Review: The Emperor's New Groove

Disney movies were a staple of my childhood trips to my grandparents' house. My favorite was probably Beauty and the Beast for the longest time, but The Emperor's New Groove has always been high on the list as well. I'm not sure if I enjoy it so much because I've grown up watching it with my family and listening to my dad laugh at all the jokes I didn't catch as a 7 year old, or because I legit love the movie. Either way, it's a treasure for the ages.

Let me show you what I mean. ;)

The Emperor's New Groove by Disney

(As a warning, there might maybe be spoilers in here. So beware. I’ll make sure the spoilers are alerted, but just sayin’. ;))

Arrogant young Emperor Kuzco is transformed into a llama by his power-hungry advisor -- the devious diva Yzma. Stranded in the jungle, Kuzco's only chance to get back home and reclaim the high life rests with a good-hearted peasant named Pacha. Together, they must return Kuzco to the throne before Yzma tracks them down and finishes him off.

(You can find the trailer here. I highly recommend watching it - 'tis quite funny. XD)

Star Rating

5 out of 5 stars

Content

Pros:

1. Language--None, aside from a, "What the--" near the beginning.

2. Violence--I mean... the entire plot has Kuzco's life on the line. Aside from that, there's really no mentionable violence. Most if not all of it is used for slapstick humor. :P

3. Smoking/drinking/drugs/etc.--None at all.

4. Magic--Yzma uses something she calls "potions" to try and poison Kuzco. It's not explained how they are created, but it looks much more scientific than "magical".

5. Humor--Spot on and hilarious every time. XD

Cons:

1. None. Seriously, I couldn't find anything wrong content-wise with this movie, only a few questionable elements, which I'll talk about below. :)

Neutral:

1. Spiritual--Only used for humor. Kronk ends up with some shoulder angels (well, one is an angel, the other is dressed as a demon) throughout the movie that counsel him. He talks to them out loud even though no one else can see them, and all they really do is banter with one another about things like the angel's harp, "dress", etc. When Pacha first discovers Kuzco, he screams, "Demon llama!" which then sends Kuzco into a panic.

2. Sexual--We see married people kiss. There are also a few subtle jokes slipped in there, such as in the scene where Kuzco dresses up as Pacha's wife to get into a restaurant that doesn't allow llamas. As he walks into the kitchen to talk to the chef, a man observes Kuzco's "hips" and gives Pacha a wink and thumbs up. Pacha also is forced into a situation where he believes he needs to give Kuzco a "kiss of life" to revive him. Both participants are grossed out by the idea (as are Pacha's kids), and it is definitely played up for the humor.

Messages

Pros:

1. People can change (Paul, Matthew, and multiple other Biblical characters change for the better. Some also change for the worse, such as King Saul and Solomon.)

2. Work together (Jesus sending out his disciples in pairs instead of alone)

3. The world does not revolve around you (Philippians 2:3)

Cons:

1. Once again, none that I saw, only a questionable one.

Neutral:

1. There is good in everyone (this one is a bit difficult, as there's a lot of debate around this topic. The Bible clearly states that humans are born evil (result of the Fall in Genesis 3), but we also see people without Christ doing good things. I personally believe that humankind has the potential for good, but without Christ, it's rare for someone to actually tap into that.)

Morals

I really like how Disney set up Pacha as Kuzco's foil. Instead of giving a list of pros and cons for this like I usually do, I'm going to showcase that.

1. Pacha's compassion vs. Kuzco's selfishness

2. Pacha's humility vs. Kuzco's arrogance

3. Pacha's kindness vs. Kuzco's meanness

4. Pacha's honesty vs. Kuzco's deceptiveness

(P.S. All of Kuzco's stuff is part of his arc, by the way. ;))

Some other morals we see are Pacha's patience and Kronk's blind (hilariously so) loyalty. XD

Favorite Quotes

"A llama?! He's supposed to be dead!!" -Yzma (this pretty much encapsulates the entire plot :P)

"What about dinner?" -Kronk (gotta admire him for having his priorities straight XD)

"Well, he ain't getting any deader!" -Yzma (gotta admire her for her logic XD)

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Have you seen The Emperor's New Groove? Did you like it? Why or why not? Who was your favorite character? If you haven't seen it, would you like to? If you could shapeshift into any animal, which would it be?

Until next time,

Take courage, pursue Christ, and smile while you still have teeth!! ;P

-Joelle