Emperor's New Groove, The

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

A spry and appealing film that throws off comic sparks with aplomb.

Mr. Showbiz Cody Clark

This joyous romp is no mere new groove, it's a live wire -- 110 volts of pure holiday cheer.

TV Guide Frank Lovece

A comic masterpiece.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

A hip, hilarious new animated feature.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Spade and Warburton might not have made The Emperor's New Groove one of the mouse factory's all-time greatest, but they've certainly made it one of the funniest.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

A delightful, effervescent morality tale for children conveyed with such wit and sophistication that adults are likely to be enchanted as well.

Boston Globe Loren King

A lively, invigorating comedy: a near-perfect mix of fresh characters, well-cast voices, superb visuals, and a fast-paced, fantasy-adventure plot.

Miami Herald Christine Dolen

Thanks to myriad animators, the characters cavort, laugh and struggle against stunning backdrops, from lush jungles to cascading waterfalls. Groovy? Absolutely.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Hip, funny, mostly nonmusical, decidedly non- epic family picture.

Variety Robert Koehler

Light, taut and compact, the zippy adventure is sometimes much too hip for the room.

Film.com Henry Cabot Beck

The design of the film is wonderful, the animation everything one comes to expect from a Disney picture, and the jokes fly by so fast.

Newsweek David Ansen

This is a fleet, funny family entertainment that should tickle parents as well as tykes.

Dallas Observer M. V. Moorhead

Most of it--ranges from very funny to hilarious.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

When the Looney Tunes trademark came on the screen at the kiddie matinee of long ago, the kiddies would cheer in unison because they knew they were going to have unmitigated fun. The Emperor's New Groove evokes the same kind of spirit.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Why is The Emperor's New Groove Disney's funniest animated movie in years? Because it's the least like a Disney animated movie.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Nobody does this stuff better than Disney, and there's plenty here to like.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Stack

This oddball comedy may be one of the brightest, funniest pieces of entertainment of the season.

USA Today Susan Wloszczyna

The goofiest, giddiest and, yes, grooviest animated trip since Aladdin unbottled its genie.

Time Richard Corliss

Doesn't aim too high or strain too hard; it is at ease inhabiting its pretty, miniature realm.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Exhibits a cheeky effervescence and spunk.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Exciting, clever sequences driven by surprisingly little plot and culminating in a climax full of the transmogrification animation was invented for.

Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan

Picks up speed as it goes along and the finale is frenzied and, well, cartoonish.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Refreshingly flirts with a very un-Disney political incorrectness.

TNT RoughCut Andy Klein

Pretty hysterical.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Freewheeling and mindless.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

A bright and zippy, but alarmingly over-campy and lighter-than-fluff cartoon feature.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Suffers from a persistent case of narrative backsliding that only serves to make older members of the audience long for the days of the dwarves, beauties, and poisoned apples of Disney-yore, and younger ones squirm in their seats.

LA Weekly David Chute

Plotwise, the movie's groove is more like a well-worn rut. Visually, too, the movie looks half-recycled.