The Emperor's New Groove (2000) - David Spade and John Goodman, How Can You Go Wrong?

The Emperor's New Groove: David Spade and John Goodman Overcome a Weak Script

Walt Disney Feature Animation was working on several different projects at once - "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "Dinosaur," "Tarzan," the never-ending "Fantasia 2000," and some others, all in vastly different stages of development - but one project in particular seemed like a sure thing, the one that turned into "The Emperor's New Groove" (2000), directed by Mark Dindal from a script by David Reynolds. At that time, in 1998, the project had the tentative title "Kingdom of the Sun," with a convoluted plot about witches stealing the sun because it bothered them and other twists. The project was being guided by Roger Allers, who had helped direct "The Lion King," contributed to many of the Disney Renaissance and previous successes, and who was well-respected by all. Allers, though, got in over his head and let the project fall behind, a major no-no when Disney had major licensing deals in place for its scheduled mid-2000 release. Allers laudably was trying to craft something original and epic, but Disney movies at that time were being cranked out like an assembly line, and there wasn't time to both refine a brand new story and assemble it into a finished product - subjects of animated Disney movies around that time were the aforesaid "Tarazan," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and "Hercules," all of which had established characters and storylines. Dindal was brought in to add some jokes, Allers left because they wouldn't allow him six additional months to do the job right (which ultimately happened anyway, but Hollywood isn't high school, you don't always get extensions), and the project got a new name, script, composer (John Debney), characters and animation. Basically, the entire "The Emperor's New Groove" project came to a dead halt and then veered off in a completely new direction just two years before it was released - an amazingly abrupt and quick turn-around for an animated Disney movie.

"This will be my fine new vacation villa! Oh, and you have to move."

Even after Allers left, though, the focus for "The Emperor's New Groove" remained muddled. While the title was a take-off on Hans Christian Anderson's classic short story "The Emperor's New Clothes," at no time did the production have much of anything to do with that story beyond the Emperor being vain and blinded to reality. Instead, the script originally veered off toward Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper" (Allers had directed a short of that story years before), with an Incan Emperor switching places with a peasant on a whim. That idea didn't work either for studio executives - "The Prince and the Pauper" has been done to death in live-action productions - so when Dindal came in, script changes were pounded out until the story resembled neither "The Emperor's New Clothes" nor "The Prince and the Pauper" but something entirely new. What resulted is better than might have been expected under the circumstances, but "The Emperor's New Groove" has no clear focus or satisfactory resolution and wound up being the first Disney movie aside from special project "Fantasia 2000" to lose money - a lot of money - in many years.

Kuzco is an arrogant young scamp

Kuzco (David Spade) is the arrogant teenage Emperor of the Incas. He is completely full of himself and decides to build an enormous villa, Kuzcotopia, on a nearby hill. Kuzco calls in the local village leader who lives there, portly Pacha (John Goodman), to tell him he has to leave. Pacha protests, but Kuzco is adamant. Meanwhile, Kuzco wilfully terminates his advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), for meddling in his affairs and usurping his role as Emperor in Kuzco's absence. Yzma decides to stage a coup and has her muscle-bound assistant, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), poison Kuzco. The poison, however, just turns Kuzco into a llama. Making the best of a bad situation, Yzma orders Kronk to take Kuzco the llama out into the countryside to a waterfall and kill him there, so Kronk puts Kuzco in a sack and heads out.

David Spade is a hoot as Kuzco the llama

Kronk, though, feels bad about the entire situation and gets careless, allowing Kuzco to escape to Pacha's village. There, not knowing the circumstances, Kuzco mistakenly accuses Pacha of being the one who poisoned him to avoid having to move. Pacha is put out by this and tells Kuzco the llama that he will help him, but only if Kuzco agrees to build his villa somewhere else. Kuzco, still arrogant, refuses and leaves, determined to return to the palace one way or another and re-assert his authority. On the way, Kuzco is attacked by jaguars, but Pacha turns up to save him. Kuzco then insincerely agrees to Pacha's terms so that Pacha will help him return to the palace.

