Disney films on the whole follow a simple list of rules which has been in effect since the days of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: cute animals, inoffensive scripting, light humour, and in general a direct aiming at children with little for adults to truly enjoy. Most people adore Disney films, whether is be the old classics such as Bambi or Dumbo, or the newer blockbusters like The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. However, they tend to be quite quaint and tame in comparison to the recent direction the animated department at Disney have taken. Toy Story, A Bug's Life and now The Emperor's New Groove have all traded the old values for newer, more modern humour, a (thankful) skimping on songs and fantastic new advances in technology, and they've so much better for it!
So, on with the review methinks. TENG is superb, I first caught a peek of it on a plane and instead of skipping past to find the music channels before falling asleep, I instead sat transfixed and watched the whole thing through, stifling my laughs for the benefit of my fellow passengers. It's hilarious, the script is jam-packed with exactly the sort of humour I adore; cynical, sarcastic, and delivered totally deadpan. David Spade will never have a better role than Kuzco, the egotistical ruler of a pre-Cortes South American tribe, and he slips into the role perfectly, so perfectly in fact that even after watching it half a dozen times I was still in the dark as to the fact that he voiced him. It literally seemed that voice and character were one. John Goodman is also delightful as the decent, hard working peasant Pacha, whose dislike of Kuzco's plans for his village (Kuzcotopia!) are tempered when it becomes clear that Kuzco has been the victim of a nasty plot hatched by his recently-fired adviser, Yzma (the ever-throaty Eartha Kitt).
Kuzco is a self-centred person, everyone else exists merely to serve him (yeah, I like the idea too), and as a present to himself for his 18th birthday he intends to level Pacha's village to make way for the afore-mentioned Kuzcotopia, a large 'summer' castle with optional water-slide. While doing this he fires his long-serving adviser, Yzma, and her simple, good-natured assistant, Kronk. Yzma's fury at losing her job and status leads her to poison Kuzco only it doesn't go quite to plain. Instead of dying Kuzco is turned into a llama and through a series of accidents mistakenly ends up at Pacha's house, who at first believes him to be a 'demon llama'. After his true identity is ascertained the two unlikely travelling companions head back to the capital city to change Kuzco back.
While the animation seems a bit backward in comparison to the computer-generated effects of Toy Story 2 and Shrek it fits in well with the more cartoony nature of TENG, and the Kuzco Llama is a work of genius in it's look and movement. The attempt by the recently llamafied Kuzco to walk on two legs has to be seen to be believed it's so amusing, and throughout the film the simple idea of a talking llama is enough to keep most people giggling. The best bit though? NO CUTE TALKING ANIMALS (except the llama natch) and NO BLUDDY SINGING! I cannot point out enough how those two things ruin most Disney films in my eyes and their absence from this particular film should really be all any sensible person needs to watch it. |
