It’s a shame that a film with such talent and imagery behind it ended up being ultimately a waste of time and effort. For a film marketed to children, I was shocked how utterly suggestive it tended to be, but beyond that, there’s really nothing worth remembering. With forgettable characters, and performances, it’s a waste. For a movie marketed to kids and advertised practically non-stop it’s a shame it can’t be considered even interesting children’s entertainment. Not to mention the lackluster and incredibly dull musical score.
The animation is sharp and very fluid with Kenneth Branaugh and Kevin Kline giving respectable performances. The villain, played by Armande Assante is also very menacing. A problem with “El Dorado” is it moves way too quickly. The plot moves into warp speed. Instead of getting to know the characters, they’re already on the journey to El Dorado within fifteen minutes of the film. Things go way too easily for the main characters of the film. In the beginning the map is seized easily. A gambler bets the map in the bet… where’d he get the map? Who is he? Why bet something that could grant him unbelievable riches?
The journey to “El Dorado” was also too easy. They bump into the sexy maiden Chel who was attempting to steal gold from El Dorado. Tulio and Miguel are mistaken for gods and are easily taken to El Dorado. My goodness! If only Indiana Jones’ adventures were this simple! The enemy is very one dimensional and barbaric. A lot of giggling and very few segments where we see the villain in his lair. For a movie with a lot of sexual references, and cursing, The villain is defeated non-violently. The plot and story were way too simple which made El Dorado dumb, cheesy, and simple. The ending is as well very unsatisfying. Why didn’t the writers of the movie give us, the crowd, time to get to know the characters or feel for them? To show off the animation? Maybe they ran out of ideas? Seems like it.