Kuzco the llama having a bad night

Kronk returns to the palace and tells Yzma, who has taken over because everybody thinks Kuzco dead, what happened. They set out to find Kuzco and finish the job. The pair wind up at the same roadside diner as Kuzco and Pacha. Pacha tries to warn Kuzco about Yzma, whom he has overheard discussing her plans, but Kuzco doesn't believe him. Pacha, annoyed, leaves, but Kuzco finds out the truth. After a lonely night alone, Kuzco finds Pacha again, and they head back to the palace, Yzma and Kronk still in pursuit.

Patrick Warburton plays Kronk as an overgrown kid

Kuzco heads to Yzma's "secret" laboratory looking for an antidote and finds some. Yzma, meanwhile, alienates Kronk by insulting him, then finds Kuzco and Pacha and calls the palace guard on them. Kuzco instinctively grabs some of the potion and the two men flee. Unfortunately, Kuzco has no idea how much of the potion to take, so his efforts to reverse the spell only change him into other animals, and then back into a llama. Yzma catches them, but accidentally steps on some of the antidote, changing herself into a kitten (Eartha Kitt was "Catwoman" in the "Batman" tv series). Kuzco manages to regain his human form, and the appearance of Kronk prevents Yzma from drinking some of the antidote herself. Kuzco then has to decide what to do about his villa, and Kronk takes control of kitten Yzma.

If it's a Disney movie set in South America, there has to be a rickety bridge 

"The Emperor's New Groove" is an amusing madcap animated comedy despite its flaws. Kuzco may be spoiled and rotten, but he has flair and style which makes him entertaining. Anybody familiar with David Spade knows his sarcastic style of comedy, and he delivers in "The Emperor's New Groove." John Goodman's Pacha becomes Kuzco's buddy, forming a team with the llama-Emperor that teaches both of the men some lessons about relying on someone else. His sense of humility rubs off on Kuzco, providing the dynamic that gives the film its bite. Kuzco is a changed man after his adventure, and in a good way, thanks to Pacha.

Pacha hauling Kuzco the llama

Eartha Kitt's Yzma is a weak Disney villain, though she has an amazingly perfect villainous voice. She is not so much evil as she is eccentric and weird, but her intelligence shines through. She has big plans but lacks the attention to detail and follow-through to make them happen. Her carelessness extends to her laboratory, where she apparently doesn't really understand her own concoctions and is more of a dabbler than an evil genius. As someone who over-thinks her schemes, she is amusing but ultimately ineffective, making her not much of a threat to overcome and a weak link in "The Emperor's New Groove." Villains who just don't finish the job are among the most frustrating in Disney movies, and that sums up Yzma.

Wendie Malick plays Pacha's pregnant wife

Eartha Kitt's character, though, is not the main problem of "The Emperor's New Groove." There simply isn't much story. The basic plot is that Kuzco is transformed, escapes to the countryside, returns and rights the wrongs committed against him. Everything else is merely the usual Disney movie bits that always appear, but that here take over the entire film. For example: much time is taken up by Kuzco and Pacha crossing a gorge covered by a rickety bridge, which is such a stereotype of South America that the idea of including such a hoary old worn cliché is funny in and of itself for all the wrong reasons ("Oh, look out, here comes the inevitable rickety bridge scene!). With a bit more complication, "The Emperor's New Groove" could have turned into an interesting story that draws the viewer in, which undoubtedly was Allers' idea all along. As it stands, the plot could have been told in an hour-long television episode without too much trouble - and, what do you know, Disney, always working hard to change lemons into lemonade, did just that, spinning "The Emperor's New Groove" off into an animated series, "The Emperor's New School."

