World in search of the mythic Golden City, The Road to El Dorado follows the fortunes of two ne’er-do-wells, Tulio (Kevin Kline) and Miguel (Kenneth Branagh), as they follow a mysterious treasure map deep into New World jungles. When facing death, the cautious yet greedy Tulio’s only regret is that he never had enough gold. The charming but irresponsible Miguel regrets having missed that one great adventure. The dynamic duo is capably voiced by these well-known actors, who infuse their familiar caricatures (Tulio mirrors Toy Story’s Woody, Miguel is a bearded Hercules) with enough complexity and roguish charm to lift them above the ranks of stereotypes.
When the pair is discovered by the Incas and mistaken for Gods, they decide to ride this scam until they gather together enough gold to live like kings back in Spain. However, a shady local named Chel (Rosie Perez gives her character a surprisingly gentle voice) discovers their ruse, and in return for her silence, the lads must promise to cut her in and take her away with them. Meanwhile, the Incas are in the midst of a power struggle between the bloody and vengeful shaman Tzekel-Kan (Armand Assante) and the kinder, gentler Chief (Edward James Almos). All the while, Cortes and his conquistadors roam the jungles looking for El Dorado.
Surprisingly, despite that fact that Dreamworks Studio’s latest animation imitates many of the popular aspects of Disney animated features, The Road to El Dorado manages to be an entertaining picture. True, two of the film’s directors (Will Finn and Don Paul) were at the helm of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas. Further, the intrusive musical efforts of Disney’s Elton John/Tim Rice team are conspicuous in their vapidity. The requisite animal sidekicks – a cheeky white stallion named Altivo and a nameless and mercifully underused armadillo – enhance our sense of familiarity with the formula. Disney-like anachronistic references abound (“We’re tourists, separated from our group,” say Tulio and Miguel when the menacing Incas discover them at their gates), while the story’s rather gross revision of Cortes’ brutal and bloody genocidal activity in the New World is similar to the work done by the Disney folk to the legend of Pocahontas. Cortes lurks around the periphery of El Dorado, but is kept at arm’s length from the film’s central story, with the truth of his vicious campaign kept entirely at bay.
Through a combination of some remarkable animation and complex heroes and villains, this film succeeds not because it co-opts the Disney formula, but despite this. The Road to El Dorado offers some breathtaking action sequences, and the artists have done a commendable job of capturing the art and architecture of the Incan cultural and physical landscape. Tulio and Miguel are well-drawn characters (metaphorically speaking); by creating characters with such fundamental flaws, the filmmakers have given the audience a greater sense of their accomplishment when Tulio and Miguel finally redeem themselves.
