The Emperor's New Groove (G)
Cast: David Spade, John Goodman, Patrick Warburton, Eartha Kitt
Release Date: December 15, 2000
Runtime: 1 hr. 18 mins.
Genre: Animation, Adventure
In a mythical mountain kingdom, arrogant, young Emperor Kuzco is transformed into a llama by his power-hungry advisor, the devious diva Yzma. Stranded in the jungle, Kuzco's only chance to get back home and reclaim the high life rests with a good-hearted peasant named Pacha. Kuzco's perfect world becomes a perfect mess as this most unlikely duo must deal with hair-raising dangers, wild comic predicaments, and -- most horrifying of all - each other as they race to return Kuzco to the throne before Yzma tracks them down and finishes him off.
Review
An energetic and surprisingly solid non-musical animated
film, Disney's delightful ''Groove'' reigns near the top of this year's
animated offerings.
Story
Originally planned
as a dramatic musical with an ambitious score by Sting, the Disney brass
monkeys decided to tinker with their ''Kingdom of the Sun'' script, drop
the show tunes and detour in an entirely different direction. The result
is a lighter and probably much more successful approach. Ruling over his
pre-Columbian kingdom, the obnoxious and self-centered Kuzco's (David
Spade) reign is threatened when his evil advisor Yzma (Eartha Kitt) and
her dopey henchman Kronk (Patrick Warburton) try to poison him. But nothing
goes according to plan with these things, and instead of doing away with
the emperor, the wrong poison turns him into a llama. Dropped into the
middle of the forbidding jungle, Kuzco begrudgingly enlists the aid of
a good-hearted peasant, Pacha (John Goodman), to help him return to his
kingdom and, well, de-llamafy himself.
Acting
A plum role to showcase the comic talents of Spade, the Disney animators
capture the former ''Saturday Night Live'' performer's facetious, cynical
distance perfectly. On the flip side, those who find Spade's humor one-note
and grating may be advised to sidestep this venture. As the steadfast Pacha,
good-natured lug Goodman is fine but an obvious choice. As the villainously
wicked Yzma, it's refreshing to hear Kitt (a grand, underused talent) work
her magical voice once again. And as Yzma's thick and distracted henchman
Kronk, Warburton's thug-like delivery is a nice comic choice, but his monotone
mumbling is sometimes hard to understand.
Direction
Breezily paced and not above poking fun at Disney stereotypes, director Mark Dindal
(Warner Brothers' animated ''Cats Don't Dance'') and his animation team's
contemporary approach, clever art direction and attention to detail make
for an entertaining and memorable 80-minute diversion. Arguably the funniest
product spun from the Mouse Factory since ''Aladdin,'' ''Groove'' may appeal
more to parental units by eschewing the standard formula momentum-stopping
songs for Dindal's zanier, more insightful comic moments.
Bottom line
Great for kids young and old, ''Groove'' is the freshest Disney cartoon to moonwalk
out of the studio in some time. 'Course if you hate David Spade, you'll
want to take a tazer gun to this sucker.
Synopsis
In a mythical mountain kingdom, arrogant, young Emperor Kuzco is transformed into a llama by his power-hungry advisor, the devious diva Yzma. Stranded in the jungle, Kuzco's only chance to get back home and reclaim the high life rests with a good-hearted peasant named Pacha. Kuzco's perfect world becomes a perfect mess as this most unlikely duo must deal with hair-raising dangers, wild comic predicaments, and -- most horrifying of all - each other as they race to return Kuzco to the throne before Yzma tracks them down and finishes him off.