Yzma is up to no good

Whose fault was this fiasco? Well, that's a great question that has no answer. Sting was hired to do the music for Allers' concept, then fired when Allers left (though some of his compositions did find their way into the film, one performed for some reason by Tom Jones). Sting had his wife, Trudi, film a documentary about the production, "Sweat Box," that has been kept tightly under wraps until recently. Anyone truly interested in how Disney movies are put together might want to watch that and draw their own conclusions. One way of looking at it is that both the creative types and management were wrong, the former for not buckling down and realizing that animation is a business with deadlines that are important and must be respected, the latter for not accomodating a little more creativity and the time it takes to do that along with the necessary marketing deals. When everybody digs in their heels, everybody loses.

Kronk in the inevitable "angel/devil on my shoulder" routine

As with every Disney movie, "The Emperor's New Groove" has its diehard fans, and they take great comfort in the spin-off television series and the sequel to "The Emperor's New Groove" called "Kronk's New Groove." Those two later productions, though, are much better thought out than "The Emperor's New Groove" and have their own unique styles. In "Kronk's New Groove," for example, Kronk breaks the fourth wall and makes sarcastic asides to the audience and becomes much wackier, such as dressing in womens' clothes and the like. That sort of tone works better on television, while "The Emperor's New Groove" retains some elements of seriousness. Allers originally planned out a serious epic, not a comedy, while Dindal came in and was all about the comedy aspect. Unfortunately, Dindal's comedy sense is more of an adult nature, which is the current style, so many of the jokes will fly right over kids' heads. The styles clash, and that problem is resolved in the free-wheeling style of the later versions, but it hurts "The Emperor's New Groove."

Patrick Warburton is the best thing about "The Emperor's New Groove"

All in all, "The Emperor's New Groove" has a saving grace despite the lack of focus and the quickie plot: the characters are very appealing. Kuzco and Pacha form a dynamite buddy combination thanks to the superb vocal skills and style of Spade and Goodman. Kronk also is very funny (Patrick Warburton knows how to play fuzzy-headed characters to perfection and provides welcome comic relief), and Yzma may not be much of a threat, but she is an inventive and clever villain in her own way with a perpetual scowl. There are lots of great lines in "The Emperor's New Groove" that may not look particularly sharp on paper, but are delivered well and funny in context. What there is of the story really is innovative and fresh - you don't see a lot of Disney projects about the Incan Empire. There also are echoes of events of the Roman Empire in "The Emperor's New Groove," as Roman Emperor Nero supposedly burned down half of Rome to build himself a giant villa on a hill. So, there are lots of neat historical references in the script for us nerds to appreciate.

The theme of working together and getting along is hammered home

"The Emperor's New Groove" is certainly worth watching, especially if you enjoy David Spade and John Goodman. Don't expect much of a story, enjoy the laughs and the comic complications of Spade being turned into a llama, and you will have a good time.

Below is the trailer for "The Emperor's New Groove."




2013

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Tarzan (1999) - Disney Movie that Caps the Renaissance

"Tarzan": A Traditional Disney Movie Take on the Classsic Tale

The Disney Renaissance that had begun with "The Little Mermaid" had produced a number of huge hits and enabled Walt Disney Feature Animation to keep pace with Pixar, DreamWorks, Amblin' and the other stiff competition in the increasingly crowded animated feature field. "Tarzan" (1999), directed by Chris Buck and Kevin Lima, was the final triumph of the Renaissance, earning $448 million to turn a tidy profit despite "Tarzan"'s record $130 million budget. If one looked closely enough, though, the signs of trouble were brewing. Instead of tackling classical fairy tales and original interpretations of more recent novels, Disney movies were sliding into a pit of unoriginality. After the criticism it had taken from various pressure groups for "Pocahontas" (though not necessarily as a result), Disney plotted out its next three movies as straightforward adaptations of safe material that had been done to death in other venues: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Hercules" and now "Tarzan." Gone were the days when Disney story people could leisurely pick out appropriate novels and turn them into a "The Fox and the Hound" or a "Lady and the Tramp," stories that had not been done before. The pressure of cranking out a major new animated Disney movie every year was straining the entire Disney team, and what resulted was this string of technically superb but creatively banal features. The momentum of the Disney Renaissance retained just enough momentum to enable "Tarzan" to do well, but the failure of these films to advance the art of storytelling (there certainly were many technical advances) caused later audiences to look at the coming crop of similar films such as "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" with just a tad more skepticism.

