Product Details

• Actors: David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, Wendie Malick
• Directors: Mark Dindal
• Writers: Mark Dindal, Chris Williams, David Reynolds, Don Hall, John Norton
• Format: Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• DVD Release Date: May 1, 2001
• Run Time: 78 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (295 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CXQY
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,475 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #28 in	Movies & TV > Comedy > Comedy Stars > David Spade
  #57 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment > Animated Movies

• For more information about "The Emperor's New Groove - The Ultimate Groove (2-Disc Collector's Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Originally developed as an epic called Kingdom of the Sun, The Emperor's New Groove lost scale and most of Sting's song score (some of which can be heard on the soundtrack) on its way to the screen. The end result is the lightest Disney film in many a moon, a joyous romp akin to Aladdin in its quotient of laughs for kids and adults. The original story centers on the spoiled teenage emperor Kuzco (David Spade), who enjoys getting the best of his Aztecan subjects. When he fires Yzma (Eartha Kitt), his evil sorceress, she seeks revenge and turns Kuzco into a llama with the help of her hunk of the month, a lunk named Kronk (Patrick Warburton). Alone in the jungle, the talking llama is befriended by Pacha (John Goodman), who has just been told to vacate his pastoral home by the human Kuzco. What's an ego to do? That's pretty much the story and the characters--simple, direct, fun--a Disney film on a diet. For any fan of the acidic humor of Spade, this is essential viewing. As narrator of his tale, Kuzco uses a sarcastic tone to keep the story jumping with plenty of fun asides (he even "stops" the film at one point to make sure you know the story is about him). Even better is character actor Warburton (Elaine's stuck-up boyfriend on Seinfeld), who steals every scene as the dim-witted, but oh-so-likable Kronk. There's even a delicious Tom Jones number that starts the film off with a bang. --Doug Thomas

DVD features
Producer Randy Fullmer and director Mark Dindal literally run through each department at Disney Animation Studios to show us how their feature was created. While this is a more energized approach (and in tune with the film's spirit), the effort is never as intrinsically funny as the Pixar (Toy Story) gang's behind-the-scenes DVDs. This "Ultimate Edition" is laid out as in previous deluxe Disney DVDs to examine the development and art of the film, including three deleted sequences. With one vital new feature, you can select a tour "Groove" that takes you through 25 minutes of highlights of the filmmaking process instead of clicking through the DVD menus. Unfortunately, the disc does not dig into the origins of the film, originally developed as a musical epic called Kingdom of the Sun. There are only a dozen nondescriptive art drawings that entice us. Instead of illustrating how a massive change in tone was successfully made, Disney just looks the other way. Fans of the final movie should enjoy this two-disc set (especially the conversational tone of the commentary), but this is hardly an "ultimate edition." --Doug Thomas

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny as all git out, September 15, 2004

By	Eolake "eolake.blogspot.com" (Lancashire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This may be my favorite Disney movie ever. (I normally prefer Pixar.)

The reviewers who did not like it clearly expected something for small kids. It is not. It is very abstract in places, especially the art, which is really quite amazing. Watch for the design of the panthers, and the bats. And the landscapes. Wonderful stuff.

And the dialogue and the delivery especially is just hilarious. How you can get such delivery in an animated film is beyond me.

Warmly recommended for mature viewers with an edgy sense of humor.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Forgotten Disney Film, July 7, 2003

By	K. Fontenot "Prairie Cajun" (The Bayou State) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Emperor's New Groove (DVD)

"The Emperor's New Groove" is a unique film in the vaults at Disney. It plays with the audience instead of in front of the audience, and the burning sarcasm of the emperor's character isn't found in any other Disney flick. Unfortunately, this movie seems to be cursed by the idea that any Disney movie has to be done on a grand scale and end with some great moral truth. Why can't a Disney movie just be fun?
"The Emperor's New Groove" doesn't seem to draw as much attention as other Disney fare. It just kind of quietly appeared and then went away. That's a shame. It got the same treatment from Disney that a lot of their direct-to-video/DVD movies received. At least "Hercules" got headlines for its bad, although undeserved, reviews. "Hercules" has always been erroneously treated like a red-headed stepchild compared to other Disney movies, "The Emperor's New Groove" is treated like an abortion. You rarely here anything about this film. Like "Hercules," it doesn't fit the bill as a standard Disney movie. It doesn't try to force it's morals upon you, and you won't be enlightened by any of the dialogue, but you will laugh. Kids will love it for the emperor-turned-llama silliness and adults will love it for the relationship between Spade and John Goodman. Eartha Kitt is glorious as Yzma, the villain in this tale. Patrick Warburton is perfect as Kronk, her sidekick.
Spade talks directly to the viewer as he narrates his tale, and makes sure throughout that you know the story is about him, and no one else. There is also a lot of adult humor in the film as well, much like in "Hercules."
So, this movie is a fun-time film. You won't be sorry to watch it, and your kids will love it as well. They may not be drawn to the characters as much as they would to a Belle, Snow White, or Simba, but they will enjoy this story. So will you.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Film, Great DVD, May 16, 2001

By	Michael Janke "www.xanga.com/mikeknaj" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Emperor's New Groove (DVD)

THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE is the funniest movie that I have seen in years. I initially had passed on watching it in the theater because I thought it looked childish, but was convinced to give it a try now that it was out on video. Boy, was my initial impression wrong.

The story revolves around a selfish prince who is turned into a llama by one of his subjects. With the help of a kindly peasant he attempts to regain his throne, and in the process finds there's more to him than he previously thought or wanted there to be. While the moral is a good one, it really plays a secondary role to the comedy, which is literally non-stop. GROOVE takes the rapid-fire humor that Disney perfected in Aladdin and combines it with cartoon-style hijinx, the wit of David Spade, and a hilarious lack of reverence for the traditional Disney animated genre. Spade plays his role to perfection, and luckily never crosses the line into being obnoxious. Seinfeld fans are in for a treat, as Puddy plays a very special side-kick role. You really can't take your eyes off the screen for a minute, because you're guaranteed to miss a gag of some sort. The humor works mainly on an adult level, even though kids will be rolling from the funny visuals and some of the more obvious jokes.

The DVD itself is a good one. The digital transfer was excellent and the sound quality is top notch. The commentary track is one of the better that I've heard, with interesting and funny insight from all contributors. Animated menus. There's a deleted scene that was probably best left out, but is interesting to watch anyway, plus a few other fun features.

In the end, this is one of the best Disney flicks to come along in years. Hardcore Disney fans will eat it up. But even if you're not a fan of Disney's usual animated features you should give GROOVE a shot. Cast aside your pre-concieved notions and you just might be in for a very pleasant surprise. I was. FIVE STARS.