The Road to El Dorado - AniMat’s Classic Reviews

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

In the same way Hunchback of Notre Dame is the most underrated Disney film, The Road to El Dorado is the most underrated Dreamworks film ever. Shocked to this day it has a mixed reception with critics. But then again, Empire Strikes Back wasn't really that well loved when it first came out.

[@T5ComixCartoonz]

Personally, I always considered "Rescuers Down Under" to be the most underrated Disney film.

[@credinzel6996]

IAmTheUnison I thought "Treasure Planet" was the most underrated. I don't think Disney even aires it on their channels.

[@viktoriyaserebryakov2755]

They lost around 70-80 million on Treasure Planet. And it's probably their best film on a technical level.

[@Forgetthereality]

You do mean treasure planet right?

[@MrGabeanator]

well really

[@RRW359]

The critics of the time drank seawater, didn't they?

[@alessandrogordillo1998]

RRW Critics: Oh, Come On!!!!!!

[@youke373]

@@alessandrogordillo1998 I'm not coming on!

[@MrGabeanator]

@@youke373 no they weren't

[@MrGabeanator]

yeah

[@cartooncottage2024]

Yeah.

[@cinephile9885]

One of the most underrated animated films.

[@Mr.C723]

Agreed

[@livmendel]

Angel Castaneda TRUTH

[@cinephile9885]

Liv, Shavii, and Chase... I have a question for you. Are there other animated films which you find are underrated?

[@Armageddon-yt3so]

I know you were asking the other guys but I thought I'd add The Secret of NIHM.

[@cinephile9885]

Armageddon3035, Great Choice. My bad, I didn't add you.

[@SargentoBonzo]

Why this movie was a failure whet it came out??? -back in 2000: The stars are not in position for this tribute Like he said, stars, cant do it... not today...

[@JHParee]

I'm guessing it wasn't what people were thinking about when they thought "kid's movie." It's definitely not your typical kid's movie. But that's it's charm. I loved it when it came out, and I love it to this day.

[@MrGabeanator]

I ask that eveytime I watch it

[@MrGabeanator]

@@mousekateer627 hmm

[@MrGabeanator]

lol

[@MrGabeanator]

@Epic Sax Boi dont worry about it

[@Bysthedragon]

The Aztecs who the people of El Dorado are probably most closely based on, worshiped thousands of gods but the main villain seems to draw inspiration from one in particular, and that's probably the very one he worships: Tezcatlipoca "Smoking Mirror". Tezcatlipoca was one of 4 all high gods in the Aztec Pantheon but he stood out for being a total asshole. Huitzilopochtli and Xipe Totec both had legitimate reasons in the mythology's lore to need Human Sacrafices and the 4th brother the very famous Quetzalcoatl was absolutely opposed to human sacrafice, but Tezcatlipoca was mostly just a sadist who enjoyed blood, war, conflict, and was the god of Darkness, Night, Hurricanes, Jaguars, Earth, Obsidian, Sorcery, Deceit, Discord, Chaos, War, Judgment, etc...

[@filips2146]

Well the closest trace of el dorado is located in colombia which didnt had more muisca and inca culture rather thab aztec.

[@strawbtangerine6087]

God I love this film.

[@cinephile9885]

Emily Harris, me too.

[@avidenaro6612]

This was my childhood

[@kwanimal941]

This is one of my favorite films :D

[@matttale7918]

ITS TOUGH TO BE A GOD!

[@noahfelbert5297]

It’s one of my favorite movies from my childhood and the songs are fantastic in my opinion better than the ones from lion king

[@MrWildcard531]

Message to Dreamworks On the one hand: GOLD! (Shrek Series, How to Train Your Dragon Series, Kung Fu Panda Series, Prince of Egypt, Antz) On the other hand: PAINFUL AGONIZING FAILURE (Shark Tale, Trolls, Home, and maybe Boss Baby)

[@psychonautmaddy7409]

I see what you did there!

[@thedevilbutterfly9536]

Antz is pure trash

[@user-ut7kx2jw3j]

MrWildcard531 I didn't find Home painful it was just a cute forgetable movie. Haven't seen boss baby yet, other than that I agree

[@swanpride]

I have watched Monsters vs Aliens yesterday and wow, they really messed up a great concept by being, well, Dreamworksy. The tonal shifts in this movie are painful.

