Happy
June! Since it is my birth month, I am
being self-indulgent and writing about all of my favourite movies. For some of the more well-known movies out
there, I will be mostly reflecting on the why it is one of my
favourites, as opposed to the usual format of a plot rundown and a wee little
bit of reflection. Not all of my
favourite movies are classics – some fall into the guilty pleasure category –
but whatever. It’s my birthday month,
deal with it. OK, disclaimer out of the
way, let us begin…
#342:
The Emperor’s New Groove (2000).
I told y’all they aren’t all classics!
Actually, this is one of my favourite Disney’s, and I think it is
completely underrated and a classic in its own right. But that’s just me…
OK,
the players:
Kuzco:
Voiced by David Spade. He’s a spoiled
ruler who wants to destroy a home to make way for his fancy vacation home and
gets turned into a llama. See? You love this movie already!
Pacha:
Voiced by John Goodman. He’s a farmer
whose house is in jeopardy of being destroyed and turned into Kuzco’s vacation
home. He has a snarky wife and a couple
of kids, with another on the way.
Yzma:
Voiced by the delightful Eartha Kitt.
She’s a sorceress (?) and one of Kuzco’s advisors. Also eeeeeviiiil. She tries to kill Kuzco so she can be in
charge of the kingdom, but the potions got mixed up and she turns him into a
llama.
Kronk:
Voiced by Patrick Warburton. Kronk is
dumb as rocks, and probably the best thing about this movie. He is hilarious. He’s Yzma’s sidekick, but struggles with
doing the right thing.
The
Rundown:
Kuzco
is a spoiled brat who rules a little South American kingdom. He treats his subjects with disdain, and only
cares about his best interests. Suffice
it to say, he is not what one would call a beloved ruler.
Pacha
comes to see him, and he tells him that he plans on demolishing his house to
make way for a vacation home. It’s the
prettiest spot in the kingdom, apparently.
Blah, blah, blah-you’re evicted, Kuzco is a jerk.
Yzma
plots to kill Kuzco and at dinner with him turns him into a llama because he fired her. Kronk messed up. So, she decides to throw him in the
river. But Kronk’s conscience and
stupidity get the better of him, and he winds up dumping Kuzco in Pacha’s wagon
as Pacha sadly makes his way home.
Upon
discovering that Kuzco is not a demon llama, but an enchanted one, he
determines that he needs to get him back to his palace. But not before begging him to reconsider the
vacation home. After some snark, Kuzco
heads out by himself. Inevitably, he
winds up cold, alone and miserable. He
has an incident with some creatures in the forest, and Pacha saves him! Cue the buddy pic!
Basically,
they have to get him back to the palace because Yzma is going to ruin the
kingdom if she rules it, and Yzma and Kronk are also out to get them. Their paths cross in a hilarious scene in a
diner, and then the race is really on.
There’s a “battle” of sorts, reminiscent of the wizard duel between Mad
Madam Mim and Merlin in The Sword in the Stone, where Kuzco and Yzma keep
drinking potions in the hopes to either turn human or destroy each other. Kuzco goes through a few animals, drinks the
llama potion, and says my favourite line ever: “Yay, I’m a llama again!”,
followed by his face falling. You really
have to see it to get it… Oh, here…
So,
eventually Kuzco turns human again, Yzma gets turned permanently into a
helpless kitten, Kronk runs the local chipmunks troop, and Pacha gets to keep
his house. Kuzco still gets his vacation
home, just on the hilltop next to Pacha’s house, and learns some very
important lessons. The end.
So,
this was a tough one for me to recap for y’all for some reason, probably
because there really isn’t much too it.
It’s a road trip buddy picture which is, plot wise, thoroughly
predictable. There’s no songs, save for
the opening and closing number, and it moves along at a pretty good clip. I also usually have the movie on while I
write, at least for inspiration, but for some reason, I couldn’t find the time
to do so this week, so… yeah, not my finest work here. Apologies to all!
So,
why is this movie listed as my one of my all-time faves? It is “experimental” Disney that worked. Not a lot of people appreciate this movie,
but I think it is a great step out of the box for them. At this point, Pixar was starting to rule the
animation department, and the fairy tale style was starting to slip. Then there was this weird little movie that
helped pave the way for something like Lilo and Stitch. For that, I am ever thankful.
It’s
funny – it has a lot of great one-liners that my friend Val and I randomly
quote to each other all the time. Out of
context, they make no sense whatsoever, but we think they’re hilarious.
I
also do have a bit of a personal attachment to this one – it was one of the
first movies I saw when I moved to Pittsburgh , PA
But
overall, it’s just a fun movie that moves along at a great pace. David Spade and John Goodman play off of each
other beautifully, Eartha Kitt is brilliant, and Patrick Warburton is
perfection as Kronk. Who, by the way,
was the one who got the spin-off.
Stylistically,
it’s unique and interesting to look at, the uses of colour and shape are really
great. And musically? Well, like I said, there’s only one song at
the beginning and then reprised at the end.
But it’s sung by Tom Jones. Yeah,
that Tom Jones. Awesome.
I
say, if you haven’t seen this one, check it out. It’s a harmless movie, and a lot of fun.
That’s
a wrap! Up next: another “Val and
Bethie” movie!
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