When The Road to El Dorado was released in theaters in the year 2000, it was considered a complete bomb at the box office as it earned only $76.4 million, not even surpassing the $95 million that it took to make the movie. However, upon reflection years later it has become something of a cult classic with many saying that it wasn't given a fair shot. Looking at what went into the movie and how it held up all these years later, we can't help but agree with these sentiments.
The film had music produced by well-known artists, and the animation was completed by many of the same animators who worked on DreamWorks' other film The Prince of Egypt, a movie that was praised for its visuals at the time of its release. The movie also had writing that was very witty and sharp, allowing for humor that keeps audiences on their toes. Despite the combination of these positive aspects, the movie still somehow did not meet the financial expectations set upon it. What did the movie offer, and did it really deserve to become such a blunder when it was released in theaters over twenty years ago?
The animated movie centers around Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) and Tulio (Kevin Kline), two con-artists meddling around the lands of Spain in 1519. After one of their cons gets discovered, they run off with a map that supposedly leads them to El Dorado, the city of gold. When they eventually find that the city is real, they are mistaken as gods by the locals, and their biggest con ever comes to fruition as they attempt to leave the city with enough gold to keep them financially set for life. The movie also keeps things tense with the looming threat of conquistador Hernán Cortés, who would destroy El Dorado, the people who live there and take all of their riches for himself if he ever found it.
It plays out as a comedic adventure with a soundtrack album produced by musical artists Elton John and Tim Rice. Songs such as "The Trail We Blaze" and "El Dorado" feature Elton John's legendary voice in what was described as Latin Pop, and they add plenty of substance to the scenes they are utilized in. It has been stated before that the directors made the intentional choice to not make the protagonists sing the songs (with the exception of "It's Tough To Be A God") so as to not fall into the pattern that other animated films of the time were doing. This was just one way that The Road to El Dorado separated itself from the competition, and another key aspect that made it stand out was the writing.
The writing in the film has aged well over time, with those who saw it as kids revisiting it as adults and recognizing just how witty the dialogue was. The humor was sharp and quick, often with Miguel and Tulio playing off one another in a perfect blend of serious and silly. The film also took some risks for the time, even fitting in an implied sex scene between Tulio and the third protagonist Chel (Rosie Perez) who is a resident of El Dorado.
It was not afraid to be a little more adult at times, and that was a decision that not many other companies were willing to make in their films at the time. This made it much more interesting for adults who took their kids to the theaters while still being vague enough that kids wouldn't quite catch on to the more adult moments until later in their lives. This combination of witty humor and the insertion of slightly more adult moments gave for a story that didn't feel like it was trying too hard to be funny, and it respected the intelligence of those who watched it.
The animation of The Road to El Dorado was also well produced, and while it doesn't quite meet the level of detail seen in other late-2D animated films such as Treasure Planet or Atlantis: The Lost Empire it certainly showed the beginnings of what those films would be able to achieve. The fluid motions and bright colors make for very appealing scenery as the protagonists go through the jungle and make their way into the city of gold.
One scene that stands out especially is the musical number "It's Tough To Be A God." This scene is where the animation takes full advantage of the vibrant colors at its disposal as it depicts a celebration of the protagonists and their arrival as "gods" to the people of El Dorado. It is a scene that stands out in the memories of those who have watched it, not just for the music or the colors but the way it blends in traditional animation with early age 3D animated aspects in a hybrid format that once again had not been utilized much prior.
With all that being said, nothing can change the fact that the movie was a complete failure financially when it was initially released. The Road to El Dorado has decent animation, fun music, and witty writing, so why did it fail so hard? Many have deduced that the primary cause for the unfortunate box office results lies within the marketing for the movie. The trailers focused more on the preparation that animators took to capture the Aztec architecture style, and it wasn't until the last trailer before the film's release that comedy was even mentioned.
Even then, the final trailer seemed to focus too much on the comedy and not enough on the other features the movie had to offer, and this split in tone made it very confusing for potential viewers to know what to expect from the film. In the end, people either had expectations of a children's movie or a historically accurate animated film, and The Road to El Dorado didn't necessarily fit either. The target demographic was likely meant to appeal towards a teenage/young adult audience, and the marketing simply did not reflect that.
A great thing about films is that they live on way past the time that they are initially presented. In this case, The Road to El Dorado thrived way past its initial release, and many are citing it as a cult classic now. Some have even taken to creating meme formats based on various scenes as a way to further give it publicity and show how it can have a new life so many years later. There are plenty of fans who think the movie has gotten a bad reputation unfairly, but without the confusing misdirection provided by the initial trailers, The Road to El Dorado instead has gotten the opportunity to be viewed for what it always has been: a simple, comedic, witty film with fun, charming characters.