he emperor Kuzco (Spade) is a pampered and self-centered ruler with the
world at his command. It doesn't bother him that the plans for his new summer
water resort--a birthday gift to himself dubbed Kuzcotopia--will displace an
entire village of peasants. He has citizens punished for such minor crimes
as disrupting his "groove." But the Emperor's life of luxury and excess isn't
entirely without a downside.
It turns out that his ambitious royal advisor, Yzma (Kitt), whom he describes
as "scary beyond all reason," wants the throne for herself. When Kuzco catches
her ruling behind his back he acrimoniously fires her. Yzma vows to get even
and schemes with her dimwitted henchman, Kronk (Warburton), to poison the emperor
and take over after his death. Kronk, however, accidentally delivers the wrong
vial and gives Kuzco a potion which turns him into a llama instead.
Yzma orders Kronk to dispose of the emperor llama, but Kronk finds he doesn't
have the heart to do it. He loses the sack carrying Kuzco, which winds up on
the back of a peasant's cart. Coincidentally, the cart happens to belong to Pacha
(Goodman), one of the peasants whose family will be made homeless by the impending
construction of Kuzcotopia.
When Pacha discovers the true identity of the llama, he offers to help him
get back to the palace and restore the emperor's true form if he will agree
to build his summer home elsewhere. Kuzco refuses, but Pacha, trusting that
there is some good in his heart, helps him out anyway. An uneasy bond is formed
between the two as they journey back to the palace, pursued all the while by
the tenacious yet bumbling Yzma and Kronk.
Beastly wit and attitude to spare
This latest offering from Disney's Feature Animation division comes to the
screen after nearly five years in the making. Formerly known in various
incarnations as Empire of the Sun and Kingdom of the Sun, the
original script was completely retooled and several songs dropped from the soundtrack
in favor of a lighter, more comedic tone. With the exception of the unfortunate
new title, which doesn't suit the film at all, the final product seems to have
generally benefited from the overhaul.
One thing the creators have clearly done right is to allow Spade's cynical,
sarcastic humor to drive the comedic tone of the film. His narration and asides
to the audience are some of the funniest and most original moments. There's
also a hint of sensitivity in his performance that plays well against Goodman's
earnestness. Warburton also gives a standout performance as the doltish yet
sensitive Kronk. Kitt's serpentine villainess Yzma is sufficiently scary.
Superb voice acting aside, The Emperor's New Groove suffers slightly
from the uninteresting visual style and forgettable musical score. The characters
themselves are well developed and skillfully animated, but the backdrop lacks
the sweeping grandiosity of Disney's past successes. While there are some untraditional
elements to the story--certain winking liberties are taken with plot and timing
and there's no love interest to speak of--it can't exactly be considered groundbreaking
either. Though it is certainly funny and enjoyable throughout, these drawbacks
keep the film from achieving the status of an instant classic.