[@thedevilbutterfly9536]

+swanpride Yeah, The concept was great but it was boring, not funny (Except for one character) and predictable

[@jacobbelow4136]

Plus, fun fact for those of you not aware: Kenneth Brannagh, the voice of Miguel, also played Gilderoy Lockheart in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'. ...and... Kevin Kline, the voice of Tulio, also voiced Phoebus in Disney's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'.

[@DussyBestroyer69]

I knew the first one But I had no idea about the other. Wow

[@lindseysquire8417]

The voice of Miguel? That's just what he wants you to think. He clearly Obliviated the real actor.

[@Speedstreak]

I never knew that!

[@user-oi2ef1fc9o]

Fricken Lockheart! God damn...

[@danielchavez4403]

They were also in Wild Wild West. (1999)

[@luckycaptianrabbitking70]

Who else love this movie to this day?

[@strider_blaze]

Denise Gonzalez here here!

[@MrSammyD91]

Denise Gonzalez You betchy!!!

[@jackticsinc.8848]

Denise Gonzalez this movie will forever be timeless to me

[@jesseperez10]

Denise Gonzalez Awwe Hi Baby Girl How Are You Doing Today Beautiful ☺☺😊☺😍😍😘😚😚😙😙💋💋💋💋💋💋💋

[@jazminsantos8448]

Me

[@SebastianGonzalez-jc4wz]

the stone jaguar was actually hand-drawn

[@rolanday588]

Sebastian Gonzalez what?

[@metepec20092012]

Sebastian Gonzalez well, technically it was maybe combined, somehow

[@metepec20092012]

Gola245 not exactly, more like happened in spirit, I think

[@metepec20092012]

Gola245 or you know what? I think he was talking about the digital effects from the jaguar when gets the rebirth

[@shurale123]

Wow

[@joinmarch76]

Hard to believe that Miguel is played by the same guy whom narrated one of the BBC's most famous and often dignified documentary series, Walking With Dinosaurs, Walking with Beasts, and Walking with Monsters. Seriously, this guy's got Shakespearean chops on him!

[@stellarwulf]

I watched a video before this looking into what's happened to Dreamworks animation. In the video it said that their original niche was to make fun of Disney or get revenge which is why it's make some flops with lack of direction. But to me I honestly think Dreamworks goal should be creating movies with great animation, diverse characters, and ultimately telling a STORY without limitations disney has. When Dreamworks makes a good movie with heart they REALLY hit the mark. I want dreamworks to go back to this. I want them to go back to having the heart of the story be more important than whether it's marketable. Cause to me that's what separates them the most from Disney. They're not afraid to tell stories that go outside the norm. They're not afraid to make characters unique and diverse and not purely a beauty standard. Not all dreamworks movies are good but the majority of them have some of the most heart I've seen expressed in an animated production.

[@loganhartsock649]

This is my favorite animated movie. The relationship and chemistry between Miguel and Tulio is what makes the movie.

[@westerfrost3701]

I agree.

[@loganhartsock649]

@@westerfrost3701 truth 🙌🏽

[@DaniDeSanta]

*My favorite animated films* · _Akira_ · _The Emperor's New Groove_ · _Fantasia_ · _Alice in Wonderland_ (1951) · _Peter Pan_ · _Toy Story_ (trilogy) · _The Incredibles_ · _WALL-E_ · _Inside Out_ · _My Neighbour Totoro_ · _The Iron Giant_ · _The Road to El Dorado_

[@DaniDeSanta]

Shit. I forgot *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*.

[@ejl423]

That's a pretty awesome list. My favorite animated films are: -The Incredibles -The Nightmare Before Christmas -Who Framed Roger Rabbit (I know it's got a lot of live-action, but to me it still counts) -How to Train Your Dragon 2 -Wreck-It Ralph -Inside Out -ParaNorman -The Secret of NIMH -The Jungle Book (1967) -The Lego Movie

[@jackticsinc.8848]

Dani De Santa damn man you know good movies when you see it! Not a fan of toy story 3 but love the others

[@DaniDeSanta]

Mr. Troy There is no order. I really enjoy those films equally.

