Good start, but then it gets ruined

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

I just couldn't get into it. Of course, it isn't based on anything, other than the myth of El Dorado. That said, it can't follow any previous plot or use main characters in any substantial way. The story line is creative but Hope/Crosby hooey. This could be retitled, "Two Funny Guys Go to El Dorado." I couldn't find any sparks here. Since El Dorado didn't exist, except on the side of an old Cadillac, one can't be critical of the truthfulness of the plot. The animation is adequate and fills the bill.

Some people often try comparing Dreamworks features to that of their biggest competitor Disney. Sometimes those comparisons are worthwhile with the likes of Antz and Bugs Life, but for the most part Dreamworks always create their own style of fun. One of the best films at showing this is Road to El Dorado, with a unique setting and a sense of adventure unlike any put to animation before.After winning a map to El Dorado in a fixed game of dice, Miguel (Branagh) and Tulio (Kline) search the city of gold. Part of the film follows their adventure, over land and sea to desperately find the legendary land. Many films would focus on just this part of the story, but luckily in this film it's only the first act. The rest of the film follows as the pair arrive in the city and deceive the city into thinking they're gods so that they can leave the city with as much gold as possible. It's like mixed Indiana Jones with a con film like the sting and remains funny the entire time.It succeeds at this through some very funny and memorable dialogue and visual gags. Whether you're a kid laughing at the horse dancing funnily or an adult laughing at the hidden meaning behind "Holy ship!" this film is funny for all ages. It packs in enough jokes to ensure that you'll get a good laugh for every scenes and keep the film fun throughout.But what really makes the film so funny is the two leads Miguel and Tulio. Miguel is the one who lusts for excitement and adventure, who sees El Dorado as the trip of a lifetime. Whilst Tulio wants as much money as possible, viewing El Dorado as a possible score of a lifetime. Alone they're interesting characters and fun to watch. But together they make one of the best animated pairings put to screen. In large part due to the lively camaraderie and great delivery from Branagh and Kline. This comes from both recording their lines in the same room rather than separately so they could better read of each others reactions. The film even has some great musical moments with a soundtrack by Elton John and Tim Rice (both of whom worked on the Lion King soundtrack). Sometimes it will just be used to add a greater sense of beauty when seeing the city and other times it will let the music take over to create some lively and exciting music sequences like 'The Trail We Blaze'.But whenever it's used you always get a good and memorable musical moment. It is purely a fun movie. It never tries to be serious or meaningful. Instead the film just lets us enjoy the jokes and embrace the adventure of the film. It's a shame this film never caught on more, as it really is one of Dreamworks best movies. Road to El Dorado is a film that is fun from start to finish thats good for all ages.

Petty-criminal pretty boys Tulio (Kevin Kline) and Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) are wanted by the authorities. They steal a map to the fabled El Dorado city of gold in the new world. However they accidentally stole away on Cortez's ship to the new world while on the run from the guards. They escape and end up in the new world with their new horsey friend Altivo right where their map starts. When they get to El Dorado, they run into Chel (Rosie Perez) and a bunch of warriors. Tulio and Miguel are used by high priest Tzekel-Kan (Armand Assante) in his scheme as returning Gods. Chel had tried to steal an artifact from temple, and the duo gives her a second chance.The main problem for me is that the two leads are basically the same character. The chemistry is not the best for a comedy duo. They should have some differences to make it work better. These two are both bickering witty talkative scoundrels. They may as well be the same character.The animation is fine if somewhat blocky and cartoony. I have no problem with that. It's a lot of flashy bright golden colors. The music is all Elton John and I do have a problem with that. It's not that I dislike Elton John, but it makes the music somewhat monotone. All the songs sound the same and none stands out as a hit. The story isn't as much fun as it wants to be. It certainly tries to be flashy and wacky, but it's so forgettable. And the jokes aren't necessarily funny. It's not even good enough to be second tier animated world.

The Road to El Dorado (2000), an animated cult film if there ever was one. It's interesting to compare this flick to Disney's The Emperor's New Groove (2000), which came out the same year. Both are traditionally animated. Both are wickedly funny. Both underperformed at the box office. While Emperor has gone on to be one of the most beloved modern Disney films, El Dorado is still only a cult film. That's a real shame, because it's a fun ride with snappy dialogue and cool characters.If I have any complaints, then it's that the mixing of traditional animation and CG has dated badly. Most of the musical numbers are forgettable and could have been done away with. Luckily, those issues don't hurt the picture much.