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THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE

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What You Need To Know:

THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE, Disney’s new animated comedy, is set in a mythical kingdom in the Peruvian Andes. The story follows the misadventures of an arrogant young emperor named Kuzco, voiced by David Spade. His power-hungry female advisor, Yzma, voiced by Eartha Kitt, transforms Kuzco into a llama. Stranded in the jungle, Kuzco’s only chance is a good-hearted peasant named Pacha, voiced by John Goodman. Meanwhile, Yzma and her loony, dull-witted assistant Kronk track Kuzco to finish him off. Everything comes to a wonderful, clever ending that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, laughing with joy.

Director Mark Dindal and Producer Randy Fullmer have assembled a talented cast and crew to create a wacky ride through a colorful cartoon world. Their team imbues the characters with a brilliant array of entertaining character traits. They make the story come alive with energy, humor and adventure, marred only by mild cartoon violence, children dreaming of their father in danger and very mild sexual innuendo. Best of all, THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROVE teaches valuable moral lessons in an entertaining fashion. Included with these lessons are some redemptive elements of forgiveness, repentance and unconditional love.

Content:

(BBB, C, Ro, Pa, NA, V, S, Ho, A, M) Strong moral worldview with redemptive elements of forgiveness, repentance & unconditional brotherly love (including a comment that “the wicked shall receive their just rewards from above”) as well as some romantic elements & mild psychic elements when children dream of their father in danger; no foul language; plenty of funny slapstick cartoon violence, including spills, falls, chases, & comical attempts to poison someone to death (but nothing really harsh or too disturbing) & some scary images, such as sharp teeth & glowing eyes of a den of black panthers who chase & trap man; some mild cartoon sexual references including two men accidentally kiss & male llama dresses as wife of his friend to escape disclosure with waiter saying, “Bless you for coming out in public”; no nudity; alcohol use; and, conceit rebuked, arrogance rebuked, callousness rebuked, tyranny rebuked, villain’s attempts to murder emperor foiled & rebuked, & woman mixes secret potions, but movie indicates potions are weird cartoon science rather than an occult practice.

More Detail:

THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE is a hilarious animated romp through the Peruvian jungle, brought to you by Disney. Funny and exciting from beginning to end, it’s a screwball combination of ALADDIN, SNOW WHITE, THE ROAD TO EL DORADO, and the insanity of a Warner Bros. cartoon.

Set in a mythical mountain kingdom in the Peruvian Andes, the story follows the misadventures of an arrogant, egocentric young emperor named Kuzco, voiced by David Spade. Kuzco’s power-hungry female advisor, Yzma, voiced by Eartha Kitt, transforms him into a llama. Stranded in the jungle, Kuzco’s only chance is a good-hearted peasant named Pacha, voiced by John Goodman. Kuzco must rely on the good graces of Pacha, who is upset that Kuzco wants to destroy Pacha’s village in order to build a resort solely for Kuzco’s own pleasure. Meanwhile, Yzma and her loony, dull-witted assistant Kronk, voiced by Patrick Warburton of TV’s SEINFELD in an inspired performance, track Kuzco through the jungle to finish him off.

Everything comes to a wonderful, clever ending that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, laughing with joy. At the same time, Kuzco learns some important life lessons about treating other people with respect. He also finally finds the friend he’s been needing all these years, and Kronk finds out that it’s much more satisfying to work for the good guys.

Director Mark Dindal (who helmed the MOVIEGUIDE® Award winning animated movie CATS DON’T DANCE and worked on ALADDIN) teams with Producer Randy Fullmer (who worked on WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? and THE LION KING) to create a wacky roller coaster ride through a colorful cartoon world. They have also assembled a top crew of Disney animators. Most important of all, they and their team imbues the characters in this movie with a brilliant array of entertaining character traits. They make the world of this story come alive with energy, humor, adventure, and poignancy. THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE may not reach the heights of last year’s marvelous new classic, TOY STORY 2, but it comes close. The only caution pertains to mild psychic elements when children dream explicitly of their father in danger and some mild cartoon sexual references including two men accidentally kiss and a male llama dresses as wife of his friend to escape disclosure with waiter saying, “Bless you for coming out in public”

The best thing about THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE, however, is that it teaches valuable moral lessons in an entertaining fashion. Included with these lessons are some redemptive elements. Thus, the movie’s story and its protagonists reject selfishness, conceit, arrogance, callousness, and government tyranny. Replacing those sins are heartfelt moments of humility, kindness, sensitivity, forgiveness, repentance, unconditional brotherly love, and enlightened leadership. In this incredibly contentious, rough political year, these are lessons that our own “leaders,” including those in the news media, seem to have forgotten. Hopefully, it’s not too late to remember them, if only people will listen and follow. Of course, for that to happen, we need an honest revival based on the Truth, Justice, Goodness, Love, and Beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as described in the wonderful Word of God, the Bible.