Joseph: King of Dreams
Directors: Rob LaDuca and Robert C. Ramirez
Cast: Maureen McGovern, Ben Affleck, Mark Hamill, Richard Herd, Jodie Benson, Judith Light, James Eckhouse, Richard McGonagle, David Campbell, Steven Weber, Rene Auberjonois, Tom Virtue, Ken Hudson Campbell, Jeff Bennett, Jess Harnell, Matthew Levin, Royce D. Applegate, Dan Castellaneta
Based on the well-known story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, taken from the book of Genesis, in the Bible, the story centers on the life of Joseph, a "miracle child" with the gift of interpreting dreams. Because he was born to a barren woman – being the only son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel - Joseph quickly became the favorite son of his father, Jacob, to the envy and chagrin of his ten older brothers. After Jacob gives Joseph a beautiful coat that depicts his son’s achievements, and after Joseph shares his dreams of the brothers bowing down to him, the brothers decide that they've had enough of this favoritism, selling their brother into slavery and telling his parents that Joseph has been killed by wolves. Joseph is taken far away into Egypt, and sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's army. Even as a slave, Joseph continues to shine because of his hard work, and Potiphar eventually comes to notice this. As a result, he puts Joseph in charge of his entire household. It is also here where Joseph meets the beautiful maiden, Asenath, his first love interest. Potiphar's wife also notices Joseph, but in a romantic manner. One night, after attempting to "approach" him, he refuses her company, and he is falsely accused of attacking her. Because of this, Joseph is thrown into prison by Potiphar. There, he meets the Pharaoh's baker and butler, whose dreams he interprets. After they are released, Joseph is left there for years, until one day when Potiphar releases him because Pharaoh needs Joseph to interpret a dream that has been tormenting him lately - as he heard from his butler. Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams, which foretell seven years of fortune and seven years of famine coming to Egypt. Because of this, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the whole country and makes him the second most powerful man in the land, making him responsible for gather extra food during the good years, so they will not starve when the famine comes. From here, Joseph meets Asenath again, and they marry and have two children of their own. During this time of famine, Joseph is also reunited with his brothers, who come to Egypt searching for food to save their family from starvation. After meeting his new brother, Benjamin, Joseph finally confesses himself, after placing his cup in Benjamin's sack after a banquet; and there, a heartwarming exchange of apologies and forgiveness occurs between the brothers and afterwards, Joseph invites his whole family to live in Egypt and is reunited with his father once more.
Family is one of the most powerful themes in this film and nowhere is this better reflected than in the character of Joseph, himself, and how he fits into the tapestry of his family, particularly with his father and brothers.
I feel really bad about Joseph and his brothers... especially Judah. In the beginning, his brothers wanted to love Joseph, and protect him, and share that strong bond of brotherhood with him, but Jacob's blatant favoritism of Joseph, calling him the “miracle child,”… putting Joseph on a golden pedestal, high above his brothers… giving him his beautiful coat and favoring Joseph by letting him study and have an easy life, while his brothers did all the hard work and endured their father’s harsh criticism and disapproval. His love for Joseph blinded Jacob to the others’ worth, and caused this father to overlook his older sons, driving a deep wedge between the brothers, and breeding resentment and jealousy in his brothers and a longing in Joseph to just be one of them and not so special. Jacob even tells his sons that when he perishes, it would be his favorite son, Joseph, born from his favorite wife Rachel, as her only son… not his firstborn son, Rueben, who was Leah’s firstborn, who would inherit his father’s birthright… because Jacob believed so deeply that his son was particularly favored by God. Then, when Joseph does get the opportunity to spend time with his brothers, they leave Joseph to watch over the sheep while they go swimming and he is attacked by wolves, making this painful chasm even deeper when Jacob scolds his sons for endangering the life of his favorite child. Joseph does very well in Potiphar’s house and impresses his new master with his gifts and insight, but he is haunted by his brothers’ betrayal, and this is reflected in Joseph’s visions of his brothers mocking Joseph, now that he is a humble slave, and no longer favored by anyone.
Joseph's dreams are a gift from God, but his mother is right...they are a family and no one person should be above the rest. As a mother, Rachel loves Joseph’s brothers, equally as much as she loves Joseph… as if they were her own sons, even though they are technically her nephews, mothered by her sister, Leah, and Joseph is her only true son. Rachel shows Joseph the beautiful sunflowers, reaching towards the sunlight, and she tells her son that while each flower is beautiful, special, and unique, not one of them is above the rest. When Joseph is imprisoned and shivering and alone in the desert, he sees a stray sunflower tumbling in the night wind. Although his hands are shackled, Joseph catches the fragile flower and caresses it to his heart, taking comfort in this memory from his mother, despite his own brothers selling Joseph into slavery and disowning him for twenty pieces of silver. He holds the flower to his heart, even in his sleep, and when the slavers wake Joseph to depart from their encampment, he is still holding the sunflower, but it blows away, and with it goes Joseph’s hope of returning home to his parents. The sunflowers come into play again, when Joseph is working for Potiphar, this time, signaling Joseph remembering his brothers’ betrayal and being betrayed again, and this time, imprisoned, because Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of ravishing her, when she asks him to explain the painting of his home, and the significance of the beautiful sunflowers, and insinuates she wants to have relations with him. She makes up this lie when Joseph remains loyal to his master and rejects her attack.
