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The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
39 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun with llamas!, 17 September 2004
Author: neroville from Los Angeles, CA
Although my affection for other Disney movies of the 1990s has decidedly waned, my love for "The Emperor's New Groove" is still as strong as ever. In fact, I'm now beginning to think it's a work of genius. It's clever, unpretentious, fast-paced, and- like "Lilo and Stitch"- you don't feel that the vision of the film was muddled up by the suits. The characters are not constantly breaking into song, and there is a welcome lack of cloying sentiment. No cutesy talking teacups here! The lightning- fast comic timing, sharp writing and constant loony non sequiturs (i.e. "For the last time, we did not order a giant trampoline!") improves upon each viewing, and the voice work is uniformly excellent, from David Spade's hilariously bratty emperor to Patrick Warburton's dim boy-toy Kronk to Eartha Kitt's Yzma (an over-the-top screeching Erte-style villainess with an alleged "secret lab" who is also "scary beyond all reason"). You get the impression that everyone involved had lots of fun making this. The art direction, with its whirling cartoon Inca motifs, is simultaneously goofy and gorgeous- and it shows what marvels can be done with nary a pixel in sight. I even love all the local L.A. humor, with even Bob's Big Boy making an appearance. Although I was initially dismayed when I heard that the project, originally entitled, "The Kingdom of the the Sun," was to be changed to "The Emperor's New Groove," I think in the end the changes were a good thing. Did the world really need yet another bombastic Disney musical?
No, I didn't think so either.
34 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Hurrah! Perfection., 29 March 2001
Author: Spleen from Canberra, Australia
Hard to see why it wasn't a wildly popular mega-hit - I have two theories, one charitable, one not. The charitable theory is that people were put off by the title. MY heart certainly sank when I heard it. I mean, just say it out loud - "The Emperor's New Groove" - now how could a good movie POSSIBLY have a title like that?
Yet now, I rather like the title. It fits the story; it doesn't care if it's fashionable or not; it's just so pleasingly RIGHT - but in an almost indescribable way you'll have to watch the film to find out. Maybe it WAS a marketing mistake. Who cares? I never took seriously the charge that Disney's artistic decisions were made by its marketing department, anyway.
That was the charitable explanation for why it made considerably less, inflation adjusted, than every other one of Disney's animated features from "Beauty and the Beast" on, and failed to even get nominated for a "Best Picture" Oscar in a year in which they had difficulty coming up with half-plausible candidates. The uncharitable explanation is probably closer to the truth. People are idiots. This is a classic - but it's also animated - by pencil on paper rather than finger on keyboard - so who will ever notice?
Doubt me? You won't once you've seen it. Everyone to speak of who did reports that it's very, very funny, and they're right - and trust me, nothing is ever THIS funny unless it's clever and witty as well. It goes without saying that their character animation is unmatched in its brilliance and ... I've already used the words "humour" and "wit"? Well, I'll use them again. In addition there's a charming dottiness that a merely hip film could never quite capture. Art direction is perfectly judged and consistent throughout, with a pleasing absence of because-we-can computer effects.
Here's just ONE example of what I'm talking about. One side of the emperor's palace consists of this HUGE golden face, and we find out in a funny scene (but they're all funny) that all excess water is drained out through the nostrils. But that's not all we see. We see characters crawling out of the nostrils, we see someone dangling like a big booger on a rope out of one of the nostrils - one snot gag after another - yet no explicit camerawork ever draws our attention to them. Not only do the characters deliver their lines perfectly deadpan, the camera delivers its images perfectly deadpan. It's just perfect.
Two more things I should mention. Unlike Disney's other recent features, it never, not even for a second, feels as though the story has been unduly compressed - and at 78 minutes it's a trifle shorter than most.
Also, despite the constant hilarity, it's rather touching.
No movie I've seen in the past six months has filled me with such joy. Well, perhaps there have been a few others, but they were all made long ago.
32 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
Boom, baby!, 16 January 2005
Author: Boba_Fett1138 from Groningen, The Netherlands
"The Emperor's New Groove" is a rare hilarious Disney movie.
