In a season that is usually dominated by movies like "The Ten Commandments," Moses' image and the Exodus story will be revitalized and intact care of Dreamworks' remarkable production of "The Prince of Egypt." Now available on video, I went to see the movie when it first came out last year without the kids in order to make sure that the tenth plague was not too nightmarish.

That was the official reason. The real reason I ventured on my own back to Egypt was to experience the movie for myself, as an adult, educator and parent. I wept not only at the beauty of the story and its humanizing presentation, but also at the miracle of the movie itself and the impact that I think it will have on a whole new generation of Jewish children.

The American Jewish community spends about $1 billion a year on Jewish education. "The Prince of Egypt" cost about $75 million to produce and is probably going to be the most cost-effective and accessible Jewish educational experience for a new generation that is media savvy. And it is only the first in a wave of animated biblical dramas that are going to compete for our attention and dollars. Disney's story of "King David" will be coming soon, and Disney and Dreamworks will both be producing competing versions of the story of Joseph within the next two years. This is good news for the Jews, especially if the high standards that "The Prince of Egypt" has established is emulated by the other films.

I bought most of the spin-off books from "The Prince of Egypt" for my children, even before the release of the movie. One of their grandparents weighed in with dolls of Moses and his wife Tzipporah, which have already replaced the amoral Barbies. (I was hoping for a Jethro doll, since the movie portrayed the Midiyanite priest as an Arthur Waskow look-a-like! – long beard and all) Jeffrey Katzenberg, the executive producer of the film, introduced a major corrective in Jewish history by giving life and voice to Tzipporah and to Miriam, Moses' sister. Even Yochevet, Moses's mother (vocals by the late Ofra Haza), and Pharaoh's wife make brief yet important appearances. Here is what I told my two daughters about the movie in advance, in order for the film to have the most impact:

Mezuzah. We have several mezuzot (plural of mezuzah) placed strategically throughout the house, including at kid height by the kid's room. It's been a while since we explained to our girls the origins of the mezuzah, which becomes painfully clear as the tenth plague engulfs Egypt. The Hebrews, as the movie calls us, place lamb's blood on their doorposts. Then the killing spirit actually approaches several of their marked doors and turns around to go elsewhere. The imagery is very powerful and will hopefully give my children a sense of comfort when they notice anew their mezuzah.

Life. The movie does an exceptional job at humanizing the conflict between Moses and his brother-turned-Pharaoh Ramses, and we feel the pain of the oppressed as well as that of the oppressor. Moses, after the final plague finally succeeds in persuading Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go free, breaks down and cries on the steps of the palace. Our sources teach us that it is the same pain that God felt as the Egyptian soldiers drowned when the sea engulfed them in the final scene.

Prayer. After the waters quiet down, the Hebrews break out into Hebrew song, the same words (mi kamocha) that our children sing on Shabbat mornings at the kids' minyan or prayer service. To witness on the big screen a majestic re-creation of the splitting of the sea invokes the miracle and the power of God. "Who is like you?" the Hebrews ask, knowing that there is no one like the Redeemer of the slaves from Egypt. To connect our modern prayers with the emotion of liberation is one of the important gifts of the movie.

"The Prince of Egypt" alone will not elevate the Jewish self-confidence of our children, but I did walk out of the theater with my head lifted a little bit higher. Parents need to rent this movie with their children and then set aside time to process the many messages and images that "The Prince of Egypt" bestows. And don't forget to have tissues on hand.