[@nateds7326]

Dani De Santa have you seen the prince of egypt?

[@alexismartinez8343]

Thank you for reviewing The Road to El Dorado! It's one of my favorite underrated animated movies ever. I love this film and definitely should deserve more attention and get a sequel and a franchise.

[@GingerWizzard1994]

Thank you for giving this underrated gem the AniMat seal of approval!

[@CheshireCat-cm1si]

It created an strong female Latina character before Disney did.

[@joelpaim]

She was a native american moron

[@StrangeCreed]

@@joelpaim She'll be making them though.

[@anthonyfox585]

Joel Paim yeah but alot of people use Latino interchangeably to mean mestizo and/or native American south of the border

[@Missfit3]

Actually I think she’s Aztec

[@DonnaDoveWinters]

@@joelpaim She's a native of Latin America

[@ScotsThinker]

YAY! I'm so glad you gave this the Animat seal of approval, I love this film as well. Tulio and Miguel alone are worth watching this film for.

[@All_Powerful_God_Enel]

MIGUEEEEL AND TULIOOO

[@WoodenClockwerk]

All Powerful God Enel Mighty and powerful gods!

[@WoodenClockwerk]

All Powerful God Enel also I remember that saga of one piece

[@JiReyAnimation]

All Powerful God Enel TULIO AND MIGUEL

[@brodstarpadpen6949]

hellooo~

[@GingerWizzard1994]

Brodstar PadPen Aayiiee!

[@atasker7432]

In my opinion, the best hand-drawn film from DreamWorks Animation.

[@ejl423]

Awesome review, Mat! This is one of my childhood classics and I'm glad it's now getting the popularity it deserves. I guess you could say it got what I like to call "The Iron Giant Treatment".

[@alysonrodrigues1492]

I'm so glad you like this film. It's always been close to my heart. :)

[@MalakiaLaGattaNera]

One of my fav animated movies of all time. So quotable and amazing to look at.

[@DiegoDiaz-rs4ej]

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron already tells how much I wish DreamWorks stayed in hand-drawn animation, but I think even The Road to El Dorado is pretty good. For example, despite my preference to child actors, I do have some appreciation for Miguel's voice actor Kenneth Branaugh. It's not really because of his performance, but more because he happens to be the European Narrator for Walking with Dinosaurs (the BBC project, not the 2013 movie). Whenever I listened to Miguel, all I could think about was what he did to talk about the dinosaurs. This is also something I like about the backgrounds. Like the Jungle Book, I can tell this is a modern jungle (more or less), but I can't help thinking this would be a perfect environment for a dinosaur story. Even the city of El Dorado would do just fine; the natives could worship the dinosaurs as if THEY were gods! But there are some things for me to like in the actual story as well. For example, Miguel is my favorite character in this movie, and I like how the cast is joined by cartoon voices like Jim Cummings and Frank Welker. And I guess the songs do give me fond memories of the Lion King. I don't like this movie as much as Spirit, but when it comes to DreamWorks's hand-drawn animated movies, The Road to El Dorado does take second place.

[@Tbearjavorsky]

I love this movie with all my heart!

[@ffreeze9924]

I watched this in my Spanish class a long time ago and the whole class fell in love. I hadn’t really seen it before then and now I can say it is one of my favorite Dreamworks films

[@adiveler]

Great review, this movie is a hidden gem from the time when Dreamworks were more focus on other aspects rather than trying to be funny at any moment of the movie! I hope you are going to do The Prince of Egypt and Antz too!

[@itsjustlukeRevive]

The one part I absolutely love is near the ending when Check rides of without then to the sunset. 🤣🤣

[@shelbydickson8424]

I am Miguel, and I am Tulio, and they call us Miguel and Tulio! haha! I love that part!

[@NessaAwesomeNessG]

Shelby Dickson Haha I remember that part, too! 😆

[@Aster_Iris]

"I'M OKAY!" *SQUASH* "...I'm still okay!" Still one of my favorite gags to this day. XD

[@deanochannel]

I adored this film as a kid on VHS and I still adore and love this film now, I'm a big fan of this duo too so the final score is appreciated

[@stephiis8882]

Chel's not the only one who knows their scheme - the chief did as well, but he didn't say anything because he knew the people's belief that the gods were there with them was better for the community.

