i 'll be the first to admit i did n't expect much from the emperor 's new groove : more celine dion - esque song - and - dance numbers , cuddly characters that become cross - promotion devices in mcdonald 's happy meals , and hollywood stars trying to gain credibility by adding a voice - over job to their resume .
i was dead wrong about all of those things .
the emperor 's new groove is funny .
damn funny .
and the cute characters in the film are the dangerous ones .
the script is fast and furious , with no singing and dancing .
the animation is clean and would give walt a warm feeling all over .
the humor is dry and aimed at both the cynicism and the goodness in all of us .
the story is ridiculously weird and comes off as a strange acid trip involving talking , cross - dressing llamas and schizophrenia .
here 's the plot ; try to follow along .
set in a mythical kingdom , the film follows the adventures of kuzco ( david spade ) , an arrogant and egocentric emperor .
when kuzco fires his power - hungry advisor , yzma ( eartha kitt ) , she and her " assistant " kronk ( seinfeld 's patrick warburton ) change him into a llama .
kuzco then gets stranded in the jungle and must rely on pacha ( john goodman ) , a llama - herder whose home was to be replaced by kuzco 's water world theme park , to save him .
then the fun starts .
for the next sixty minutes , the audience is treated to something unheard of in disney films these days :
imagination .
yzma , voiced by the talented singer eartha kitt , looks like a cross between norma desmond , joan crawford , and a really old vegas showgirl .
the dialogue between her and her oblivious assistant kronk is quick , sharp , and feels like an episode of seinfeld ( which would make sense ) .
david spade and john goodman 's character interactions make you feel like you 're watching an old hope / crosby film .
spade is beyond dry with his humor and shoots below the belt on several occasions , and i laughed out loud several times .
needless to say , that is an extremely rare thing in disney screenings these days .
the best part about the emperor 's new groove is how audacious the film is .
the sheer weirdness factor is very high .
cross - dressing , schizophrenia , duality of soul , people being turned into every animal on noah 's boat , llama cpr , homoerotic tendencies , an emperor with his own theme song and singer , michael jackson dance moves , and a guy that can communicate with a squirrel are only a few of the oddities that make the film a true orginal .
simply put , the emperor 's new groove is one of the best children 's films out for this holiday season .
kids will enjoy the adventures , and parents will enjoy the story and dialogue .
that 's a tough thing to pull off in a single package , but this emperor manages to do it .
quick , sharp , and feels like an episode of seinfeld i laughed out loud several times one of the best children 's films the best part the script is fast and furious funny . damn funny . make the film a true orginal the animation is clean