Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I love Disney movies. I own several on video and more on DVD. I even have VHS and DVD copies of a few. The Emperor’s New Groove was the first Disney movie I got on DVD. It was also one of the very first DVDs I got. It was released a few months after I got my DVD player.

Kuzco was the emperor. He was cocky and arrogant. He thought that the world revolved around him - he had an old man thrown out of a window of the palace for throwing off his groove. Yzma was Kuzco's adviser. Other characters in the movie described her as being scary beyond all reason.

Yzma wanted to be in control, and when Kuzco wasn't around, she acted like she was the emperor. Kuzco fired her after catching her doing that once again. After that happened Yzma hatched her plot to get revenge. She would kill Kuzco, and since he had no heirs, she would become the new ruler. Unfortunately for Yzma, her plan did not go as she planned. Kuzco was changed into a llama instead. She was trying to kill him with poison, but she got the wrong vile from her secret lab. Kronk, Yzma’s henchman, added essence of llama to Kuzco's drink instead of poison. She ordered Kronk to get rid of Kuzco, but Kronk messed that up too. He let Yzma think he took care of it though.

Pasha was a farmer from a small village. He was married and had two children. His wife was expecting number three. Pasha was summoned to the palace to talk to Kuzco. He wanted to build a summer home where Pasha’s village was. Pasha didn’t know how to tell his wife what happened.

Kuzco ended up at Pasha's house. Kuzco had a fit when he realized he was a llama. He accused Pasha of kidnapping him and turning him into a llama. These two do not get along. Pasha reluctantly agreed to take Kuzco back to the palace. During their journey, some very funny things happen. Yzma found out that Kronk didn't take care of Kuzco. She was furious. They set off into the jungle to find Kuzco before he can return to the palace. Kuzco and Pasha were trying to get back to the palace. Kuzco thought that Yzma would help him and turn him back into a man.

VOICE TALENT

David Spade - Kuzco
Eartha Kitt - Yzma
John Goodman - Pasha
Patrick Warburton - Kronk
Wendie Malick - ChiCha
Eli Russell Linnetz - Tipo
Kellyann Kelso - Chaca

Mark Dindal - Director

The Emperor’s New Groove was released in theaters in 2000. It came out on DVD and VHS in the spring of 2001. The movie was rated G and 77 minutes long. This is a good movie for children, but it isn’t so mindless that parents will be bored out of their minds watching it.

The Emperor’s New Groove was a great movie. It was very entertaining. I wasn’t bored by any part of the movie. It was a little silly, but that didn’t bother me. This was a fun movie to watch. It isn’t trying to be serious. There was a bit of a moral related to the horrible way Kuzco acted. He had to learn how to get along with others and not think only of himself.

The animation in The Emperor’s New Groove was wonderful like you expect from Disney. Bright, vibrant colors were used throughout the movie. The characters were drawn in such a way that they resembled the people who provided voices for the characters. I don’t think any computer animation was used in the movie, but I could be wrong. The animation in this movie wasn’t as good as that in some computer animated movies like Monster's Inc or Shreck, but it was very good.

The Emperor’s New Groove is the funniest Disney movie I have seen in a long time. There are funny moments here and there in most of the other Disney movies, but this one is funny throughout. Even Yzma, the villain, is funny in this movie. This movie is hilarious.

One of the funniest scenes in the movie happened at a restaurant in the middle of the jungle. Kuzco had to dress up like a woman to get in because they don't serve llamas. Kronk and Yzma showed up at the same restaurant. Kronk ended up taking over for the cook. Yzma and Kuzco were going in and out of the kitchen changing their orders while Kronk was busy cooking up all kinds of stuff. Pasha created a distraction so they could get out of there. I thought Kronk was hilarious. He was a bit of a bumbling idiot, but he was really funny. The Emperor's New Groove is definitely one of the funniest Disney movies ever, if not the funniest.

The DVD had some extra features on it. There was a deleted scene that was shown in a test version. It was just the pencil sketches of the scene. There were three behind the scenes featurettes that tell about how the movie was made and talks with the voice talents.

