REVIEW: Emporer’s New Groove
Travis Call, Staff Writer
For the rest of the free world, last week was the release date of the critically acclaimed and eagerly anticipated movie “Traffic” – a story about the lives of those affected by America’s bustling drug trade. We researched the movie and waited. That Friday, with note-taking pencils in hand, we checked the papers and guess what? No “Traffic.”
Anyone new to the area might as well know this in advance. If you want to see a movie when it releases, don’t count on seeing it here. If you’ve gotten used to the quality of service provided by the theaters in the larger cities, you’re in for a disappointment. We’re way behind industry standards – so far that we should still be referring to theaters in Logan as “the movin’ picture shows.”
So with a bitter taste in our mouths, one that we’re starting to get used to, we combed the theaters looking for something to review in this week’s paper. Since every movie in the valley is old enough to remember Clark Gable, we spun the bottle and landed on “The Emperor’s New Groove.”
Great – a Disney cartoon … and another movie from the granddaddy of all corporate fun mongers. I couldn’t have been less excited. At least my wife was – and it turns out she had a right to be.
“Emperor’s New Groove” is a funny, funny show. Not only is it lacking in the tedious musical diversions of its “Little Mermaid” predecessors, but it was obvious that the writers were careful to incorporate the personalities of the celebrities whose voices they borrowed.
David Spade (Tommy Boy) couldn’t have been more perfectly cast for his role as the sarcastic and egocentric emperor Kuzco. Even though it is perfectly obvious that being turned into a Llama will force him to discover his humanity, the predictable story is regularly punctuated with moments of unexpected comedy. Patrick Warburton is also a perfect fit as Kronk, the dimwitted sidekick of Yzma the witch.
It’s obvious that Disney isn’t just trying to entertain children with this film. It regularly makes references to the kind of comedy that only adults would find entertaining. Kuzco informs Yzma that she is fired, downsized or restructured, causing her to hatch her plot to take over the kingdom. There are also several references to Kronk’s being nothing more than a sugar daddy – one of several who have been replaced in favor of younger, more virile men.
“Emperor’s New Groove” is not a new story; but it is a fresh one – and it’s definitely worth a look.
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