When Judah follows his brothers, hoping to make amends after the confrontation with their father, he overhears them talking about him. When his brothers find Joseph, they take off his special coat, taunting him with it, before one of the brothers rips the coat down the middle… and thus, the symbol of Joseph’s favor now represents the shattered bond between Joseph and his brothers as they leave Joseph and his torn coat in the wilderness, trapped in a deep pit, alone. Worse still, the coat is taken from Joseph by the cruel slavers and given back to his brothers. Joseph pleads with his brothers to save him from this cruel fate, but his cries are ignored, and they say he is not their true brother, but only their half-brother. His brothers brought his beautiful colored coat back to his parents, drenched in blood, making them believe Joseph was dead. When Joseph sees his brothers again, twenty years later, when they journey to Egypt, searching for grain for their families, he is initially angry with them for creating a false story about Joseph’s fate, and grief-stricken at the news of his beloved mother’s death. He accuses his brothers of being spies, come to steal Egyptian grain, and he imprisons his brother, Simeon, and demands that the rest produce his youngest brother, Benjamin, Rachel’s last-born son, who became his father’s favorite after Joseph was gone, as proof that they are not lying. His wife, Asenath, tries to reason with Joseph, telling him that these men came willing to pay for the grain they need, and they are only trying to provide for their large family. He tells her the truth about his past, and she reminds him how she took care of him when he was in prison. When he meets Benjamin, he welcomes his brothers as honored guests but decides to trick his brothers by hiding his own goblet in the sack of grain that Benjamin is given and then demands that the lad be imprisoned for this crime. When his brothers plead to Joseph for mercy, telling him that it would break their father’s heart to endure the pain of losing yet another favorite son, and finally reveal the truth, Joseph forgives his brothers immediately, and reveals his true identity to them… that he is their brother… and he invites them to bring their entire family to Egypt, so the family can all be reunited and their bonds healed.
While it doesn’t quite hit the same epic notes that Prince of Egypt did, Joseph: King of Dreams is still a stunningly told reimagining of this iconic Biblical character and his journey towards healing and family redemption. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, at times infusing an impressionistic flair with the colors that makes the dream sequences stand apart from the story in a creative way, and the casting is excellent, particularly for Ben Affleck, who voices Joseph. Overall, I would highly recommend this film.
© 2025 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Directors: Rob LaDuca and Robert C. Ramirez
Cast: Maureen McGovern, Ben Affleck, Mark Hamill, Richard Herd, Jodie Benson, Judith Light, James Eckhouse, Richard McGonagle, David Campbell, Steven Weber, Rene Auberjonois, Tom Virtue, Ken Hudson Campbell, Jeff Bennett, Jess Harnell, Matthew Levin, Royce D. Applegate, Dan Castellaneta
Based on the well-known story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, taken from the book of Genesis, in the Bible, the story centers on the life of Joseph, a "miracle child" with the gift of interpreting dreams. Because he was born to a barren woman – being the only son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel - Joseph quickly became the favorite son of his father, Jacob, to the envy and chagrin of his ten older brothers. After Jacob gives Joseph a beautiful coat that depicts his son’s achievements, and after Joseph shares his dreams of the brothers bowing down to him, the brothers decide that they've had enough of this favoritism, selling their brother into slavery and telling his parents that Joseph has been killed by wolves. Joseph is taken far away into Egypt, and sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's army. Even as a slave, Joseph continues to shine because of his hard work, and Potiphar eventually comes to notice this. As a result, he puts Joseph in charge of his entire household. It is also here where Joseph meets the beautiful maiden, Asenath, his first love interest. Potiphar's wife also notices Joseph, but in a romantic manner. One night, after attempting to "approach" him, he refuses her company, and he is falsely accused of attacking her. Because of this, Joseph is thrown into prison by Potiphar. There, he meets the Pharaoh's baker and butler, whose dreams he interprets. After they are released, Joseph is left there for years, until one day when Potiphar releases him because Pharaoh needs Joseph to interpret a dream that has been tormenting him lately - as he heard from his butler. Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams, which foretell seven years of fortune and seven years of famine coming to Egypt. Because of this, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the whole country and makes him the second most powerful man in the land, making him responsible for gather extra food during the good years, so they will not starve when the famine comes. From here, Joseph meets Asenath again, and they marry and have two children of their own. During this time of famine, Joseph is also reunited with his brothers, who come to Egypt searching for food to save their family from starvation. After meeting his new brother, Benjamin, Joseph finally confesses himself, after placing his cup in Benjamin's sack after a banquet; and there, a heartwarming exchange of apologies and forgiveness occurs between the brothers and afterwards, Joseph invites his whole family to live in Egypt and is reunited with his father once more.
Family is one of the most powerful themes in this film and nowhere is this better reflected than in the character of Joseph, himself, and how he fits into the tapestry of his family, particularly with his father and brothers.
