Movie Review: The Emperor's New Groove

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Great voice cast brings the laughs to life.

Cons: Took me two viewings to fully appreciate it.

The Bottom Line:

Funny with good heart

Glad I watched the second time

Now a favorite

"Tell Us Which Way the Talking Llama Went and We'll Burn Your House Down."

Sometimes, good can come from bad. The Emperor's New Groove originated as a Disney animated movie called Kingdom of the Sun. While many people (including animators at Disney) say that movie was wonderful, it bombed with test audiences before it was completed. As a result, the story was overhauled and we got this little gem instead.

The story is set in some ancient empire. Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) is a spoiled brat who shoves everyone around to get his way. For example, he's decided to build a summer home on a hillside even though doing so would destroy a peasant village. In fact, he gleefully ignores the pleas of Pacha (John Goodman) to build his home somewhere else.

His royal advisor is also a problem. Yzma (Eartha Kitt) has decided she wants the power, so she is taking over the emperor's duties behind his back. When Kuzco decides he's had enough, he fires her. That only makes Yzma madder, so she schemes with her assistant Kronk (Patrick Warburton) to poison Kuzco.

Things don't go quite as planned, however. The poison gets switched and Kuzco is turned into a llama instead. Then, he accidentally winds up in Pacha's cart as Pacha heads back to his village. Now Kuzco needs to convince Pacha to take him back to the palace, Pacha needs to convince Kuzco to build his summer home elsewhere, and Yzma and Kronk need to find Kuzco and finish the job before he returns to the palace. After all, they've already held his funeral. Who will win?

Actually, we win, because we get to come along on this wild, funny ride. I'll admit, the first time I watched this film, I didn't fully appreciate it. But I gave it another chance, and I'm glad I did because it's now one of my favorites.

The story is filled with one liners and sarcasm. I laugh the entire way through the film, but especially during the last 20 minutes or so. Another thing I find so funny is the random things they throw into the film, like Kronk's shoulder angel and demon. The film never takes itself too seriously, and that just adds to the fun.

The story is rather predictable. However, that's not an issue here at all because all the random stuff they throw into the film just adds to the fun. While you may know where the big picture is going, you'll want to stick around to see what gag they throw in next.

The voice cast does a great job in the film. While there are some other characters, the film pretty much centers around the four characters I've mentioned. I'm not a big David Spade fan because I often find his arrogance annoying in large doses. Here, however, it works perfectly. He also narrates much of the film, which adds to the fun all the way around. Eartha Kitt is obviously having fun as Yzma. She brings a life to the role that makes it the perfect comedic villainess. And Patrick Warburton is wonderful as the dumb assistant. John Goodman has a tough job here. His character is supposed to be the normal one of the bunch. And yet he manages to not get upstaged by the others in the cast.

The animation is fine as well. It gets the job done. It's not as detailed or breath taking as some of the Disney movies from the early 90's, but it really doesn't have to be. It is worthy of a Disney animated movie. This movie isn't trying to be anything fancy. All it wants to do is entertain. And the animation is in keeping with that goal.

I'm certainly glad I gave this movie a second chance to win me over. Every time I watch it, I laugh like crazy. And everyone I watch it with loves it, too. So if you are looking for an animated film that will make you laugh, check out The Emperor's New Groove.