Shake Your Groove Thang

The early 90s brought what some called a "renaissance" of Disney animated movies. The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King... they're among the best films ever released by the studio. And while you might quibble about just when this second "Golden Age" ended, there's little question that by the end of the 90s, it was certainly over. There are movies from that period I still haven't seen.

For instance, The Emperor's New Groove. It never looked all that interesting to me, and the presence of David Spade in the starring role was no incentive for me to consider twice. Nevertheless, for whatever reasons, I finally caught up with it recently.

What a strange movie this is. I mean, it's strange right from the title itself, which seems crafted to make you think that Disney has decided to take on the fable of the Emperor's invisible clothes. But nope, it has nothing to do with that. Nothing. Instead, it's the story of a spoiled emperor who is transformed into a llama accidentally when an ambitious underling tries to poison him. See? Even the actual one sentence description is peculiar too.

It's also probably the most "fourth wall" breaking of Disney's films. Which is really saying something, when you think of all the riffs Robin Williams did as the Genie in Aladdin. But it's true. The film is self-aware of it being a film, characters talk to the audience, there are modern references aplenty, and very little of the humor seems pitched to where a child would understand it. A truly oddball Disney film.

John Goodman is an island of normal in the insanity, voicing the peasant that tries to help the llama emperor regain his form and throne. His character brings a more serious vibe to the film... but there's only so much he can do when the story is otherwise so whimsical. David Spade is as annoying as I feared he might be, and it's a shame the movie revolves so heavily around him. But fortunately, there are other voices too, to keep it from being the David Spade show. Eartha Kitt makes for a great, classic-style Disney villain, while Patrick Warburton basically auditions for The Tick (a role he would later -- briefly -- play on TV) as a lame-brained, muscle-bound sidekick.

Another oddity here, for 90s Disney anyway, is the absence of musical numbers. But this is a choice that I do feel works for this film. This movie challenges the suspension of disbelief in other ways, and in any case, I can't imagine what sorts of songs could have been crafted. (I don't think much of Phish's song about a "Llama," and I doubt Sting -- who provides bookending songs for this movie -- would have done better.)

It's definitely "post-Renaissance Disney," but not unenjoyable either. It doesn't pack the emotional punch of my favorite Disney animated features, but is breezy, light weight fun. I rate it a B-.