[@c0mf0rta61ynum6]

If I ever start getting into cosplaying, Tulio is one of the first characters that I would considering dressing as. Now, if only I could find a Miguel...

[@stacyhorowitz6559]

I remember seeing this movie in theaters back in 2000. I also remember the Burger King kids meal toys for the movie.

[@OmnicidalClown1992]

Easily one of my favorite DreamWorks movies.

[@torstenscholz6243]

One of DreamWorks' masterpieces and an underrated classic for sure, so glad it now gets the praise and fame it deserves. While those late 90s DreamWorks hand-drawn films still had a strong Disney influence, you can already also see a foreshadowing of the typical DreamWorks style they put to perfection with Shrek - in that they made the film less based less on traditional fairytale tropes and instead relied more on a more mature, more character-based style of humor and a more creative, surprising way of storytelling. The comedic dynamic between the two leads is just amazing.

[@MrGabeanator]

ik i love it

[@dudeman5685]

There is alot of Chel fan art on DA. Its easy to see why.

[@alditoification]

My childhood right here! I really loved this movie when I was a kid and I still love it now! Thanks for giving him the Seal of Approval! TOTALLY deserved it!

[@SuperKitaroShinX]

From the studio that tries to hard to get more money from Colorful Trolls and a movie about an alien with the voice of a character from The Big Bang Theory, they've never fondly remember this gem?

[@shyguypro9876]

I would've loved to see at least one more movie staring Tulio and Miguel, either a sequel or prequel.

[@adrianoelcrakc6979]

Mys scores: Story: 9/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Songs: 10/10 Total: 10/10

[@LOTWStudios]

Thank you so much for making this video, Animat. This really made my day - Haven't had the best of days today, but you just made it! I have loved this film for pretty much my entire life, and it is so nice to hear someone who possibly loves it as much as I do. It's good that it's finally starting to get the recognition that it deserves, but I have to say, I'm one of those who loved it before it was popular. It is an absolute love letter to those classic Road to movies of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and the chemistry of the two leads is just as unforgettable here as they were back in the day. Thank you for making this. You're now officially one of my favourite people on KZbin!

[@luislugo3800]

The Road To El Dorado, you are my Dreamworks Animation film

[@mathiasrmer3305]

I F***ing loved this movie as a kid and i still do :D

[@MichaelSmith-zx5lw]

I watched this film at the age of 25 for the first time last year. loved it so much I watched it twice in a row! honestly think it's one of the greatest adventure movies ever made. easily one of the greatest animated movies.

[@sewthernbelle]

I always thought this was inspired by the old Bob Hope/Bing Crosby 'Road to' pictures. You got two wisecracking best friends, an exotic place, an exotic dark eyed beauty that one of the guys end up with, musical numbers and a threatening by throwaway villain to provide conflict, but in the end, it's a buddy flick. It's even got 'Road to' in the title. AND they did the fight with other then punch the bad guy gag!

[@Rubber_Monkey]

I still don't understand why critics would hate this movie!!

[@martooncdj-martooncartoons490]

0:35 - 1:00 I guess people were having trouble to find the trail this gem blazed ! More seriously,this movie is a favourite of mine as well for my big brother and my big sister,when I first learned 5 years ago it didn't work at the time of it's release I was really surprised and so were my brother and sister when I told them but hey,i'm glad to see this movie is gaining more popularity with time !

[@KaeMcSpadden]

I love this film, so fun and colorful and filled with beautiful animation.

[@QuestionMark46]

I haven't played Smash Bros. Melee in a long time, hearing that music at the end put a great big smile on my face. Cheers!

[@jackticsinc.8848]

This is the most underrated movie of all time! I am so happy it is finally being scene as an animated classic, and I will keep in sharing the love of this movie to everyone.

[@DamnQuilty]

I love this movie. I had the good luck of watching it at the cinema and the local tv station used to show it a lot.

[@ziggy9387]

I'm so glad that you love this movie! It is one of my personal favorite films of all time, with Disney Atlantis, How To Train Your Dragon, Kubo and The Two Strings and Kung Fu Panda.

[@martinloquendero1460]

My scores: Story: 10/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Total: 10/10 ¿Can you review Shrek and Spirit: The stallion of the cimarron?