It's very different from any other Disney movie so this movie might also be very watchable to you Disney haters out there. The movie pace is incredibly high and the music by John Debney and Sting are a real surprise. The movie really is a non-stop hilarious comedy with some unique humor. Also the style, both visual and story-wise is different from any other previous Disney movie, which in this case is a positive thing.
The characters are great. Kuzco and Pacha are a perfect team. Yzma is a remarkable villain and her sidekick Kronk is hilarious. Yep, Laughs are guaranteed in this very hip and hilarious movie!
The story really is of no importance and most of it never makes sense but that's also why this movie is both unique and hilarious to watch over and over again.
Highly recommendable to everyone!
9/10
26 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
"Bring it on.", 20 March 2003
Author: Victor Field from London, England
"The Emperor's New Groove" is stylistically a break from Disney tradition - it's closer in tone to the Genie in "Aladdin" or some of their TV shows than most of their movies, making a refreshing change. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking that this isn't a Disney movie at all... the only talking animal has a good excuse for yapping in the voice of David Spade, the only romantic relationship is that between Pacha and his wife (and even there it's more the sign of a happily married couple), and apart from the Emperor's Theme Song Guy ("He's the hippest cat in creation...") - and Sting over the end credits, but we'll forgive that - no one bursts into song. Plus the emphasis is more on Warner Bros-type energetic humour than usual. No wonder it was a disappointment at the box office; not your traditional Disney movie.
Then again, "The Rescuers Down Under" was an underrated pleasure as well.
The story isn't particularly different - you've got the ruler who has to change externally before he can change internally ("Beauty and the Beast"), Kronk, the good-hearted sidekick of the villain (Yzma) who can't bring himself to kill the hero ("Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"), and so on - but as is often the case it's not so much what the plot is as how it's handled. Although the movie suffers from "Is-that...?" syndrome - it's too hard not to see Finch from "Just Shoot Me!" every time Kuzco speaks (strangely enough, even though Pacha's wife has the voice of Wendie Malick from the same show, I never pictured Nina Van Horn... which isn't the case with "Fillmore!", where Miss Malick voices Principal Folsom. Go figure) - the movie's speed, energy and high humour rate make it easy to forgive, with Kuzco and the bad guy's sidekick as standouts. The movie's also a bit more self-reverential than other Disney movies, notably in our hero's narration (plus at one point Yzma and Kronk notice they're leaving a blue trail behind them, which turns out to be the trail they leave on the map to the palace illustrating the race between them and our heroes).
The surprising thing is that it even works with character - though the Emperor is enough of a self-absorbed hedonist (to a prospective wife: "Let me guess - you've got a really great personality") to turn off Paris and Nicky Hilton, he and Pacha have a believable relationship throughout the movie, so that by the end we're rooting for him to get turned back into a human. Too bad Marc Shaiman's score was thrown out (he'd have been a natural, as opposed to John Debney), but no sense whining over what might have been. An adventure, a comedy and a drama all in one, "The Emperor's New Groove" has everything that was notably absent from DreamWorks' own South American-set cartoon "The Road to El Dorado" (charm, interest, no Elton John overdose and so on) and is the funniest movie from the House of Mouse since "Aladdin." It's easier to forgive them for giving the world "Dinosaur" in 2000 as well.
Why DOES she have that lever, anyway?
26 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
I absolutely love this movie!, 24 August 2004
Author: udeaasykle (udeaasykle@hotmail.com) from Sandnes, Norway
How great is this? A movie about a talking lama. I absolutely love this movie, from beginning to end. I don't know how many times I have watched this movie, but I am guessing in the over 10 area. This is the only movie that I find funnier dubbed in Norwegian than in the original language. It is absolutely hilarious, I don't care what age you are. Although I think adults understands more of the jokes in the movie, but that doesn't mean that kids won't find it funny. The movie is a story of betrayal, friendship, love and lots and lots of humour. It doesn't seem like I can ever get tired of this movie. Why? Because it is absolutely fantastic! I am 24 years old, so there aren't any age boundaries here. I rate this movie 10/10
19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
High Praise For This 'Kids' Film, 12 March 2006
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
You've often heard the sales pitch, "adults will love it, too!" almost always referring to a kids' movie and in particularly, an animated movie for children. Well, in this case I agree. Even as a middle-aged adult, I enjoyed this.