Kala with her substitute baby

A 19th century English couple is stranded in the African jungle after fleeing their burning ship. They build a treehouse to care for their infant son, but are killed by villainous leopard Sabor. A female gorilla whose own son recently died, Kala, hears the infant's cries and takes him away before Sabor can kill him, too. Kala brings him home and raises him despite the disapproval of her mate, Kerchak. Kala names him Tarzan.

Tarzan grows into a fine young man

Tarzan is not as physically gifted as the other animals, so he has to continually work on becoming stronger and more adept with the tools at his disposal. He tracks Sabor down and kills her (or him - it really isn't clear) with a spear, protecting the other animals and causing Kerchak to like him. A small party of explorers from England arrives, and Jane, the daughter of Professor Porter, gets chased by a pack of baboons. Tarzan saves her, and in gratitude, Jane brings him back to meet her father and their guide, Clayton. Tarzan learns from Porter and the others to speak English and basic facts about the world, and he and Jane fall in love. Tarzan, however, refuses to lead them to his gorilla family because he is worried that Kerchak will hurt them.

Jane and the Professor

The time comes for the explorers to leave, and Clayton is desperate to capture the gorillas and put them on display in England, so he convinces Tarzan that Jane will stay with him if Tarzan just shows him where the gorillas live. Tarzan falls for it and takes them there, but Kerchak tries to attack the Clayton and the others. Tarzan intervenes so the people can escape, and then Kala takes him to the old treehouse and shows him his past. She convinces Tarzan to leave with Jane and the Professor, but when he goes back to the English, Clayton leads a troop of pirates to capture them and locks them up in the ship. Tarzan frees himself and goes to get Kerchak, who returns with Tarzan to take care of Clayton. The guide, though, shoots Kerchak and chases Tarzan into the jungle. They have an epic fight among the vines of the towering trees, and when it is over, the dying Kerchak names Tarzan leader of his gorilla family. Jane must then decide if she wishes to return to England with her father or stay in Africa with the man she loves.

Jane doesn't seem to realize she's in a dangerous jungle

For a Disney movie at the peak of the Disney Renaissance, the voice cast of "Tarzan" is fairly low-key. While "Aladdin" had begun a very successful trend of hiring a high-profile Hollywood star to voice a key supporting player (Robin Williams as the Genie), a tactic most recently employed in "Hercules" with James Woods voicing Hades, "Tarzan" did not have anybody like that in the voice cast. Tony Goldwyn (younger brother of Paramount Studios President John Goldwyn) was cast as Tarzan in an odd move, but since Tarzan doesn't really say much anyway, the choice works just fine. The key role in Disney movies, of course, is the villain, and the part of Clayton went to Brian Blessed because of Blessed's deep voice and ability to do the Tarzan yell for Goldwyn. Minnie Driver, at that time a rising young actress because of hits including "Good Will Hunting," voices Jane with a lot of ad libs, and Glenn Close is appropriately maternal as Kala. Lance Henriksen as Kerchak and Nigel Hawthorne as Professor Porter round out the leads, with Rosie O'Donnell cast in the usual animated Disney movie comic-relief role as Terk, a wisecracking (what else) friend of Tarzan. While several of these actors might be considered "A List," at least at the time, there is nobody who really takes over and dominates the film like a Robin Williams or a James Woods, and that is what a routine adaptation of a hackneyed story really needs to light it on fire. The studio apparently thought that the famous title alone would be enough to sell this movie, about which they were absolutely correct, but then one wonders where the huge budget went.

Jane is a bit of a looker, eh?

The answer apparently was the film's real draw, its cutting edge animation. There are sweeping 3D backgrounds which were created using a new painting and rendering technique know as Deep Canvas, a true breakthrough in the animation field which led to an Academy "Achievement" award. The software was used in subsequent films, but the rest of the industry was hot on Disney's heels and technical breakthroughs were coming fast and furious with the development of more powerful computers and advanced software.

