The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

I suppose it was always going to happen sooner or later; it'd be a Sunday, my options would be limited and I'd find myself tackling some traditional Disney animated fare. I've lost a lot of my old animosity towards the House of Mouse in recent years, in any case, if only because I have a friend who's a regular visitor to their theme parks. She's a generous soul, and I have to say, evil or not, their merchandise tends to be beautifully well-made.

In any case, The Emperor's New Groove might be traditional in terms of its animated style, but in all other respects it's very much a lighter alternative to the classic animated musicals we're used to from Disney. There's only the one song, therefore, and there's no talking anthropomorphic light relief barring our main protagonist. He's called Kuzco, he's voiced by David Spade and he's an incredibly obnoxious Incan-style emperor, transformed by a vengeful former employee into an incredibly obnoxious talking llama. Left stranded far from his palace, his only hope of salvation lies in the hands of the llama herder Pacha (voiced by John Goodman). Unfortunately, Pacha is still fuming from an earlier meeting with the then-human Kuzco, who used their time together to decide to tear down Pacha's family home to make room for his own personal water park. 

It's still Disney, of course, so there's still lessons to be learned about generosity and friendship and teamwork and shit, but for the most part, this one seems to be mostly about the one-liners and sight gags. It doesn't quite approach the anarchic amorality of the old Looney Tunes, but that definitely seems to be the approach it's going for and to be honest, it more or less works. Its 78 minutes are composed primarily of wisecracks, chase sequences and improbable pop culture references, lent charm by an appealingly scratchy artistic style.

Did it set my world alight? No. Will it set your world alight? I really hope not. Do I regret making time to watch it? No, if only because it's not as though I'd normally be doing anything better on a Sunday afternooon. Marginally more fun than sorting out your laundry, I guess.