Joseph: King of Dreams

Without a hint of the Las Vegas kitsch of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, this animated adaptation of the biblical story of Joseph is a movingly told produced-for-video effort that is much more modest than its big screen predecessor, Prince of Egypt. The songs are not as memorable and there is nothing as awe-inspiring as that parting of the Red Sea, but Joseph: King of Dreams is also not as intense, making it more accessible to the entire family. Ben Affleck heads the voice cast as Joseph, the "miracle child" with a gift for interpreting dreams; Mark Hamill plays Judah, the oldest of his jealous brothers, who sell their hated sibling into slavery; and Dan Castellaneta (of The Simpsons fame), Jodi "Ariel" Benson, Rene Auberjonois and Steven Weber also contribute. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)