Light hearted Disney fun

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2015)

In The Emperor's New Groove, an emperor is turned into a llama by his evil ex administrator and works with a llama herder to get his throne back. Certainly not the most ambitious or sophisticated of animated films, TENG is a light heated buddy comedy which runs on comic gags and energetic jokes. In terms of entertainment level it hits the mark. The animation looks good and visually the film works well, but what makes it work is the humour. The film often resembles an automatic joke dispenser as the inventive, witty and biting gags never stop flowing and the film maintains a very good pace throughout. 90 minutes was definitely the right length for the movie and it manages not to run out of steam. Another fun thing about the film is how it is timeless since it's set in the past but features many modern elements. The script oozes with laughs and is amusingly meta, with the emperor providing some amusing narration throughout the film.
There are problems with TENG though. The buddy relationship at the centre of the film is cliché, predictable and rushed, while the emperor himself is a pretty unlikable character. There are dips here and there, the consistently zany and funny atmosphere means tension falls by the wayside. Ultimately, this is never more than light entertainment although that isn't ultimately a problem even if it means you're unlikely to remember the film as much as some other Disney movies. With it's entertainingly over the top set pieces and fittingly silly tone, this will entertain many kids and some but not all of the adults. Disney just strip the story down to the comedy and entertainment here and it mostly works. An entertaining movie for the whole family to watch together, TENG hits the comedy notes with skill and is a good time. It's not a lot more than that but it is a jolly good time.
7/10