Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Emperor's New Groove Blu-ray Movie Review

"A llama? He's supposed to be dead!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 3, 2013

Disney is well aware of the appeal and reach of its catalog, down to the best and worst films in its canon. Titles like Cinderella and Peter Pan arrive separately and to great fanfare, while other titles shuffle onto shelves en masse, sans the red-carpet treatment afforded their Platinum and Diamond Edition brethren. In August 2012, it was The Aristocats, The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under, Pocahontas, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, The Tigger Movie and Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, all released on the same day. Earlier this year, in March, it was The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, Mulan, Mulan II, Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2. And now animation fans can add six more movies to their Blu-ray collection with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Atlantis 2: Milo's Return, Lilo & Stitch, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, The Emperor's New Groove and Kronk's New Groove.

But something is amiss this go around. Once again, the original films and their direct-to-video sequels are paired on single BD-50 discs. This time, though, only Atlantis includes special features on the Blu-ray disc itself. Extras for Lilo & Stitch and The Emperor's New Groove (and their sequels) are relegated to the bonus DVD copies in each 2-Movie set. Moreover, video and audio are vastly improved, but the transfers suffer from a number of (admittedly minor) issues. Combined with the displaced extras, it's hard to miss Disney's diminishing standards. Packing a 2-Movie Collection on a single disc is becoming more and more important to the studio; more important than delivering the fullest, most intuitive experience.

And the films? The theatrically released features are as divisive as ever. Some will find them decidedly desperate and unimaginative; a pale imitation of the Disney Renaissance greats. Others, like myself, will find a few flawed but fun, and one -- Lilo & Stitch -- a bonafide classic, seeing the trio as a not-so-distant spiritual extension to those same Renaissance classics. The direct-to-video sequels, though, aren't nearly as polished or entertaining on the whole, making the 2-Movie Collections hit or miss pairings primed to placate longtime fans and underwhelm the unconverted.

"For the last time, it was not a kiss."

One of Disney Animation's most tumultuous productions, The Emperor's New Groove was practically doomed almost from the start. Ongoing delays, title changes, indecisiveness, crippling creative differences, jarring shifts in the film's tone, abysmal test screenings, executive threats, director departures, an eleventh hour overhaul and an ever-narrowing release window were just a few of the seemingly insurmountable hurdles incoming filmmaker Mark Dindal faced when signing onto the project, which makes the resulting film -- a watchable... strike that, fairly entertaining third-tier animated buddy comedy -- something of a miracle. It's not a classic miracle, or even a very remarkable one. But with big heart and bigger laughs, Disney's 40th animated feature is at least a good bit of fun, if not a touch too direct-to-video for a theatrically released film.

It isn't hard to identify Groove's issues. Emperor Kuzco (SNL alum David Spade), the arrogant Incan ruler who's transformed into a lowly llama, delivers a whole lot of snark and very little spark. Pacha (John Goodman), the broad-shouldered peasant who befriends the soon-to-be humbled emperor in new clothes, has even less of a backstory to build on than hastily developed Kuzco. And far too much time is spent with villains Yzma (Eartha Kitt), the treacherous advisor to the king, and Kronk (Patrick Warburton), her loyal stooge. The problems don't end there either. The script is a patchwork quilt of competing ideas. Many of the jokes and sight gags are much too self-aware. The point-A to point-B adventure suffers from SMCS (Saturday Morning Cartoon Syndrome). The animation promotes style and modern sensibility over everything else. (Think Hercules on a tinier scale.) And the film isn't all that cohesive, or the slightest bit surprising for that matter. Predictability rules supreme over Kuzco's return to the throne, and formula is heaped atop formula.

Maybe it's that adversity, though, that lends The Emperor's New Groove its strength. The voice performances, animation and script never quite gel or impress, but each one is energetic and eager to please, and that translates to excitement and enthusiasm you just can't bottle and reproduce. Even thirteen years after its release -- thirteen years in which the film's pop culture references have only aged -- I found myself laughing. Quiet laughs. Explosive laughs. Breath-stealing laughs. Groove is funny, and retains a breakneck momentum that's murder on pacing but a godsend for comedy. Considering the film's many, many trials and tribulations, its various incarnations and its hurried to theaters release, it's a wonder any of it clicks, much less works. None of it saves The Emperor's New Groove from its most fundamental flaws and scattershot stylings, but as lesser Disney fare goes, there's plenty of room for its rapidfire wit, fits and flourishes in any animation fan's collection.

The Emperor's New Groove Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Emperor's New Groove sports a groovy 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that nevertheless has a few fundamental flaws of its own. Banding and aliasing are apparently a given in the latest crop of Disney 2-Movie Collections, and each one rears its head here as well. Neither is too substantial, but with a hint of macroblocking, ringing and contrast inconsistencies, it adds up to an initial (but soon easily overlooked) disappointment. Thankfully, the film has never looked better. Colors are bold and vivid (when the occasional uptick in brightness doesn't wash them out), primaries are loud and playful, and black levels are suitably inky. It only helps that the animators' line art is razor sharp -- almost to the point of exposing the limitations of animation in 1080p as the finest of lines are concerned -- and nary a detail escapes Disney's remaster. Ultimately, most viewers will applaud the transfer and scratch their heads at a less-than-perfect video score. But it doesn't take much scrutiny to spot the seams in the presentation, minor as each one may be.

The Emperor's New Groove Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track serves up a solid lossless mix; one that's only lessened by the film's relatively one-note sound design, which is as frugal and funky as the movie it accompanies. Rear speaker activity is light but effective, and what it lacks in immersion it makes up for whenever Groove indulges in bursts of comedy and song. The same could be said of LFE output, which is restrained but reliable, lending punch as needed and power on occasion. Through it all, voices are crystal clear and nicely prioritized, directionality is decidedly decent, pans are smooth and dynamics are on point. No, The Emperor's New Groove isn't a sonic powerhouse. It's simply a breezy, fully capable, seemingly effortless presentation of its source, and in this case, that's a very good thing.

The Emperor's New Groove Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 2-Movie Collection release of The Emperor's New Groove / Kronk's New Groove is a 3-disc set. However, in what has now become Disney's practice, the feature films are housed on a single BD-50, with two standard DVDs -- one for each movie -- rounding out the set. It's far from perfect; some will deem it convenient, others an irritation.

Unfortunately, The Emperor's New Groove's special features aren't included on its Blu-ray disc; only on the bonus DVD copy. That isn't a huge problem when it comes to the production featurettes, behind-the-scenes material, deleted scenes and other extras, but is a problem when it comes to the film's audio commentary, which can only be listened to when viewing the DVD edition of the film. Thus the reduced supplements score. Saving disc space to accommodate two films and lossless tracks was no doubt the motivation, but it only serves to highlight just how inadequate the current 2-Movie Collection setup can be.

The Emperor's New Groove Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Does The Emperor's New Groove leave something to be desired? Absolutely. Quite a lot actually. But that doesn't mean it isn't without charisma. Despite making a very long, oh so terrible trek through development hell, it's a surprisingly functional, even hilarious buddy comedy, with just enough personality to overshadow its deeper character flaws. Disney's Blu-ray release is better, with above average video and solid lossless audio; its only outright disappointment being its barebones disc, which features none of the extras included on the 2001 Collector's Edition DVD.