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Review by Susan Granger
3 stars out of 4
If Walt Disney were to wander into the multiplex tonight,
he'd wonder which studio did this animated film. Unlike what's come to
be known as the Mouse House formula (or rut, depending on your point
of view), there's only one or two songs and no romantic subplot. The
story begins with a lonely, braying llama being drenched by rain in
Peru. Only he's not an ordinary llama. He's actually Kuzco (voiced by
David Spade), once the ruler of a pre-Colombian empire, who was
accidentally transformed by his scheming, malevolent advisor Yzma
(growling Eartha Kitt). Her dim-witted, muscular assistant, Kronk
(Patrick Warburton), was supposed to kill him. Instead, he escaped in
the back of a cart belonging to Pacha, a good-natured, hulking peasant
(John Goodman), his pregnant wife Chica (Wendy Malick) and five
daughters whose village Kuzco had intended to raze to build a vacation
resort. The adventure revolves around the emotional maturation of the
not-quite-18 year-old selfish, sarcastic, obnoxious Kuzco as he tries
to find an antidote for the llama spell and hoofs his way back to the
palace with Pacha to claim his rightful throne. Written by David
Reynolds from a story by Chris Williams and director Mark Dindal, it's
basically a buddy comedy and the quips are jazzy and hip, like "Your
department is being downsized" and "We're not picking up your option."
Reportedly, Sting and David Hartley composed a full musical score but
what remains is "Perfect World," sung by Tom Jones, and "My Funny
Friend and Me." On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Emperor's
New Groove" is a lively, swingin' 7. Curiously, it shares the same
historical setting as "The Road to El Dorado."
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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