[@flightg97shadowgarth32]

Yes, I want to see his opinion of Spirit for kicks.

[@BriBradshaw]

Martín Loquendero I LOVE SPIRIT OMG

[@tomquan5928]

Yes. DO IT!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

[@jackticsinc.8848]

Martín Loquendero totally agree there isn't a single flaw with this movie

[@wateryourhouseplants3973]

Chel: 10/10

[@dylanbeast5243]

The Road to El Dorado Review Story: 8 Animation: 10 Characters: 8 8/10

[@kinddoe3869]

I watched this film for the first time two years ago when I was twenty two. As a child it just did not interest me. Two guys going on an adventure? meh. I wanted Disney films with talking animals and that stuff not some Indiana Jones lost temple bullshit. But then so many years later I was stunned. It was just so good. The animation, the jokes, the characters. Now it's one of my all time favourites. I am kinda waiting for a remake though were Tulio und Miguel become a thing...

[@sophiefilo16]

No! We do NOT need a remake of this movie! It's time to leave the classics alone...

[@DussyBestroyer69]

It all depends on... What you mean by.... A T H I N G . 😏

[@MultiBeast301]

@@sophiefilo16 Please. Also Id be nice if people stopped forcing their agendas onto media. Tulio seems to be content with Chel so lets leave it like that

[@samiam6303]

This movie is amazing! One of the only movies I’ve watched so much, I memorized pretty much the whole movie haha

[@YukaiRyujin]

This movie was fun to watch in Spanish while I was in Ecuador during its release :3

[@DiegoDiaz-rs4ej]

Full Voice Actor List Kenneth Branaugh: Miguel - Kevin Kline: Tulio - Rosie Perez: Chel - Armand Assante: Tzekel-Kan - Frank Welker: Altivo the Horse - Jim Cummings: Hernando Cortez - Edward James Olmos: Chief Tannabok - Tobin Bell: Zaragoza - Duncan Marjoriebanks: An Acolyte - Elijah Chiang: One Child - Cyrus Shaki-Khan: Another Child - Elton John: The Singer who Narrates the Movie

[@DonnaDoveWinters]

Heard of 'em all except that last guy. Who the fuck is he?

[@DiegoDiaz-rs4ej]

You have not heard of Elton John? He was the one who made songs for The Lion King, for Cuteness Spirit's Sake!

[@jacobharris2456]

Man I really wish they made a sequel to this

[@sonicfan73887]

I just saw this film last week and was surprised their's not a lot of reviews.

[@jonnyboy4289]

Hmmmm, come to think of it? That would make a good idea for a Top 10 list. The Top 10 Animated Duos. If this is going to happen, include Spongebob and Patrick, Ren and Stimpy, Buzz and Woody, Beavis and Butthead, and yes AniMat Timon and Pumbaa are welcome.

[@D3D3D]

This movie is the definition of unfairly underrated.

[@lwanco1018]

I love this movie, I wish it was turned into franchise like it was planned to.

[@arianr9692]

This is my favourite movieeee. I LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT.

[@sweetpea2604]

You say Tulio & Miguel have a partnership I say they have a bromance

[@soulax4366]

Yay Dreamworks got a 10/10

[@SebastianGonzalez-jc4wz]

about time

[@mrpigfromsupermariologan7582]

The road to El dorado is a great movie

[@FluffyballFirestar]

I love this movie. Thank you so much for this review, Animat.

[@fandomdomination3071]

The adventures of prince acmed is next. I payed attention during Animation Loockback! Great review!

[@Captainblademan101]

I remember back the day I enjoy this movie from my childhood.

[@lukeperkins1024]

BTW Drink every time a scene was animated by James Baxter.

[@rubenbadalian29]

This is one of my favorite movies as a kid and to this day

[@brycefourn2001]

It's awesome that this movie has the same praise as Iron Giant!

[@aidanbarnes4290]

actually when The Iron Giant first came out in theaters critics feel in love with it and gave it wide spread acclaim. But when The Road to el dorado came out critics gave it a meh and called it predictable. But over the years both films have gotten a cult following because of the audience and fan base

[@PapiiPlaysGames]

Chel is my very first animated crush when i was a kid, been loving girls with big hips ever since. Btw can you Review Treasure Planet next??

