Although Sting was Oscar-nominated for My Funny Friend and Me , Disney wisely ditched the rest of his song score to steer New Groove from its original earnest stance. The result is a breezy animated comic adventure without warbling to weigh it down. Spade's sarcastic put-downs and the film's zestful action give Disney its most contemporary edge since Aladdin . Tender moments arise, but this isn't about life lessons so much as snappy humor and gags for gags' sake.
Backgrounds can be sparse, but the animation is top-notch, as is the voice cast.
While it is fun for all ages, Groove also offers tidbits geared toward older viewers, such as a scene drawn from 1958's The Fly and a riff from the 1964 pop hit The Girl From Ipanema . Director Billy Bob Thornton captures the bittersweet beauty of their dream, but he loses his grip on emotional tone. Perhaps a man's got to do what a man's got to do, but Damon is less a hero than a stubborn desperado with nowhere to go. For all his flubbed lines shown on DVD outtakes, Michael Caine is equally engaging as the cynical beauty expert who must whip her into shape. But Benjamin Bratt and his fellow male FBI agents are a bust, behaving more like boorish frat boys than disciplined professionals.