It's all about Spade!

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2001)

Am I alone in thinking Disney's "Tarzan" was boring?
Am I alone in thinking that, actually, all animated Disney films were sub-par since "The Lion King"?
Did I think that the future of Disney was Pixar, and not the animation department? Oh, yes. I did. Guilty.
This is Disney's proof that they can still make an amazingly good movie. I am very surprised, though. I understand that the studio has two animation teams, which work on different Disney projects. One of them is far more powerful than the other, with more resources. If that is true, then Disney should promote the team that created "Emperor", because, even tough it looks very cheaply made (when compared to Disney's high standards) it is a very entertaining, very good, very groovy film.
It's all about Spade, actually. Reprising his role in "Tommy Boy", we see the acidic, sarcastic character. He likes to torture everyone around him. He finds in Pacha his "Tommy" (if you haven't seen that film, it is highly recommended), a guy who is noble, likeable and sweet (as a matter of fact, both films are very similar, being "road trips" in some sort of sense). He, as you might expect, subjects his partner to all kinds of humiliations, until he learns his moral lesson. Pretty simple stuff, but it is handled with heavy doses of humor everywhere. This film succeeds because everything is funny, lighthearted and uncomplicated. Forget Tarzan's luscious scenery, or Hunchback's feeble attempts at humour launched at a mostly depressing scenario. This film is fast, furious and lighthearted. And musical interludes are kept to a minimum, and when used they are very effective. Yes!
I loved it. I can only hope Atlantis will be as good as this one. A solid 9 (had it been animated by the "heavy honchos" of Disney, the result would have been different... surely for the worst).