Mimicking the guy with the gun is usually a bad idea, but Jane likes it

Make no mistake, "Tarzan" is a high-quality production that tells the Tarzan story about as faithfully as it could be told. It won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best song, "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins. Collins supplied a number of other quality songs such as "Son of Man" and "Two Worlds," singing most of them himself, giving "Tarzan" a distinct, unified sound. Giving the film a contemporary pop feel was a nice break from the sometimes depressing classical sounds of films like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," though fans of Alan Menken might disagree. Collins' songs help pull the story forward rather than halt it in its tracks with show-stoppers, which nicely complements the fluid story and animation. The pop sound of Collins' songs, though, do jar a bit with the conventional background music by Mark Mancina. Several of the Collins songs sound very reminiscent of his '80s hits.

Tarzan on the lookout

If there is a fault to "Tarzan," it is that it is a little too smooth and polished. The entire backstory is compressed into a brilliant ten minutes at the start, just like in "The Lion King," and you have the standard musical interludes which were a hallmark of Disney movies in the 1990s and became increasingly rare in the 2000s. There is the inevitable comic sidekick (Jason Alexander did that to perfection in "Hunchback of Notre Dame), and that is about it for the comedy, another stylistic flourish of the Disney Renaissance. Later films would increase the comedy, probably to compete with the likes of competing franchises like DreamWorks' mega-successful "Shrek" series, but here it is restrained (though Rosie O'Donnell is usually not called that). There also are quiet, emotional moments, not something you find much of in later films. Disney movies moved away from this very successful formula after this, and no doubt did that for a very good reason. How you feel about "Tarzan" likely will depend on whether you prefer the Disney movie classics like "Beauty and the Beast," which have a Broadway air to them, or the more recent series such as the "Ice Age" line of films, which are fast-paced, jokey, full of comic characters invariably doing funny things, full of sly topical references, and with serious reflection present but confined to small, discrete plot points. "Tarzan" definitely falls in the former camp.

Reading is fundamental

"Tarzan" was released to home video in 2000, both in a single DVD version and a two-disc Collector's Edition," with another single-disc version released in 2005. There were two direct to video sequels, "Tarzan & Jane" (2002) and prequel "Tarzan II" (2005). There is a Blu-ray edition that came out in Europe in 2012, but it may be difficult to find.

Yes, our boy does swing on those vines

Everybody knows the basic story of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan. This Disney movie "Tarzan" is the only animated version, and it is extremely well done, true to the story, and is much loved. If you want to spend some quality time in the jungle with someone familiar and fun, pop "Tarzan" in the player and enjoy.

Below is the original trailer for "Tarzan."

2013

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Hercules (1997) - Disney Movie About this Really Strong Guy....

Disney Movies Jump the Rails in "Hercules"

Walt Disney Feature Animation had decided in the late 1980s, at the dawn of the Disney Renaissance, to release at least one animated Disney movie per year. Since quality animated Disney movies take, on average, about five years to put together, that required a bunch of different work groups all working simultaneously on different - but equally important - projects. "Hercules" (1997) was being put together by one of the studio's top directing duos, Ron Clements and John Musker. Their previous three films, "The Great Mouse Detective," "The Little Mermaid," and "Aladdin," were phenomenally successful Disney movies. So, omens were good for a sure-fire project about the one Greek God that everyone knows - or, were they?

Hercules, Pegasus, Phil

Zeus and his wife Hera, rulers of all the gods on Mount Olympus, celebrate their defeat of the Titans by having a son they name Hercules. Zeus' brother Hades is not happy for Zeus because Hades intends to overthrow his brother Zeus and rule in his place. Hades consults the Fates and learns that a rare planetary alignment is coming that will enable him to achieve his goal. The only problem, the Fates tell Hades, is that Hercules might interfere and screw everything up. Hades decides not to take any chances and sends his assassins Pain and Panic to take care of the little guy. They kidnap Hercules and turn him into a mortal, but forget to remove his god-like strength before Hercules is found by farmers Amphitryon and Alcmene.

