The Road to El Dorado is a 2000 American animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. It was the third animated feature produced by DreamWorks. The film was directed by Eric "Bibo" Bergeron and Don Paul (in their feature directorial debuts), with additional sequences directed by Will Finn and David Silverman, while the film's screenplay was written by the writing team of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. The film stars the voices of Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Rosie Perez, Armand Assante, and Edward James Olmos. The soundtrack features an instrumental score composed by Hans Zimmer and John Powell, and songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice. John is also credited periodically narrating the story in song throughout the film. The film follows two con artists who, after winning the map to El Dorado in Spain, wash ashore in the New World, where they use the map to lead them to the city of El Dorado, where its inhabitants mistake them for gods. The Road to El Dorado was released on March 31, 2000 to mixed reviews from critics and was a disappointment at the box office, grossing $76 million worldwide on a production budget of about $95 million. Despite its initial reception, re-evaluation in later years has resulted in The Road to El Dorado gaining a cult following. Plot In 1519 Spain, con-artists Miguel and Tulio win a map to the legendary City of Gold, El Dorado, in a rigged dice gamble (though they ironically win the map fairly after Tulio was given normal dice from one of the opponents). After their con is exposed, the two evade the guards and accidentally stow away on one of the ships to be led by conquistador Hernán Cortés for the New World. At sea, they are caught and imprisoned, but break free and steal a rowboat with the help of Cortés' mistreated horse, Altivo. Their boat reaches land, where Miguel begins to recognize landmarks from the map, leading them to a totem marker near a waterfall that Tulio believes is a dead end. As they prepare to leave, they encounter a native woman, Chel, being chased by guards. When the guards see Tulio and Miguel riding Altivo as depicted on the totem, they escort them and Chel to a secret entrance behind the falls, into El Dorado. They are brought to the city's elders, kindhearted Chief