The Emperor's New Groove. Opinions?

**Calhoun07** · 05-03-2001, 09:56 PM

I am surprised nobody is talking about this one on here....

I bought this one Tuesday, the two disc special edition, of course, as none of Disney's special editions have the forced trailers on them. I had my apprehensions about this one, I will admit it, but when DVDFile.com compared it to the Black Cauldron, I was sold. I wasn't sold on this movie when I saw the trailers and the commercials for it, as it looked dumb to me, but after seeing it, I realized that perhaps what kept the audience away from the movie wasn't that it was dumb, but that it was marketed poorly. (And to think that Disney pumped more money into promoting that abysmal 102 Dalmations. I can't bring myself to comment any further regarding that.)

TENG was the most original, best Disney movie I have seen....well, I don't know since when. I don't own many Disney DVDs, and the ones I do own are more for sentimental reasons, either because they meant something to me when I was a kid, or I like the story. But for the most part, I HATE the musical numbers in most of them (tho not all, I am not against them, just don't care for the most of them) and I get tired of the "funny" animal sidekicks they introduce into otherwise good movies. It's like they HAVE to have a toy tie in. Hunchback of Noterdame would have been a helluva lot better if they got rid of the singing gargoyles and such, and just focused on Victor Hugo's story.

TENG had NONE of the things I hate about Disney movies in it. In fact, it had more in common with a Dreamworks animated feature than the Disney movies that have come out in the last 15 years or so, in that it departed so drastically from their previous formula. An original story, a funny story, and characters I really enjoyed, drove this movie home for me. It worked on so many levels for me, I would have to say I place it up there with the Iron Giant as favorite animated movie.

Unfortunately, given the poor box office numbers for this movie, I doubt that Disney will realize the truth that it marketed the movie wrong and pushed the wrong movie at the wrong time (102 Dalmations) and will go back to making more formulaic garbage. I enjoyed the animation tremendously in Tarzan, but the story and everything else was just a lame carbon copy of everything else Disney has done before. I hope that TENG and the upcoming Atlantis are signs that Disney are finally breaking the mold and going for more adventurous animation, but only time will tell.

**The Mad Hatter** · 05-03-2001, 10:20 PM

I did TENG very much, and have the two-DVD set myself. (Haven't seen all the special features yet, but I'm working on it.) It manages to break the Disney stereotypes of the young "diamond in the rough" type, the mentor, the love interest, etc. Instead, they concentrate on four GREAT characters, and settle in to just be funny for 80 minutes. It never pretends to be epic, it's just darn fun.

As for why it sank in the box office... I think part of it comes from Disney's lack of support for it (or even really clarifying what it is, as a lot of people I know were turned off by David Spade going "uh-huh, uh-huh" after he rescues Pacha from the cliff... that scene was in EVERY commercial). See, Disney is sick of this film. As you've seen in the DVD set, it started out as the VERY different "Kingdom in the Sun." What the DVD may not tell you is that the flick was very much a stereotypical Disney flick with the songs and the diamond in the rough and all that. And it was so bad, that the head Disney honchos said that, even after lots of money was spent and lots of animation was FINISHED, the producers need to take this in a different direction or it'll be cancelled. Hence the new, funny direction. Problem is, all the Disney execs were so sick of dealing with the movie that they didn't realize that it wasn't just adequate, it was darn good. Hence the weak push.

Which is a shame, I'd love to see Disney do an all-out comedy every once in a while for variety. Still, at least it looks like they're going to a straight adventure flick with Atlantis... I'm really excited about that one (and no songs, either).

Personally, I'd compare TENG to a feature-length Looney Tune. Check it out.

**Calhoun07** · 05-03-2001, 11:12 PM

Personally, I'd compare TENG to a feature-length Looney Tune. Check it out. [/B][/QUOTE]

I wasn't comparing it to Iron Giant (I don't know if that's what you thought, but I didn't want anybody thinking that!). Just it is a personal favorite of mine, as is Iron Giant. I love both movies for obviously different reasons.

