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When I first
saw “The Emperor’s New Groove”
in theatres back in 2000, I was a bit under-whelmed.
I was expecting a far out and fast paced
comedy in the vein of “Aladdin”,
but for some reason I just didn’t
get that many laughs out of it. I really
thought this was strange taking into consideration
the fact that some of the main characters
were being voiced by David Spade, Patrick
Warburton and John Goodman, all of whom
I’m a huge fan of. How could you get
these three guys together and not be funny?
But then I received a copy of the new DVD
release out this week from Disney. My son
talked me into watching it with him, all
the time swearing was hysterical. So I made
the plunge and gave it a second try…
five years later. I’m really not sure
what happened, but I must have either had
a headache all those years ago or my funny
bone was on vacation. Because this second
time around I laughed through most of the
movie, sometimes really hard I might add.
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Of course this isn’t the first time this
has happened to me. I remember watching “Chicken
Run” for the first time and not really getting
into it. Then I watched it again a few weeks later
and loved it.
“The Emperor’s New Groove” stars
David Spade as the Emperor Kuzco. The Emperor
is a smug and arrogant soul determined that he
is the absolute center of the universe. He’s
undeniably ‘cool’ and considers it
his utmost priority to keep his ‘Groove’
on. In celebration of his ‘Groove-ness’,
Kuzco decides to build a water park in his honor.
The downside is that it will mean the destruction
of one of the villages in his kingdom. His plans
are interrupted by his ex-administrator Yzma (Eartha
Kitt) whom he has recently fired. In revenge,
Yzma turns Kuzco into a llama and he suddenly
finds himself in the hand of a lama herder by
the name of Pacha (John Goodman). Pacha offers
to help Kuzco regain his throne, but only if he
promises to move the water park.
Unlike most of the Disney animated features that
have come out in recent years, here we don’t
have a lovely damsel in distress, but rather an
annoying little twerp who seemingly gets his comeuppance.
There are still lessons to be learned, mostly
about friendship and the caring of others, but
these are but a small part of the fast paced action
and witty one-liners.
Spade isn’t always the most likable of actors,
and I know a lot of people who don’t like
his humor. He’s incredibly smarmy and insulting,
which oddly enough is just the kind of humor I
enjoy. He does a great job playing off of John
Goodman, so much so that I’d love to see
the two do a live action comedy some day. Eartha
Kitt just drips evil as the usurper of the Emperor’s
throne, and Patrick Warburton (who has a knack
for brilliant voiceover work) almost makes the
whole move as Yzma’s dim-witted sidekick,
Kronk. (Kronk has actually become a popular enough
character that he seems to be the subject of his
own spin-off direct to DVD movie later in the
year.)
The biggest question that comes to mind is ‘why’
Disney is releasing this film on DVD again? There
were already two earlier releases, one a standard
issue single disc affair, the other a two disc
Special Edition. They are also doing this with
“Tarzan” this week, but the earlier
releases of that one are now out of print. Both
earlier versions of “The Emperor’s
New Groove” are still available. And this
‘NEW’ version seems to have all the
same extra features as the 2-disc Special Edition,
with only a couple of added deleted scenes making
the difference.
My guess is two-fold. On one hand, I have no idea
how many copies of these earlier editions are
still floating around and it’s a good way
to drum up interest. I’m also betting that
it has to do with the fact that the director,
Mark Dindal, is also helming Disney’s new
theatrical release “Chicken Little.”
It’s a great way to get “The Emperor’s
New Groove” back into the minds of audiences
AND do a little marketing for the new movie.
Amongst the special features you’ll find
are the aforementioned deleted scenes as well
as a lengthy “Behind the Scenes” featurette.
You’ll also find a look at the making of
the video for Sting’s “My Funny Friend
and Me”, a music video for Rascal Flat’s
“Walk the Llama Llama” and a couple
of set-top games. There is also a commentary from
the filmmakers, which was admittedly fairly amusing
and informative.
I’m still not sure what went wrong the first
time I saw “The Emperor’s New Groove”,
but I’m glad I gave it a second chance (even
if it took me five years). If you don’t
have a copy of this movie on DVD, this is the
one to get, but if you already own the 2-disc
Special Edition that came out a while back, that’s
really all you need.
Directed by: Mark Dindal
Starring (the voices of): David Spade, Patrick
Warburton, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt
Extras: Commentary by: the filmmakers, Deleted
Scenes, The Emperor's Got Game -- Help Kuzco Get
From Pacha's House Back To The Castle, Rascal
Flatts Music Video -- Learn To "Walk The
Llama Llama" As Featured On THE EMPEROR'S
NEW GROOVE Soundtrack, Sting's Making The Music
Video -- Featuring The Academy Award–Nominated
Song "My Funny Friend And Me", Behind
The Scenes -- A Fast-Paced Tour Of How The Film
Was Made
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Sound
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 10/18/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website
We'll give The Emperor's New Groove: New Groove
Edition a B.
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