The Emperor's New Groove

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
The Emperor's New Groove Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

Fun, goofy cartoon misrepresents Incan culture.

G 2000 78 minutes

Parents say

age 6+

Based on 11 reviews

Kids say

age 5+

Based on 46 reviews

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Community Reviews

age 7+

Don't Waste your Time.

As far as Disney movies go, this one was a waste of time. The animation is lousy (think of 90s style "Animaniacs") and story is dull and the "funny" parts aren't that funny. My 8 year old laughed once. My 11 and 13 year olds were almost bored to tears. There's nothing objectionable about the content. It's basically a 2nd rate tale about how the emperor is a self centered egotist that learns a bit of humility. The only redeeming feature of the film is the voice of John Goodman. Otherwise, take your 1 hour and 22 minutes elsewhere.
1 person found this helpful.
age 7+

Not your average Disney movie, but a GREAT COMEDY! :D

This is a very different and very fun Disney movie! I remember watching it as a kid and really enjoying it. The thing about "The Emperor's New Groove" is that it's not supposed to be taken that seriously, it is mostly made for laughs. And rewatching it as an adult I can definitely see their wide use of different kinds of comedy, all from physical to psychological jokes, to visual jokes and more! However, thankfully, it still does have some calmer moments where they talk about the movie's moral and about what is right and wrong, which I also found very impacting as a kid. So while it is a comedy, it still has a nice story and Kuzco has a lesson that needs to be learned. The peasant Pacha is probably the best role model in this movie, since he's so kind and is the voice of reason and gets to guide Kuzco in the right direction. The evil Yzma's henchman Kronk is also very sweet, probably the nicest henchman to a Disney villain ever! And despite all the jokes, they actually manage to get a nice atmosphere and setting here, with their representation of the Inka-people. This world looks so beautiful and peaceful and the backgrounds are gorgeously made. And llamas are a big theme of this movie. ; ) "wink, wink, mild spoiler". It may not be for everyone, but overall, this is a really good movie if you want to have a good laugh, and something that goes outside of the typical Disney format (since this is not a musical or romance or anything like that, though it has at least like one song in it). Perfect for the Friday night, I would say! :D

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