It just goes to show that you don't need a G rating to have a good movie that attracts the kids. Dreamworks, following up on their other PG animated hits of Antz and The Prince of Egypt, now goes into 1500's Spain and adventuring to the mystical 'city of gold,' El Dorado. As we follow Miguel and Tulio on their cons and adventures, El Dorado tries to piece together a story with all the necessary elements of the headstrong sidekick, the villain, and the loveable animals. Unfortunately, there's a lot of dead time throughout and the story just doesn't come together unless it's time to wrap-up.

We're first introduced to Miguel and Tulio as they con a dice game with a pair of loaded dice and win a map to the city of El Dorado. Even though they want to go, they don't want to go right away, but following a chase through the streets, they end up on a ship bound for the new world. When discovered as stowaways, they are locked below deck. The only way out is to befriend the horse, Altivo, with an apple in exchange for the keys to their escape. They finally escape and get caught in bad weather in a small rowboat, with - Altivo. Yes, their animal sidekick is a non-talking horse and later an armadillo too. They finally put ashore on an island that they recognize as the island on the map. They hack and slash their way to El Dorado where they are mistakingly taken in as gods. They milk this identity confusion to its fullest potential raking in massive amounts of gold and fortunes. Their problem is twofold though. Firstly, they don't know any of the customs of the people and it's hard for them to be gods not knowing anything. Secondly, they are discovered by Chel, a strikingly beautiful Indian with a small waistline, large bust, and full lips (what else would you expect?). Luckily, in exchange for gold and a ride back to Spain, Chel helps the two buffoons with the customs of the Indians. Of course, everything can't go right, so we have to throw in a mischiveous sorcerer (a la Aladdin), Tzekel-Kan, and a gold-seeking Cortes, both providing the enemy character needed in animated movies.

Despite having all the necessary elements for a good animated kids movie, it just doesn't provide the necessary punch needed to keep the (older) audience interested. Whereas I could tell all the kids loved it, including the one exiting the theater proclaiming that "that movie was great," it was hard to keep myself and my friends interested. While it was a good movie and definitely bearable for adult audiences (thanks to the PG rather than G rating), it just doesn't come together or throw in any unexpected twists. El Dorado provides the common lessons of friendships, greed, and love along with the 'bad people never win' mantra, which is a definite plus for the kids. While I expected it to be better, El Dorado did provide ample entertainment, especially for the kids. Don't expect anything spectacular, but you might also be disappointed if you're expecting something more than a kids movie.

Genres: Animated, Comedy
Rated: PG
Runtime: 89 minutes
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