**RockItShipper** · 05-04-2001, 01:06 AM

Amazon has a list of the 2 disc special features here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...557048-9110200

BTW, anyone read my ENG fic over at ff.net? I'm thinking of exploring this couple a bit more.

**The Mad Hatter** · 05-04-2001, 10:45 AM

I wasn't comparing it to Iron Giant (I don't know if that's what you thought, but I didn't want anybody thinking that!). Just it is a personal favorite of mine, as is Iron Giant. I love both movies for obviously different reasons.

No, I didn't think you were directly comparing it to Iron Giant, I was just offering a differing opinion to the way you said it was like a Dreamworks flick.

Yeah, Iron Giant was spiffy... and like Disney's mess with TENG, WB didn't know how to market Iron Giant at all. And it looks like they may be dropping the ball with Osmosis Jones too. Dangit.

Oh, and I found out that, in Osmosis Jones, the trip to Gonad's Gym was scrapped. Dangit. (If you don't know, don't ask.

)

**John-Paul** · 05-01-2002, 10:55 PM

It was a decent movie!

**Mr. Obsession** · 05-02-2002, 12:14 AM

I must really question the purpose behind resurrecting a thread that's over a year old. Why? Especially when you're not going to add anything to the conversation.

That said, I thought TENG was a wonderful movie with a great cast, excellent animation, and a good story. And to think that originally TENG was going to be another Disney musical with cute talking animals.

**JTurner954** · 05-02-2002, 12:40 AM

I liked it. It had a bit of a Simpsons-esque charm to it. And David Spade sounded like he was doing his "Spade in America" SNL bit during parts of it. Thumbs up.

**Carnage** · 05-02-2002, 12:51 AM

I love that movie! it's one of the greatest Disney movies known to man! Too bad there wasn't any singing in it though like in the other Disney movies, believe it or not, I enjoy that stuff.

Carnage

**JTurner954** · 05-02-2002, 01:00 AM

There was singing in the beginning,remember??

**Luna** · 05-02-2002, 09:17 AM

The Emperor's New Groove is one of my fave Disney movies...I usually like the musicals,but this movie was just so funny!!!!...I hope Disney makes more movies like this...

**StrangerAtaru** · 05-02-2002, 10:09 AM

I definately need to get this film on DVD, because this one is worth it. Now, I seemed to like a lot of those "typical" Disney movies myself (OK, I can't help it if Robin Williams performance in "Aladdin" was one of his best performances ever), but in recent years it has just been the same thing over and over again. When I saw this film back when they showed it on ABC, I was cracking up in scene after scene! Someday, when I don't have such a long list of anime to get, I will try to pick this one up. (and hopefully, they don't make the same promo mistakes with Lilo and Stitch, which looks just as funny)

**LightAngel** · 05-02-2002, 12:02 PM

This one's up there with one of my favorite animated movies of all time!! It was just so different from any other Disney film I've ever seen. They've never made one that was purely slapstick, and it was a nice change. Everytime I watch it, I crack up laughing every five minutes or so!!

**Nick Biped** · 05-02-2002, 01:59 PM

I liked "The Emperor's New Groove". It reminded me a bit of "Aladdin", probably one of my favourite Disney movies, and it was different enough from the Disney formula. "TENG" was also quite funny. It's too bad that Disney didn't really know how to promote it. I hope "Lilo and Stitch" is in the same mold as "TENG"; it looks like it may be.

**Yuss** · 05-02-2002, 04:42 PM

I thought it was great. Better than a typical Disney sequel any day.

~B+:

**cjshoup** · 05-02-2002, 05:14 PM

I work in with VHS and DVD movies at my job. When we got in The Emperor's new Groove in, we had to promote by setting it up in one of our VCR's. When I'm not busy I watched bits and pieces of it.

I have to say I enjoyed The Emperor's New Groove very much. It was a very refreshing change of pace.

If Disney wants my money in the future, They better start making more cartoons like TENG and Atlantis (And stop the cheapuels)