20 Years Later: The Emperor’s New Groove

Director: Mark Dindal
Starring: David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt
Running time: 78 minutes

The Emperor’s New Groove was released in the early 2000s, following on from the highs of Disney Animation’s renaissance era. With films such as The Little Mermaid and The Lion King before it, The Emperor’s New Groove had big expectations to meet. Were these expectations met? Well, no. Although the film gives us funny and likeable characters, witty dialogue and great animation for its time, there is still a feeling that there is something missing.

The film follows the arrogant, self-centred but fun Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) as he is forced on a journey of self-reflection and discovery, after using, abusing, and alienating all around him. The young monarch gets some obscure, but much needed comeuppance, after a plot by Eartha Kitt’s Yzma sees him banished and transformed into a llama, with help from her right-hand man Kronk (Patrick Warburton). Alone and llamafied, Kuzco is now forced to team up with those he had previously wronged and journey alongside the noble farmer Pacha (John Goodman) – who Kuzco had tried to make homeless. The unlikely pairing carries the film with their good-cop, man-child-dictator-cop dynamic, which is equal parts heartfelt and slapstick-riddled.

Although the story is simple, the fleshed-out characters and their individual journey is what makes this film a great watch. Our main character has a believable development that audiences will easily recognise and relate to. Kuzco at the beginning of the film is maniacally terrible, but by the end of the film you're left rooting for him and his journey. There are some emotional elements that are rushed in the film, with Pacha often not getting the screen time and development he deserves. There is a scene where Pacha is going through an emotional beat that could have led to some interesting interactions and dialogue, but this is shafted by commentary from Kuzco, that although fits his character well, means that heartfelt moments are ruined. Maybe this is metacommentary from Disney Studios about how emotionally-charged their last movies have been, but alas the lack of emotional moments with certain characters makes their journeys a little rushed and underdeveloped.

It has been well documented that The Emperors’ New Groove was intended to be a musical titled Kingdom of the Sun, but production problems saw the musical elements scrapped. If you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend Snuff out the Light as it was intended to be Yzma’s main song. The film reeks of these missed opportunities for music, and some of the missed emotional beats would probably be resolved with a character song. That being said, the musical score from John Debney used within the film fits the tone well and keeps the energy levels up throughout.

Of course, the standout element of this film that makes it an enduring classic that remains one of Disney’s most underrated features is the comedy and sharp writing. This film is genuinely hilarious. The nonsense comedy fits the tone and the characters well, with the film unashamedly priding itself on its absurdity. All the characters offer some comic relief, but Patrick Warburton’s Kronk is the clear GOAT - no pun intended - and is by far the funniest character Disney will ever produce. The relationship between Kronk and Eartha Kitt’s Yzma is electric, their relationship brings so much comedy to the film and every scene with them is enjoyable to watch. There is an entire generation of people that cannot look at levers the same way - now that is a legacy Disney probably didn’t realise it would leave on this world. 

I haven’t watched a film recently that made me laugh as much as The Emperor’s New Groove, it is pure nonsense that most people still adore to this day. There is an inescapable feeling that there was the potential for something greater, but this doesn’t take away from the comedic masterpiece we have today.

Did you know? Pacha’s wife, Chicha (Wendie Malick) is pregnant. According to the DVD commentary, this is the first Disney Animated Feature to show a pregnant woman.