Road To El Dorado, The is rated PG: for mild thematic material and language.

Animation is coming of age, and after seeing Dreamwork's Road To El Dorado, you might even argue it has reached puberty.

Swashbuckling buddies Tulio (Kevin Kline) and Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) are small time con men in 16th century Spain. After winning a map pointing to the lost city of El Dorado, they are certain they have found the road to riches. The journey gets off to a rocky start when they find themselves locked in the brig of a ship under Spanish explorer Cortes' command. Enlisting the help of a rather clever war-horse, and after a series of amazing coincidences, the pair stumbles into El Dorado.

Here they are surrounded, not only by gold, but also worshipping natives who mistake these two white men on a horse for gods whose arrival has been foretold in their native history. But one young girl, Chel (Rosie Perez) doesn't buy into the god theory. Planning on leaving El Dorado anyway, she wants in on the action and offers to help the boys with their un-godly protocol for a portion of the gold. Tulio is quite taken by her shapely barely clad figure, while Miguel finds himself beguiled by the beautiful city. Thus distracted, our two con men are ill equipped to notice the encroaching dangers.

This film, a likely magnet for young audiences, combines great music from Elton John with incredible animation where flowing waterfalls and lush topical surroundings look startlingly real. Visually, it represents the leading edge of what animation is capable of. However, the story resorts to clich0xE9 elements, such as the violence dished out by a huge monster controlled through the physic powers of a wicked native priest.

Perhaps the movie's biggest surprise is a scene normally considered too mature for this genre, between Tulio and Chel (the sensuous sidekick who is willing to enter into a physical relationship for monetary gain). Although sexual actions on-screen are limited, parents won't be fooled by the fade to black. As for growing up, heroes who lie, cheat, and steal are poor role models, making the Road to El Dorado a bumpy ride.

Studio: 2000 Dreamworks SKG.

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In your opinion, are Tulio and Miguel heroes? Can you recall any other movies where dishonest people are idolized?

The quest for gold is the desire of all the major characters in this film. What value would gold have if you were trying to survive in a jungle? What things would you consider the most valuable? Why is gold so valuable in our society?

Interested in checking out the soundtrack? Follow this link to read the review of Elton John’s The Road To El Dorado.

Dreamworks has earned a reputation for some of the best DVD releases, and this title is no exception. Many extra features include a better-than average “making of” documentary (that clearly illustrates that not all actors can sign), and Elton John’s unique music video of the theme which features the rock maestro in animated form.

Other DVD features include an informative running commentary from the filmmakers, along with another selection that takes you through the film scene by scene and discusses color selection and how colors effect the mood and tone of an animated movie.

Answering many questions (including how many pencils and erasers were used to create the movie), this DVD is loaded with details along with the highest quality version of the movie available to home viewers along with Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks. Unfortunately, only English soundtracks and captions are available on the disc we reviewed.