The Prince of Egypt w. Maya Williams and Max Wolpert

The Prince of Egypt isn't just an animated musical—it's a profound exploration of identity, faith, and the human cost of power, as revealed in two intimate conversations with Maya Williams and Max Wolpert. Max, a composer and professor, recounts watching the film over 100 times as a child in a Presbyterian church basement, where he first connected with its themes of cultural displacement and fractured belonging. He praises the film’s rare ability to humanize epic religious narratives, turning divine wrath into a story of two brothers whose love and rivalry are shaped by legacy, fear, and the weight of leadership. Maya, a Black, non-binary poet and former Poet Laureate of Portland, shares how the film became a spiritual comfort during her childhood in a Black Christian household, offering complex, nuanced portrayals of faith that contrasted with the reductive sermons she experienced. She reflects on the film’s radical message: that liberation theology isn’t about vengeance, but about recognizing that 'we are all each other’s people'—a truth that transcends borders, bloodlines, and even religious dogma. Together, they unpack the film’s subversive choices: Ramses’ free will in refusing to let go of his people, the absence of divine hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, and the haunting moment when Moses sees his brother’s son among the dead. This isn’t a story of divine retribution, but of tragic human failure—where the real villain isn’t God, but the fear of being seen as weak.