The Emperor's New Groove

When The Emperor's New Groove came out in theaters originally, I was a bit skeptical. It seemed as if Disney was scraping the bottom of the barrel by attempting to adapt The Emperor's New Clothes (spoiler alert: he's naked) into one of its feature-length animated films. It wasn't until several years later that I actually sat down and watched it. And I loved it. While it deviates from the norm of Disney movies (only one song, written by Sting, performed by Tom Jones), it definitely encapsulates the humor and valuable life lessons that Disney seems to have formalized. My biggest complaint is that this movie is too short. At just under 80 minutes, it's over before you have a chance to fully taste it. However, it still remains one of my go-to Disney movies when I'm looking for something to watch to cheer me up. Highly recommended.

This movie contains scenes of balloon popping: Bucky the Squirrel makes balloon animals, mischievously teases Kuzko with the threat of popping it as retaliation for being pestered by him hearlier, then bursts it with a needle thorn prick. This scene is referenced later in scenes from the series based on this movie titled "The Emperor's New School". In the episode Yzmopolis, an ending short titled "Balloonatic"introduced Bucky's sister who he entertains her with balloons. She repeatedly pops balloons with needles of her own.

Loved/love this hilarious movie. even though I watched this on VHS innumerable times, I find myself still catching on to tidbits of humor I missed out on as a child. The story is heart warming and funny, and as with any Disney gem; creative, and instantly classic. "DUDE!... you threw off my groove!"