I feel really bad about Joseph and his brothers... especially Judah. In the beginning, his brothers wanted to love Joseph, and protect him, and share that strong bond of brotherhood with him, but Jacob's blatant favoritism of Joseph, calling him the “miracle child,”… putting Joseph on a golden pedestal, high above his brothers… giving him his beautiful coat and favoring Joseph by letting him study and have an easy life, while his brothers did all the hard work and endured their father’s harsh criticism and disapproval. His love for Joseph blinded Jacob to the others’ worth, and caused this father to overlook his older sons, driving a deep wedge between the brothers, and breeding resentment and jealousy in his brothers and a longing in Joseph to just be one of them and not so special. Jacob even tells his sons that when he perishes, it would be his favorite son, Joseph, born from his favorite wife Rachel, as her only son… not his firstborn son, Rueben, who was Leah’s firstborn, who would inherit his father’s birthright… because Jacob believed so deeply that his son was particularly favored by God. Then, when Joseph does get the opportunity to spend time with his brothers, they leave Joseph to watch over the sheep while they go swimming and he is attacked by wolves, making this painful chasm even deeper when Jacob scolds his sons for endangering the life of his favorite child. Joseph does very well in Potiphar’s house and impresses his new master with his gifts and insight, but he is haunted by his brothers’ betrayal, and this is reflected in Joseph’s visions of his brothers mocking Joseph, now that he is a humble slave, and no longer favored by anyone.
Joseph's dreams are a gift from God, but his mother is right...they are a family and no one person should be above the rest. As a mother, Rachel loves Joseph’s brothers, equally as much as she loves Joseph… as if they were her own sons, even though they are technically her nephews, mothered by her sister, Leah, and Joseph is her only true son. Rachel shows Joseph the beautiful sunflowers, reaching towards the sunlight, and she tells her son that while each flower is beautiful, special, and unique, not one of them is above the rest. When Joseph is imprisoned and shivering and alone in the desert, he sees a stray sunflower tumbling in the night wind. Although his hands are shackled, Joseph catches the fragile flower and caresses it to his heart, taking comfort in this memory from his mother, despite his own brothers selling Joseph into slavery and disowning him for twenty pieces of silver. He holds the flower to his heart, even in his sleep, and when the slavers wake Joseph to depart from their encampment, he is still holding the sunflower, but it blows away, and with it goes Joseph’s hope of returning home to his parents. The sunflowers come into play again, when Joseph is working for Potiphar, this time, signaling Joseph remembering his brothers’ betrayal and being betrayed again, and this time, imprisoned, because Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of ravishing her, when she asks him to explain the painting of his home, and the significance of the beautiful sunflowers, and insinuates she wants to have relations with him. She makes up this lie when Joseph remains loyal to his master and rejects her attack.
When Judah follows his brothers, hoping to make amends after the confrontation with their father, he overhears them talking about him. When his brothers find Joseph, they take off his special coat, taunting him with it, before one of the brothers rips the coat down the middle… and thus, the symbol of Joseph’s favor now represents the shattered bond between Joseph and his brothers as they leave Joseph and his torn coat in the wilderness, trapped in a deep pit, alone. Worse still, the coat is taken from Joseph by the cruel slavers and given back to his brothers. Joseph pleads with his brothers to save him from this cruel fate, but his cries are ignored, and they say he is not their true brother, but only their half-brother. His brothers brought his beautiful colored coat back to his parents, drenched in blood, making them believe Joseph was dead. When Joseph sees his brothers again, twenty years later, when they journey to Egypt, searching for grain for their families, he is initially angry with them for creating a false story about Joseph’s fate, and grief-stricken at the news of his beloved mother’s death. He accuses his brothers of being spies, come to steal Egyptian grain, and he imprisons his brother, Simeon, and demands that the rest produce his youngest brother, Benjamin, Rachel’s last-born son, who became his father’s favorite after Joseph was gone, as proof that they are not lying. His wife, Asenath, tries to reason with Joseph, telling him that these men came willing to pay for the grain they need, and they are only trying to provide for their large family. He tells her the truth about his past, and she reminds him how she took care of him when he was in prison. When he meets Benjamin, he welcomes his brothers as honored guests but decides to trick his brothers by hiding his own goblet in the sack of grain that Benjamin is given and then demands that the lad be imprisoned for this crime. When his brothers plead to Joseph for mercy, telling him that it would break their father’s heart to endure the pain of losing yet another favorite son, and finally reveal the truth, Joseph forgives his brothers immediately, and reveals his true identity to them… that he is their brother… and he invites them to bring their entire family to Egypt, so the family can all be reunited and their bonds healed.
While it doesn’t quite hit the same epic notes that Prince of Egypt did, Joseph: King of Dreams is still a stunningly told reimagining of this iconic Biblical character and his journey towards healing and family redemption. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, at times infusing an impressionistic flair with the colors that makes the dream sequences stand apart from the story in a creative way, and the casting is excellent, particularly for Ben Affleck, who voices Joseph. Overall, I would highly recommend this film.
© 2025 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.