There was a music video for Sting's song My Funny Friend and Me. There is another music video for a song called Walk the Llama Llama. The video showed how to do the llama llama. There was a trivia game that asked questions about the movie. There was another game where you have to mix the potions in Yzma's secret lab to come up with the right one to make Kuzco human again. The DVD also contained some things for the DVD ROM of your computer. I didn’t have one of those when I got the movie, so I couldn’t check them out then, and I haven’t taken the time to check them out yet.

When I got my copy of The Emperor's New Groove, it also came with a free copy of an Atlantis game. I tried to play it, but it wouldn't run on the computer I had at that time. I think there was also a trailer for the movie Atlantis on the other disc but since it wouldn't work in my outdated computer, I'm not sure. I’m not sure where that disc is now, so I haven’t been able to check it out on my new computer.

At different points throughout The Emperor’s New Groove, Kuzco was heard narrating what was happening. That was different for a Disney movie, but it was ok. There weren't a lot of songs in this movie, and that was ok with me too. I have liked some of the songs in other Disney movies, but I didn't like all of them. Sometimes it seemed like there were too many songs in some of the movies. I still enjoyed this one even though there weren't a lot of songs in it. Some people could be disappointed since there aren’t more songs in the movie.

I thought that the voices were wonderful in The Emperor’s New Groove. The voices matched the characters perfectly. David Spade provided the voice of Kuzco. He sounded perfect in the role. John Goodman provided the voice of Pacha. He has provided voices for other Disney movies too, including Sully in Monsters, Inc.. Wendie Malick did the voice of Pacha’s wife. She wasn’t in too much of the movie, but she was good in her scenes. I’ve only seen her in Just Shoot Me on tv. This character was really different. Eartha Kitt was wonderful as Yzma. Her voice matched the character perfectly. Patrick Warburton provided the voice of Kronk. He was great. He had some of the funniest lines in the movie. It was hilarious when he talked to the little squirrel. He had a small role in Men in Black II. I think he was also in Seinfield. I am sure I’ve seen him in some other movies, but I can’t remember what now.

CHARACTERS

Kuzco - He was a spoiled, whiney emperor. He thought the world revolved around him. He got very upset when he didn’t get his way. He didn’t care about other people. He thought nothing of having an old man thrown out a window or planning to destroy a village to make a summer palace. He was turned into a llama when he ticked off the wrong person. He had to learn to think of others. He changed a lot during the movie.

Pacha - He was a farmer from a small village. He was very kind. He was married and had two children. His wife was expecting their third child. I do believe this was the first time a pregnant woman was a character in a Disney movie. Pacha was very upset with Kuzco over the plans for the summer palace. He was less than thrilled to be stuck with Kuzco as a llama, but Pacha agreed to help him.

Yzma - She was Kuzco’s advisor. She wanted to rule. Whenever Kuzco wasn’t around, she sat in the thrown and acted like the ruler. He caught her one time too many and fired her. She was furious. She came up with a plan to get rid of Kuzco so she could be the new ruler. She had her henchman Kronk doing her dirty work. When she learned that things weren’t done like she wanted, she was furious. She was determined to get rid of Kuzco. She was described as being scary beyond all reason.

Kronk - was Yzma's sidekick. She got him to do her dirty work, but he usually messed up in some way. Kronk wasn't really a bad guy, he just did what Yzma told him too. He was a bit of a bumbling idiot at times, but he was basically a kind man.

I love The Emperor’s New Groove. It is easily one of the funniest Disney movies, and it is one of my favorites now too. It is suitable for all ages, children and adults. People who like Disney movie or other animated movie should give this one a look.

Related Reviews
Men in Black II ~

Animated Movie Reviews
Sleeping Beauty ~ Monsters, Inc. ~ Lilo & Stitch ~ Finding Nemo ~ Treasure Planet ~ Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius ~ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ~ Brother Bear ~ Looney Tunes: Back in Action ~ The Cat in the Hat ~


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4