Kronk's New Groove (also known as The Emperor's New Groove 2: Kronk's New Groove) is a 2005 American direct-to-video animated musical comedy film animated by Toon City Animation and released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on December 13, 2005.

Kronk's New Groove
DVD cover
Directed byElliot M. Bour
Saul Andrew Blinkoff
Screenplay byTom Rogers
Story byTony Leondis
Michael LaBash
Tom Rogers
Based onThe Emperor's New Groove
by Mark Dindal (uncredited)
Produced byPrudence Fenton
John A. Smith
StarringPatrick Warburton
Tracey Ullman
Eartha Kitt
John Goodman
Wendie Malick
John Mahoney
John Fiedler
David Spade
Narrated byDavid Spade
Edited byPhilip Malamuth
Arthur D. Noda
Music byMark Watters
Jeanine Tesori
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Home Entertainment
Release date
  • December 13, 2005 (2005-12-13)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film is the sequel and spin-off to the 2000 animated film The Emperor's New Groove, and features reprises of the roles of David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton and Wendie Malick from the first film, with new voices by John Mahoney and Tracey Ullman.

It was also the last film to feature the voice of John Fiedler, who died six months before it was released.[1]

Plot

Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) narrates the story about Kronk Pepikrankenitz (Patrick Warburton), now chef and Head Delivery Boy of Mudka's Meat Hut, who is fretting over the upcoming visit of his father. Kronk's father always disapproved of young Kronk's culinary interests and wished that Kronk instead would settle down with a wife and a large house on a hill.

In a flashback, Kronk tells the story of how he almost had both of these. As unwitting accomplice to Yzma (Eartha Kitt) – the villainess of the first film who turned into a cat at the end of the original, but is now human again despite still having a tail – he goes along with her plan to sell sewer slime as a youth potion. He makes enough money to buy the old folks' home from the old folks and put his large new home there. Eventually, Yzma is revealed as a fake and the old folks chase her down and corner her at a bridge over a river full of crocodiles. To prevent them from attacking her, she transforms herself into a rabbit, but is then caught and taken away by a condor. When Kronk realizes the old folks have sold everything they own in return for something which doesn't work, he gives his home back to them.

Kronk, as camp counselor of the Junior Chipmunks at Camp Chippamunka, falls in love with fellow counselor Miss Birdwell (Tracey Ullman); but when one of his Chipmunks, Tipo, pulls a prank to win the camp championships and is caught, Kronk, feeling responsible for the situation (due to having previously told his Chipmunks to do whatever it took to win), protects the boy at the cost of alienating his love.

Kronk's father (John Mahoney) arrives and confusion ensues as several supportive friends try to pass themselves off to him as Kronk's wife and kids. But in the end, Kronk realizes that his wealth is in his friendships, and this finally wins his father's thumbs up and Miss Birdwell's love.

Meanwhile, just outside the house, Yzma is in the condor's nest with two eggs, which hatch and presumably attack her before the credits roll.

Voice cast

Reception

The film holds a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews and an average rating of 4.5/10.[2] Pam Gelman of Common Sense Media gave the film two out of five stars, stating that the film's story "is disjointed with unnecessary attempts at humor that are clearly geared for parents".[3] David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews states the main character "works best in small doses; forced to carry an entire movie, Kronk becomes tedious and (unbelievable as it seems) unfunny."[4]

Annie Awards

The film was nominated in 2006 for the following Annie Awards:[5]

  • Best Home Entertainment Production
  • Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
  • Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production

References

  1. ^ Bernstein, Adam. "Actor John Fiedler Dies; Was Piglet's Voice in 'Pooh' Films" Archived 2019-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post. June 28, 2005. Accessed December 15, 2007. "John Fiedler, 80, a stage, film and television actor who excelled at meek or nervous roles and was personally chosen by Walt Disney to play the voice of Piglet in Winnie the Pooh films, died June 25 at the Lillian Booth Actors' Home in Englewood, N.J."
  2. ^ "Kronk's New Groove". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 6, 2021.  
  3. ^ "Kronk's New Groove - Movie Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. 10 February 2006. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. ^ "The Emperor's New Groove & Kronk's New Groove - Reviews by David Nusair". www.reelfilm.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. ^ "33rd Annual Annie Nominations and Awards Recipients". International Animated Film Society ASIFA Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  1. ^ Animation outsourced to Toon City Animation.