The Emperor's New Groove

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie...But is it truly for young kids?
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The humor was so amusing, and it was just a quirky and loveable tale. However, I notice older audiences enjoy it much more than kids, whom this movie is intended for. It isn't inappropriate, or crude, but some of the dialogue and humor is just over their head. None the less, it's a movie you must have. I was disappointed this did not turn out as popular as I felt it should be---there is a lot of controversy about it. Anyhow, this is a fantastic movie, and it Will make you laugh!

Rating:
Summary: How much longer can Disney churn out the same characters?
Review: I can't say I was particularly jumping over the moon to see this. I haven't seen a Disney animation since Pocahontas, and don't particularly care to see one ever again, apart from the old classics, like Cinderella, Snow White and Peter Pan. (Just don't sit me down in front of Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty or any of the Fantasia stuff).

The characters are all like previous characters in previous Disney animations. Kuzco was a longer haired version of Aladdin, the male characters apart from Kuzco all had the square jaws reminiscent of the guys in Pocahontas, and Yzma is a mixture of Snow White's evil stepmother and Cruella De Ville. And some of the landscapes look very familiar.

I did like the ending, but the rest of the movie didn't really do it for me. And I nearly died when it started, you know a film's gonna be bad, when Tom Jones does the title track! Considering the makers of the film originally wanted to get Sting to sing the opening song but he said he was too old, they need someone more hip and younger. So they went with Tom Jones. Sting is in his 50's, Tom is in his 60's.

This is also the first Disney animation to show a pregnant woman, that being Pacha's wife. Never mind falling slightly behind the times, there's also all the hooha about Kuzco and Pacha being slightly more friendly than kids will understand!

Like many other Disney films, this one contains a number of hidden Mickey Mouse images. One is in the bushes when Kuzco gets pulled from the water and another is Yzma's head and earrings (upside down).

In the scene where Yzma is searching through the various potions she says, "Lions, tigers and bears...oh my!" a line from The Wizard of Oz. According to producer Randy Fullmer and director Mark Dindal, they were forced to use this joke, which they detested, by then-head of Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher.

There's one great line I really did like, you'll probably have to see the film to enjoy it (not that I'm condoning that you understand): "Who's in my chair..?" "Ooh, ooh, I know! I know! Yzma's in your chair!"

There's loads of extras on this DVD, if you can actually have the time to watch them all. Frankly, they all look frightfully tedious, but if you're into that kinda thing, then goody for you.

I really can't recommend this DVD, but I'm still giving it a semi good score. If you wanna see it, go knock yourself out. Kronk by far overshadows Kuzco. And the ending's funny. That's about it.

Rating:
Summary: Funny as all git out
Review: This may be my favorite Disney movie ever. (I normally prefer Pixar.)

The reviewers who did not like it clearly expected something for small kids. It is not. It is very abstract in places, especially the art, which is really quite amazing. Watch for the design of the panthers, and the bats. And the landscapes. Wonderful stuff.

And the dialogue and the delivery especially is just hilarious. How you can get such delivery in an animated film is beyond me.

Warmly recommended for mature viewers with an edgy sense of humor.

Rating:
Summary: Unworthy of Disney Heritage
Review: There was not a "zero" option or I would have chosen it. This is, by far, the worst Disney animated film ever made. The animation is cheap, the dialogue is inane, and the soundtrack is impoverished. It has all of the quality of today's Saturday morning cartoons. In addition, the cynical, postmodern, post-Robin Williams humor that is attempted is wasted on small children who just won't get it, is abusive to somewhat older children whose childhood innocence is compromised, and is tiresome to adults. We wasted twenty dollars buying this for our grandson.

And as of this editing, 0 of 24 readers found this review helpful. But Bambi was just released and I watched it. Emperor's New Groove is to Bambi what a Big Mac is to Filet Mignon or TBN is to PBS. I stand defiant. :-)

Rating:
Summary: Slapstick Genius
Review: I love Disney anyway, but actually wasn't that excited when this film came out, nor did I hear anything spectacular about it. That was probably only because my friends at the time were all college students without kids and nobody had seen it, oh but when we did... we laughed ourselves hoarse! It's just one laugh after another, pretty much non-stop until the end of the movie, at least it was for the 6 20-somethings I saw it with. Loved it!