A hilarious buddy film that just HAPPENS to be animated.

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2000)

Now that "Emperor's New Groove" has arrived, I will forgive Disney for that bad film (IMO) that was "102 Dalmatians."
I thought this is one of Disney's best films in YEARS.
For starters, the voice cast is EXCELLENT. David Spade is sensational as Kuzco, the emperor-turned-llama. (Kuzco is a rarity for a Disney film: a main character that we're actually NOT supposed to like!) John Goodman is in Dan Conner mode (his character from TV's "Roseanne") as Pacha, the kind-hearted llama herder. Eartha Kitt is great as Yzma, and Patrick Warbuton steals the show as Kronk, Yzma's dimwitted henchman. Spade and Goodman are wonderful together, and they make a great buddy team. And that's essentially what the film is: a buddy film.
It should be said that there is no groundbreaking animation or Broadway showtunes in this film. And you know what? GREAT!!! Contrary to what some may believe, there is no Golden Rule that says all movies shalt have those two things in order to be entertaining. The animation is clean, vibrant and colorful; the opening song performed by Tom Jones is very catchy; and the story WORKS. But that is just what I was expecting from a movie directed by Mark Dindal, who also directed the wonderful, overlooked "Cats Don't Dance." Dindal injects "Groove" with the same energy level he did "Cats," and the results pop off the screen.
If you want groundbreaking animation and Broadway tunes, go put "Aladdin" back in the VCR. But if you want an entertaining film that will make adults laugh as much as--if not more than--kids, then shake your "Groove" thing over to see the "Emperor."