The dialog is adult-friendly but at the same time not coarse or crude with no sexual innuendos, no profanity or even a hint of it. Yet, it's hip with some very clever lines.
The story is interesting and offers a few unique twists. David Spade does a fabulous job narrating, has a very pleasing voice, one that's fun to hear. I actually do think adults would like this more than children.
18 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
I'm 23 and I still LOVE this movie, 20 September 2001
Author: Steve Harris (Petruchio) from Newfoundland
Disney has done it again with a FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY (how many funnies is that? 4?...not enough) FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY (you get the point) movie.
Picture this. 2 friends and I walk into a local movie rental shop and start arguing over the NEW releases. Horror movie? No. Slasher flick? No. Drama? No. Etc, Etc, Etc. Finally, as if it were fate, we all walk into the Disney/Children section of the shop. One suggest "Emperors New Grove". The rest automatically agree... and we weren't disapointed.
David Spade is brilliant as the voice of the Emperor in this movie. His humour was definatly evident throughout the entirity. Speaking of the humour... it was funny. Ha, ha. Ain't I a kidder? Seriously though, I have to say that this is the funniest Disney movie that I've ever seen... and it's definaly because of the cast... who were brilliant in all their roles. There was a lot of adult humour in this one though. Nothing gross or sexually oriented or anything, but just grown up... intelligent... making it a fabulous watch.
If you haven't seen this, then I suggest you do... and soon.
18 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
My fave Disney animated movie, 12 March 2001
Author: Shawn Watson (gator_macready@yahoo.com) from The Underverse
But the typical faults of all the other recent animated movies are still evident. I'm talking about the loud, loud, LOUD soundtrack that gives you a massive headache. That is about the only bad thing I can think of.
The main reason TENG is better than other Disney rubbish is the (almost) complete absence of stupid, moronic songs that are typical for Disney output. I found this quite refreshing and made the film easier to watch.
I thought that David Spade and John Goodman, as Emperor Kuzco and Pacha, gave some of the better voice performances in an animated cartoon and the animation style was always cool to look at and colorful. The jaguars were funny and Yzma was so disturbing that maybe some of the younger kids in the audience had nightmares about her. But the best character was Kronk, the dumb but kind-hearted assistant to Yzma. This is a great example of how an animated character can still be as likable as a live action one.
I have to admit that when I first saw the trailer for this film I was not impressed. It seemed like yet another kid's movie about a king (Prince of Egypt) and his life etc. But when he turned into a Llama the look of the film radically changed and I looked forward to seeing it. It is a wonderfully original idea and it is executed with great wit and self-aware humor.
If only most Disney animated movies were this good, that means we would not be subjected to such hell as Dinosaur and Tarzan. But I recommend that you buy the DVD of this movie to watch it as seeing it with a theatre full of kids and parents who don't really want to be there is not the preferred viewing experience. 8/10
13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Hilarious but short family treat!, 7 May 2001
Author: Lee Bartholomew (sage_patrynxx@cfu.net) from Cedar Falls, IA
In all of it's 77 minutes this was still worth renting. (and buying in my opinion) Simply the best Disney film in recent memory. And no reason a 25 year old like me shouldn't see it. If you like laughing, this will serve a treat that will last for a very long time. (cute cat....) 10/10
9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Nothing fancy, yet a good film, 10 October 2001
Author: (pip_estella@hotmail.com) from Canada
Considering that this movie wasn't made to compete with Disney's line-up of Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, etc..., it is an excellent movie. Who would've thought that a simple animation could do so much. This is a good movie to watch with friends and family members of all ages. Also, if you want a good night's innocent laugh, this movie is recommended. This is the first good family film I've seen since "A Bug's Life." Just a little note on the side: can you believe that this movie that absolutely NO romantic plot (one of the first and only that I've seen of Disney animations).
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