Starring:
Patrick Warburton as Kronk (voice)
David Spade as Kuzco (voice)
John Goodman as Pacha (voice)
Eartha Kitt as Yzma (voice)
John Mahoney as Papi (voice)
Wendie Malick as Chicha (voice)
Tracey Ullman as Birdwell (voice)
Eli Russell Linnetz as Tipo (voice)
Jessie Flower as Chaca (voice)
Patti Deutsch as Mata (voice)
John Fiedler as Rudy (voice)
Special Features:
Kronk’s Brain Game — Take Control Of Kronk’s Brain And Pilot Him Through A Series Of Fun Challenges
Pyramid Scheme — Reach The House On The Hill By Answering Emperor Kuzco’s Wacky Incan Trivia Questions
How To Cook A Movie — Witness The Recipe Of Kronk’s New Groove With A Hilarious “Making Of” Featurette
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound
French and Spanish Language
Running Time: 75 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Get back in the groove with Disney’s hilarious all-new movie. After his wild adventures with Pacha and Emperor Kuzco, lovable lug Kronk, Yzma’s former henchman, has happily started a new life as the head chef in his very own diner. An all-new wacky adventure begins, however, when a llama-gram arrives telling him that his father is due for a visit. Before you can say “squeaker, squeak,” Kronk is cooking up trouble with the sly enchantress Yzma, trying to make himself look like a success in time for Papi’s arrival. After a bunch of big blunders and a massive cheese explosion in the restaurant, Kronk finds himself covered in a heap of trouble. It is only with the help of friends both old and new that Kronk learns to be true to his groove.”
Kronk’s New Groove is rated G.
The Movie:
When I heard they were making this movie, my first thought was, “Why?” The Emperor’s New Groove was a funny film, but hardly one that I thought deserved a sequel. And though Kronk was a funny bit character, I hardly thought he deserved a whole spinoff film. Now having seen the DVD, it appears my initial thoughts were pretty much on target.
Kronk’s New Groove is amusing, but it mostly just rehashes the jokes from its predecessor. We see Kronk cook, talk to squirrels, act dumb, and lead a group of scouts. There’s very little beyond this established shtick. There is one funny parody of Gollum and an amusing play on words involving “Don’t cry for me Argentina,” but otherwise the film is utterly forgettable. To make matters worse, the movie even features Kronk doing an ill advised imitation of Michael Jackson dancing. In light of his recent legal problems, he’s hardly prime material for parody in a Disney film.
The movie is also initially hard to follow. It starts out with Kronk narrating his tale. It then reverts to a flashback. Then, within that flashback, Kuzco breaks in for some forced commentary. It then reverts to the flashback and kicks into yet another flashback. Confused yet? I certainly was. In the end this film is essentially two short stories featuring Kronk strung together by another short story involving Kronk trying to impress his father. They almost would have done better featuring three separate short films.
Kronk’s New Groove does have a good voice cast. Returning from the previous film are Patrick Warburton, David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, and Wendie Malick. Added to the cast now are John Mahoney as Papi, Kronk’s Father, and Tracey Ullman as Birdwell, Kronk’s new love interest. While both do a good job with what they’re given, neither particularly stands out. The film also has a couple of songs, but neither are very good.
In short, Kronk’s New Groove will entertain kids, but it’s probably not quite enough to keep adults engaged.
The Extras:
There are three bonus features included on this DVD:
Kronk’s Brain Game In this game you make several decisions for Kronk before he panics. This is actually done from within his brain. There’s no real game to this. It’s more of a series of short animations featuring Kronk’s idiocy.
Pyramid Scheme This is a trivia game for kids.
How To Cook A Movie This is a “making of” featurette wrapped up in the premise of a cooking show hosted by Patrick Warburton (who sounds strange using his regular voice). The cast and crew are interviewed in between the amusing cooking show segments.
The Bottom Line:
Despite a good voice cast, Kronk’s New Groove is only a mediocre film that will entertain kids but leave adults wishing for something more.