[@Lars_E_Mou]

Friendship is gold. Well... What did you expected? XD

[@twilightsky1580]

this was supposed to be a movie series originally but it do bad at the box office that they cancled any sequels

[@robbieking4070]

BOOYAH!! TEN OUTTA TEN for one of my favourite Dreamworks movies

[@jaygriffperiod85]

Oh wow........ I'm shocked. I did not know if you were going to rip this film apart or not. I have to admit that I prefer Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas to this. The Road to El Dorado is very funny, and I appreciate the adult humor in the film (which is sad now, looking at where DreamWorks is now). My issue with it is that the plot was a bit too thin for my liking, and I felt like nothing was really accomplished. In my opinion, not one of the best, but not one of the worst. Glad you enjoyed the film as you reviewed it. I need to rewatch it though.

[@proudlilgiraffe1617]

hiii AniMat (: This is awesome (: I really like your channel and your content:)

[@ciciizo1193]

Wow, I didn't think this movie would get such a high score! I haven't seen the movie in years so my memory of it is kinda rusty, but you convinced me to go and watch it again, so thanks Animat :D

[@thomasfredrickson6298]

DAMN, a 10/10?! Personally, I would give it a 9/10, but I do see your points, in terms of the main characters and their chemistry. It's sad for me to say that this, for me, is the Best animated movie to come out of DreamWorks, while the majority of them are just... fine.

[@sparrowthunder5286]

When I was a toddler, I used to watch this on VHS ALL THE TIME!!

[@sl1ck557]

This is in my top 5 favorite animated films

[@disneygirl8069]

Definitely up there on my favorite animated films I adore everything about this movie so much as a young child. I would get sick a lot and this is high up on my sick movie list!!

[@Harri927]

I saw this movie in theaters when I was a kid and I grew up with it during my childhood. It was one of my favorite childhood movies ever.

[@chrisbrasel7509]

by the way, the horse is played by voice acting legend Frank welker as this should of been a box office hit but sadly never happened that way in real life.

[@sparrowthunder5286]

My Thoughts Story - 9/10 Animation - 9/10 Characters - 10/10 Overall - 9/10

[@euniceerica]

This movie had it's own fans ship the two main characters.

[@sophiefilo16]

I liked this movie so much, I kept it in my room for years and then took it with me when I went to college. It's now one of the only three or so VHS movies in my possession...

[@chrisbrasel7509]

I have this underrated classic as miss hand drawn animated movies like this and Atlantis the lost city.

[@MasterDimitrov]

I just came here to hear how great this movie is.

[@Animefairytail-kk5ju]

The road to El Dorado is the El Dorado of dreamworks

[@secretlyamartian96]

MY CHILDHOOD!

[@westerfrost3701]

Same here.

[@jonnyboy4289]

A new AniMat Review released on my birthday. This day just cannot get any more happy.

[@viewtifulmorannp6185]

Actually the city of El Dorado is 95% Mayan, 3% Aztec-Toltec and 2% Olmec.

[@BATTIS94]

Wait wait wait, Wasn't El Dorado part of the incan empire? What do the mayans and aztecs had to do with the city?

[@ffreeze9924]

BATTIS94 el dorado wasn’t a real city. However, based on the time period, it should have been in the Inca Empire. The Mayans were long gone by this point, even though they are the main influence. This is probably because the Mayans probably are the most well known native Americans

[@BATTIS94]

Also, De Orellana and Pizarro were looking for it in -what today is- Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Perú; Fucking the incans in the process. that's why I got confused when everyone casually commented on the "mayan influence".

[@primevaltimes]

BATTIS94 The Maya may have lost prominence by the time the Spanish arrived, but they were definitely still around, and still exist to this day, in fact

[@Everik-ct6pg]

Cool, have you seen it?

[@darkrose9793]

One of my all time favorite dreamworks films, along with sinbad and prince and Egypt.

[@Gaaraape]

I love this movie so much

[@coltong2596]

My score The Story 10/10 The Animation 10/10 The Characters 10/10 10/10

[@brodiewankenobe1675]

This movie is extremely underrated

[@Serge_Jackson]

the intro song is in stuck with me for life