A brief but positive review of Kronk's New Groove
- Jillian
- Oct 30, 2018
- 2 min read
The Emperor's New Groove came out when I was in high school. Contrary to being too old for it, at the time I was frequently hanging out in friend's basements watching cartoons after school, as certain populations of teenagers who definitely don't do any drugs having been doing for generations.
Mostly the selections were films from our childhoods, but somehow we happened upon The Emperor's New Groove and it fast became a favorite. With a star studded cast and lots of clever cultural references meant more for adults than kids, we above all fell in love with Patrick Warburton's well-meaning but bumbling henchman Kronk. If you've seen the film but need a refresher on Kronk's charm, here you go:
So when recently I saw Netflix had added not only the original film, but a sequel, Kronk's New Groove, I was excited to check it out, but assumed it would fall to the most common downfall of animated sequels: not getting the original voice actors back. Much to my delight and surprise, not only are the dream team of Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, David Spade, and Eartha Kitt back, but they are joined by delightful new characters voiced by comedian Tracy Ullman and you-probably-know-him-as-the-dad-from-Fraiser John Mahoney.
The new movie also remedies the two biggest oversights in the original film; not enough Kronk, and the lack of a musical number by the villian Yzma, voiced by the always spectacular Eartha Kitt. If you're on the fence about watching the movie, maybe at least check out Yzma's song, and together we can have it stuck in our heads forever:
Mostly, I just wanted to put this out there for fans of the original movie who are feeling unsure about watching a sequel. If you're wondering if Kronk's New Groove is any good, I would definitely encourage you to give it a watch. It's good for a few laughs at least, my favorite being an Evita reference no kid today is going to get. I am firm believer that all the best kid's media has these kinds of nods to grown ups, encouraging many happy hours of coviewing, and I couldn't be more pleased that my kiddo asks for "Mommy's favorite Kronk" or "that llama movie" when we have a movie night together.
Comments