Thrashbrowns v. Mouse House, Round 5

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

The Story:

Vain, entitled emperor Kuzco (David Spade) pisses off the wrong sorceress and ends up transformed into a llama and lost in the jungle. Kind-hearted peasant Pacha (John Goodman) agrees to help Kuzco get back to his palace, leading to scene after scene of slapsticky laughs and the two leads arguing like an old married couple.  Meanwhile, sorceress Izma (Eartha Kitt) scours the rain forests looking to find Kuzco and put an end to his life. Rama-Llama-Ding-Dong, we got ourselves a movie.

Has Thrashbrowns seen it? Why or why not?

I've seen bits and pieces, most of them whilst hanging out with Clifton at the comic book store back in the day. I knew enough about the story to know what was going on but I've never seen it start to finish.

The Good:

This is easily the most consistently funny movie I've watched for this feature so far. The back-and-forth between Kuzco and Pacha can wear this at points, but it works pretty well for the most part. There's a scene involving a squirrel and some jaguars that I'm still chuckling about. 

On top of that, you have Kronk. He's. Fucking. Hilarious. Between the character-based humor, like his pride in his spinach dumplings, his physical gags and Warburton's voice performance, Kronk consistently delivers a hefty helping of consistent, genuine laughter.

Also, Tom Jones singing on the soundtrack? I dig it.

The Bad:

Honestly, apart from the well-worn story arc of the protagonist, there's not a lot that really bugged me. Izma isn't a particularly engaging villain and gets overshadowed by Kronk. But she also gets turned into a kitten, so I can make that slide.

Most Annoying Disney-ism:

Again, I'm having a hard time coming up with a Disney-ism in New Groove that really bothered me. Kuzco's turn toward being decent happens a little suddenly for my taste, but we're talking about a Mouse House movie for kids, not a piece of Swedish art cinema. So again, I'mma let this movie slide. Yeah. I know. You can tell me all about how I'm not doing my job as a critic. It won't be the first time...

Does Thrashbrowns get why people love this?

Absolutely. It's fast-paced and funny, with characters that draw you in and keep you interested from the first frame to the last. New Groove tells a good story in a way that's very entertaining and has a little something for everyone.

Did Thrashbrowns like it?

Hell yeah! I wasn't sure I would because I don't remember seeing anything before now that piqued my interest, but I had a blast. Not only that, but I can see myself watching this flick again and again.

Up Next: 

We missed Moana because of illness and winter and other shit, so that one's still on the list. But we've had a request for Zootopia, so we'll put that one next on the list.