Produced by Randy Fullmer (effects animator for the Toontown segment of the landmark fantasy Who Framed Roger Rabbit, among other works) and directed by Mark Dindal (visual effects supervisor on The Little Mermaid and effects animator on Aladdin), The Emperor’s New Groove is a different story altogether, although just as entertaining as (or even more than) the one about the emperor so gullible that two tailors made him believe he’s wearing a new elegant attire when actually he’s parading around wearing, yeah, a see-through nothing.
New Groove is set in a mythical mountain kingdom. It follows the misadventures of an arrogant, egocentric young emperor named Kuzco who is transformed into a llama by his power-hungry adviser, the devious diva named Yzma. Stranded in a jungle, Kuzco’s only chance to get back home and reclaim the high life rests with a good-hearted peasant named Pacha.
Kuzco’s "perfect world" turns into a perfect mess as the most unlikely duo must deal with hair-raising dangers, wild comic predicaments and – the most horrifying of all – each other as they race to return Kuzco to the throne before Yzma (aided by her musclebound manservant Kronk) tracks them down and finishes him off. Ultimately, Kuzco’s budding friendship with Pacha teaches the royal pain to see his world in a different way.
Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Especially when you learn that the main characters are "voiced" by the likes of David Spade (Saturday Night Live) for Kuzco, the Eartha Kitt for Yzma, John Goodman for Pacha, Patrick Warburton (of Seinfeld fame) for Kronk and Wendie Malick (Spade’s co-star in the hit NBC comedy Just Shoot Me) for Chicha. Even if you’re not, just like me, a big fan of animated flicks, you get excited watching one (more for the "voice actors," maybe), don’t you?
I did watch The Emperor’s New Groove in November last year at a press preview in New York, attended by almost a hundred other entertainment print/TV journalists invited to the junket by Buena Vista Int’l. (which is releasing the movie), and I enjoyed it. Honest. Despite the jet lag from the 22-hour flight from Manila, I stayed awake during the whole screening – would you believe!?! – and I don’t think it was because of the cheese-flavored popcorn and mineral water (or soft drink, if you please) given free to us before the near-midnight screening.
I won’t spoil the fun by describing the movie in detail and rather leave it up to you to find out for yourself, but I assure you it’s a fun movie that should entertain the young and – like you and me – the young-at-heart. As I’ve said, it helps a lot if, as the movie unreels, you bear in mind that it’s the earthy Eartha, the heavyweight Goodman and company who are the voices behind all those interesting characters. A day after the preview, Funfare had a chance to (briefly) interview producer Fullmer, director Dindal and Thomas Schumacher, president of Walt Disney Feature animation, at a function room of the Regency Hotel in Manhattan where some of us entertainment writers were billeted. The three guys were such kids-at-heart, such a delight to interview because of their childlike points of view that I started to understand better and clearer why Disney flicks are infused with such infectious youthful exuberance.
"When we make movies," said Schumacher (who can talk so fast that Speedy Gonzales would pant catching up with him), "we target the widest possible group of people; we don’t think of our movies as just for kids. Clearly, you can’t be doing the kind of business that we do if only kids are coming. Our films appeal to people of all ages."
Like New Groove whose origins date back to 1994 when the creative team began developing a very different version of the story which was originally titled Kingdom of the Sun. Like other Disney features (Aladdin, The Lion King and Tarzan), New Groove evolved into an entirely different genre along the way, starting as a drama and ending up – yes, happily – as a comedy.
"It’s the case of all animated movies," explained director Dindal. "In the development process, new elements keep coming up and you end up with something very different from what you originally intend to do. In the case of The Emperor’s New Groove, the potentials for comedy are greater and stronger than the potentials for drama. And we’re happy with the final product."
And how are the "voice actors" chosen?
"For their distinctive voices," said producer Fullmer. "You see, some actors’ voices are distinctive only when you see/hear them talking. When you just listen to the voice, it doesn’t sound distinctive at all."
Thus, the choice of Eartha and company.
Added Fullmer:
"Eartha has a natural voice for animation and really got into the role. (During the dubbing), she would gesture wildly and it was fun just to watch her. She would come into the sessions almost serious and very professional and suddenly she would just go wild and break up laughing. It was almost as if she was finding another side of herself. She was so full of energy.
"John’s voice brought a very genuine quality to the performance which kind of grounds the film. He tends to bring things back into perspective, when we see his lifestyle and family. It was helpful to watch his thought process before he delivered a line. Instead of just spitting out the dialogue, he would anticipate what he was going to say and you would know the feeling before he actually spoke the words.
"Spade has an excellent voice and gave the character lots of attitude. In fact, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than him doing the voice. He’s perfect. He ad-libbed all the time and gave a great performance."
Animation on New Groove began in early 1999 and the resulting film came together quickly and happily. Approximately 400 artists contributed to the final film along with another 300 technicians and production personnel. So how different is New Groove from other Disney animated films?
"It’s closer to Aladdin in terms of comedy," said Schumacher, "but it’s different from all the rest in the sense that the main character (Kuzco) has such a bad attitude, unlike other Disney characters. You know, Kuzco is no Snow White. He’s mean-spirited, very selfish. He needs to be that way to tell the story of the evolution of his character and to show the consequences of that sort of behavior. Later, of course, he changes for the better."
The other "big difference" is Sting who wrote the music and the lyrics.
"When I first approached Sting," recalled Schumacher, "we had a whole different movie in mind. And what has ended up in the film is different from what he began with, but it is sensational. We wanted to open the movie with a big, fun number that established the power of Kuzco and showed how he controlled the world, Sting wrote Perfect World to set up the title character and let the audience understand how over-the-top his own self-image is. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, sung by the Emperor’s personal ‘theme song guy.’ Tom Jones provided a fun performance that sets the tone for the film."
Sting is an avid Disney fan.
"Disney films have always been in my life since I saw Sleeping Beauty and The Jungle Book and I was deeply flattered when they asked me to work on one of their animated films. To be asked to write songs for Disney characters meant that, if you did it successfully, those songs would become immortal and last for generations and generations. For years and years, children would know them and be singing them. That really appealed to me."
Welcome, then, to Disney’s "new groove."