Summary and Review: The Emperor’s New Groove
The early 2000s was an experimental time for Disney in animation and film. We can, perhaps, recall favorite Disney films from this time period, such as Dinosaur, Chicken Little, and important as well were the preceding CG films from Pixar, especially Toy Story. In this transitional phase of choosing between CG animation and hand drawn, one film stands out in the minds of many a movie junkie. Anyone who’s down for an endless comedic roller coaster full of cliche yet hilarious one-liners can remember the classic buddy comedy with a distinct soundtrack that makes you want to get your groove on. Yup, we’re talking The Emperor’s New Groove. Let’s run through a little refresher of the film so we’re all on the same page here.
The Emperor’s New Groove has a plot which loosely revolves around Emperor Kuzko. A self-centered ruler of an ancient American kingdom, Emperor Kuzko has plans to build a large summer resort on the location of the home of village leader Pacha. But after firing his royal adviser Yzma from her job, she and her not-so-bright-but-friendly-and-expert-chef-henchman Kronk plan to kill Kuzko and take the throne. The plan almost succeeds when they attempt to poison the ruler at a dinner party. Little did they know that the labels had been mixed up! Instead of dying, Kuzko is transformed into a llama by the potion!
In an attempt to dispose of the body, Kronk ends up putting the emperor (on accident) in a sack on the back of Pacha’s cart. When Pacha realizes that the llama in his cart is Emperor Kuzko, he strikes a bargain to return him to the throne, on condition of letting him keep his village home. Kuzko agrees, planning secretly to betray Pacha. They travel through the jungle and encounter many dangers, all while Yzma enjoys her time on the throne, until she learns that Kuzko is still alive! Yzma leaves the palace to search for Kuzko, bringing Kronk as her primary means of transportation.
Hitting a few roadblocks and misunderstandings along the way, Kuzko and Pacha eventually resolve their differences and become good friends. It took a lot but Kuzko finally arrives at a major turning point of humility and sincerely changes for good. Kuzko and Pacha wind up in a race to the palace against the villains. When arriving at the palace, Yzma attempts to kill them both, using a variety of potions and guards to fight them. She accidentally takes a potion herself, transforming into an adorable but nonetheless ferocious kitten. After a ridiculous yet intense fight high on the outside of the palace, Kronk opens a random trapdoor, smashing Yzma against the wall and giving the heroes their opportunity to snag the potion. Kuzko drinks the potion and is restored back to his human form.The empire is his once more!
In the end, Kuzko decides to keep his word, and let’s Pacha keep his home. Kuzko and Pacha remain friends and enjoy time together with Pacha’s family, while Kronk goes on to be a scout leader of a small patrol, which also happens to include Yzma who is stuck in her kitten form.
So what is it that makes this film so memorable? It’s the comedy of course! I don’t know about you, but I found myself chuckling my way through that summary as I remembered the hilariousness of it all. Whether it was falling over the waterfall tied to a tree, Kronk’s shoulder angels, the race to the palace with dotted lines like a map tracking the characters (talk about a bit of a fourth wall break), you can’t be stoic enough to not find at least one aspect of the film that leaves you holding your sides laughing!
If we were going to be critiquing this movie in comparison to the other films of this period (which includes titles like Treasure Planet and Lilo & Stitch), in all fairness we can agree that the animation itself was less than up to par. Disney has a way of creating beautiful scenery across the board in animation, yet this film had a bit more of a childish and unfinished feeling. It was definitely a step down from their previous efforts in what can only be described as a pioneer effort in animation.
Additionally, with a title like The Emperor’s New Groove, one could easily be misled into thinking that this was another musical-oriented Disney film. In reality, the film features a catchy (dare I say groovy) musical score, which only adds to the confusion of having a powerful opening number that is nearly the same as the closing one. Outside of those two songs, nothing else in the movie corresponds with the expectation of a musical film.
Despite the disappointment on animation and music, The Emperor’s New Groove makes up for it’s shortcomings with comedy gold. The film can be loved by all age groups; parents themselves would be troubled in trying to find a dull moment! It’s heartwarming, it’s fresh, it’s nothing like you’ve seen before. The Emperor’s New Groove definitely packs a “Hah! Boom Baby!” punch, making it by this point a unforgettable Disney classic.