Kronk's New Groove

In the mid-90s and throughout most of the 2000s, Disney released a number of direct-to-video sequels for some of their films, regardless of box office performance. Some, like Atlantis: Milo’s Return, are actually three episodes of a canned TV series stapled together. One such DTV sequel was Kronk’s New Groove (titled onscreen as The Emperor's New Groove 2: Kronk's New Groove), which released in 2005 despite its parent film, The Emperor’s New Groove, not turning a profit in its initial release. Considering that the spinoff series The Emperor’s New School lasted two seasons with 52 episodes, however, post-release popularity must have come into play. In any case, Kronk’s New Groove notably scored a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, but considering that it only has seven critic reviews, I didn’t consider that an accurate barometer of its quality. Since I owned the film on a Blu-ray with both installments, I thought it best to watch it for myself, though I did go in with already low expectations (Tony Leondis, best known for The Emoji Movie, even had a story credit, for what it’s worth). I found it better than I was originally led to believe, although it’s (unsurprisingly) still a step down from the original film.

Although Kronk (Patrick Warburton) has led a successful life since he left Yzma’s employ at the end of the original film, including the roles of chef and Head Delivery boy at Mudka’s Meat Hut, he has never had the approval of his father aka Papi (John Mahoney). Papi had always disapproved of Kronk’s interests and wished he would settle down with a wife and live in a large house on a hill. As Kronk frets over a visit from Papi and getting a long-awaited thumbs up, disaster strikes and he tells the audience how he lost both a house and the love of his life through a series of unfortunate events.

Despite his success, Kronk (Patrick Warburton) just wants a thumbs up from Papi.

Centering a sequel around a character other than the original lead, even a popular secondary character, is a bold move that I applaud the film for trying. It’s an opportunity to explore the universe from a different perspective and follow up on prior events without the risk of undoing the lead’s development, a trap that a number of sequels (even some beloved ones) fall into. In the case of Kronk, it’s also kind of nice to see that he’s managed to carve out a fulfilling life for himself outside of Yzma and that he’s not defined entirely by his relationship with her. Although Kuzco isn’t the focus, he is still acknowledged and his character development from the original remains intact, which I appreciate.

The execution, however, leaves something to be desired. Although I liked Kronk in the original film and he’s still endearing in the sequel, he’s almost too much here. He seems to work better in small doses or as a comedic foil, but as the lead, there’s more of an emphasis on comedy. Gaining his father’s approval at the end does feel earned and I did feel a little emotional in that moment, but his journey didn’t have as much emotional depth as Kuzco’s because he didn’t have as much development (and it’s clear he’s the one who’s supposed to develop as opposed to acting as an agent of change for everyone else).

Speaking of the comedy, although I did laugh out loud a few times, I didn’t find this installment nearly as funny as the first. Where I could easily remember or quote parts of the original no matter how much time had passed between installments, not that much stuck with me from the sequel afterwards. While some gags are recycled from the original, as is the nature with sequels, their implementation here still works as they often act as sequels to the original gag in a way that feels fresh. For example, when it looks like Kronk and Yzma (Eartha Kitt) will repeat the “Pull the lever” bit, it turns out the lever was fixed (the actual “Small World” punchline still isn’t as effective). Kuzco occasionally cutting in with his own commentary got a couple laughs, as did his acknowledgement later that he weaseled his way into the movie, but these bits also didn’t land as well. At the very least, it says something about Kuzco’s character that he’s willing to let Kronk tell his own story.

Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) reminds us that this is Kronk's movie.

As for the story itself, I have mixed feelings because while it’s not as strong as the original, there is some evidence of genuine effort. I did like that although it can come off as three episodes of a canned (Kronk-focused?) TV series stapled together, not helped by a random fade to black, the framing device does a very effective job at tying everything together as a complete story that you almost don’t notice. There’s also no evidence, from what I could find, that it really was a canned TV series, so it could easily come off as an original film with a unique structure. That said, the plot itself has a lot going on between a cat-like Yzma returning as a snake oil salesman, the arrival of Papi and a scout competition. While each subplot does get tied neatly together in the end, that doesn’t really make up for a lack of focus, not to mention some inconsistencies with the original (if the emperor could be elected, why did Yzma try so hard to kill Kuzco before?). Compared with the original, this film is also noticeably more anachronistic, with the cheer segment feeling particularly out of place.

Not sure the cheer section really added anything.

While Kronk’s New Groove does have a less-polished look compared with the original, owing to its lower budget, it still looks decent and at least has a stylistic consistency. The real highlight, however, is that in a rare move for a Disney DTV sequel, the entire original cast reprises their roles, including David Spade as Emperor Kuzco, all of whom do a good job. Of the new characters, however, Miss Birdwell's (Tracey Ullman) posh accent didn't quite fit the time period. We even get to hear Eartha Kitt sing, though she unfortunately works with subpar material. On that note, the songs don’t really stick afterwards, but they’re at least listenable, which I would consider a compliment in this case.

If you liked The Emperor’s New Groove and just couldn’t get enough of Kronk, then you may find some good entertainment in Kronk’s New Groove. However, while it’s not without merit, I would still advise sticking with the more polished and rewatchable original.