Streaming Gems: The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Photo from Vulture
From Shane Conto
What was one of the greatest eras of animation in the history of film? Disney’s run from The Little Mermaid until Tarzan. This was the Disney Renaissance and completely turned around Disney Animation after its despair in the mid-80s. You have some of the greatest films in the history of animation from Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. You then have a strange period of time for Disney as the bottom falls out on this impressive run for time. Between 2000 and 2012, there were fleeting moments of greatness with films like Lilo & Stitch. But there is one film that is so darn charming and wonderful and generally flies under the radar… The Emperor’s New Groove.
What makes this film so charming and fun? First off…this cast. The four main performers are just so great together. The biggest splash is certainly what could have been a nothing character but Patrick Warburton steals the whole entire film with his performance as Kronk. This character became so popular and fun that he got his own spinoff show on Disney Channel. Look at that! Warburton deadpan delivery is iconic and so much fun. The way he takes a complete buffoon and simple character and turns him into a charming and lovable lug should be studied. The comedic timing he brings is just perfection. But he is only the henchmen…to the endlessly entertaining Yzma thanks to Eartha Kitt. Yzma is evil but so deliciously evil and charismatic. Kitt brings so much charm and presence to such a tiny little lady. The titular emperor who is turned into a llama is David Spade who leans into all of his best attributes to create the cocky and soon to be humbled Kuzco. Then you have John Goodman’s Pacha who is kind and charming who has a great bit of chemistry with Spade for sure. These four make this film worth the time.
How about the comedy and gags that make this so fun? This is a fast paced adventure that is only 78-minutes (which is a wonderful thing). But director Mark Dindal and company are able to pack so much into this little film. The tandem climb of Kuzco and Pacha up a crevice is just pure slapstick gold. The whole shenanigans of messing up that leads Kuzco to being turned into a llama instead of dying is such a fun gag as well. Kronk is amazing all on his own but his fun little squirrel friends just makes some of his scenes even better. There are some fun chases through the jungle as well including some scary beasts that would love to get their teeth into a llama. There is a whole sequence in a small restaurant that just embodies some great screwball comedy elements. This fun mixture of classic comedy in such an unexpected package makes this so darn charming.
What makes this whole animated package so joyous and fun? The high energy of the film makes this move so well and there is never a dull moment in its 78-minute runtime. The music is fantastic with some unexpected Tom Jones sprinkled in there (which…heck yes). This is a nice mix of adventure and comedy with this film that offers a charming tone that we don’t get often anymore. This is a charming film from an underappreciated time for Disney. The hand drawn animation still works so well as this would be part of the final stretch of such animated films by Disney. This was a film that represented a “dying” breed of animation and it is truly a gem for Disney.
The Emperor’s New Groove is streaming on Disney+.
