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Just a few weeks ago, my husband and I went on a whirlwind vacation to Peru. During our stay, we visited Machu Picchu, where we saw llamas grazing on the mountainside. But none of them stopped for a chat—like the magical talking llama in Disney’s 2000 animated comedy, The Emperor’s New Groove.
The Emperor’s New Groove tells the outrageous story of the vain and selfish young Emperor Kuzco (voiced by David Spade). When the emperor catches his power-hungry advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), trying to do his job, he fires her—so she decides to get her revenge. But Yzma’s plans to get Kuzco out of the way don’t go as planned—and instead of killing him, she turns him into a llama. She sends her dim-witted sidekick, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), to finish the job, but Kuzco gets away before Kronk can go through with it.
The newly four-legged Kuzco finds himself in the company of a peasant named Pacha (John Goodman). Despite the fact that Kuzco plans to turn Pacha’s village into a summer home, Pacha still believes that there’s good inside Kuzco’s heart, so he agrees to help the emperor find his way back to the palace—and his old form.
Disney’s animators love to find unusual characters and exotic locales for their adventures—and The Emperor’s New Groove definitely has both.
Kuzco isn’t the usual animated hero; in fact, he’s anything but heroic. He’s shallow and selfish, and he doesn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to the needs of his people. But while he’s an almost entirely unlikable character, there’s just something about him that makes him entertaining. Perhaps it’s his incessant sarcasm—or his complete obliviousness toward his situation—but the fact that he’s so easy-going and clueless makes him seem a little less malicious. And, really, he pales in comparison to Yzma, the creepy old hag who’s determined to take over the emperor’s rule.
Fortunately, though, not all of the characters in the film are mean-spirited and selfish. John Goodman’s Pacha is the exact opposite: a kind, generous man who chooses to see the good in people. At times, his unshakable optimism gets him into some sticky situations—since Kuzco has a habit of taking advantage—but it also makes him an undeniably likable character. Together with his no-nonsense wife and their two precocious kids, Pacha is the ray of sunshine that shines through the other characters’ self-centeredness and greed.
Meanwhile, the action takes place in a location that’s rarely seen in movies. Having recently seen the mountains and jungles of South America first-hand, I was eager to see them again in the film. But while the setting is definitely distinctive—and the animation is often bold and colorful—the location isn’t as vital to the story as I would have liked. Instead, it’s just the film’s backdrop.
In the end, though, The Emperor’s New Groove—with its crazy cast of characters and its silly sense of humor—is an enjoyably playful adventure. It’s cartoony in a slapsticky, Bugs Bunny kind of way, and it’s well aware of (and totally cool with) its own silliness. It isn’t a particularly smart or original film, but it’s still a fun, jazzy little movie to enjoy with the kids.
Blu-ray Review:
Like other recent Disney Blu-ray releases, the three-disc Blu-ray release of The Emperor’s New Groove also includes the straight-to-video sequel, Kronk’s New Groove, in both Blu-ray and DVD formats. Other than that, though, you won’t find any new Blu-ray extras.