Zeus, Hera, little Hercules

Hercules grows up strong, but nobody likes him because he is different and he wants to know why. His parents don't have any answers except a necklace Hercules was wearing when they found him, so he decides to see if the temple of Zeus has any answers. Indeed it does, for when Hercules enters, the giant statue of Zeus tells him that he can regain his status as a god by doing good deeds and becoming a hero. Zeus guides him with Pegasus to Philoctetes ("Phil"), a satyr who is known for developing heroes.

Hi, there!

Phil wants nothing to do with Hercules at first, having tired of the "hero-training" business, but Hercules convinces him to give it one more go. After extensive training, Pegasus takes them to Thebes, and Hercules saves Megara ("Meg") from the centaur Nessus. Meg, though, turns out to be a follower of Hades. In Thebes, Meg finds Hercules again and tasks him with saving two "boys" trapped in a hole. The two in fact are Pain and Panic, and they summon the Hydra to do battle with Hercules. After much fighting, Hercules defeats the Hydra, but Zeus tells Hercules that he has more to do before he can earn his god status back. Hades bargains with Hercules to give up his superhuman strength for 24 hours in exchange for Hades leaving Meg alone, and Hercules agrees, only to be stunned when Meg reveals her identity as Hades' minion.

Well, you see, I'm not really a god, not yet at least....

Hades uses the 24 hours to unleash the Titans, who climb Mount Olympus and imprison the gods. He also sends a Cyclops to Thebes to take care of Hercules. Meg, who has developed feelings for Hercules, is crushed by a falling pillar while trying to save Hercules, which gives him back his strength. After defeating the Cyclops, Hercules flies up to Mount Olympus on Pegasus and frees the other gods, throwing the Titans into space. Returning to Thebes, Hercules finds that Meg has died and her soul has become Hades'. Hercules invades the Underworld realm of Hades and bargains his own life for that of Meg. This self-sacrifice on Hercules' part restores his status as a god and makes Hercules immortal. Rescuing Meg, Hercules punches Hades into the River Styx. Zeus and Hera then invite Hercules to come and live with them, and Hercules must choose whether he wants to live with the gods on Mount Olympus, or on earth with Meg.

DVD's often have the best artwork

"Hercules" veers very close to being a parody of the Greek myths. Innocent, naive-sounding Tate Donovan voices him as a classic rube who only wants to find himself. The rest of the cast largely plays it for laughs, as Danny DeVito hams it up as Phil, and James Woods plays Hades as a fast-talking con man. Susan Egan as Meg also goes for the laughs, and comedians Bobcat Goldthwait and Matt Frewer serve up Pain and Panic as humorous henchmen. Wayne Knight from "Seinfeld" has a small role as Demetrius, and a serious opening narration by Charlton Heston sets everything up to be quickly undercut by the hammy supporting players.

I love rescuing damsels from the Underworld

Despite all the comedians, though, perhaps the funniest thing about the film isn't anything in it, but rather what happened when Disney released this film. Disney had the sheer effrontery to ask the Greek government if they could premiere the film at one of Greece's most sacred spots, the Pnyx Hill where Athenian democracy took root. The Greeks took one look at the film and turned them down flat, claiming that it was just "another case of foreigners distorting our history and culture just to suit their commercial interests." That had to be one of the sharpest and most cutting rebukes the mouse company has received in its nearly a century of operation. Ouch!

Hades thinking hard

Disney, though, couldn't alter the film to suit the Greeks, as they had an entire marketing campaign already in progress, including books, toys, and even a parade down Times Square. Not only that, there was a hit television series called "Hercules: The New Adventures" on the air, and Disney set up a "Disney on Ice" spectacle even before the film hit theaters. A licensed video game, "Hercules Action Game," also was ready to go. It was all such a sure thing, with so many good omens, that much of the promotional activity and merchandising was put in place before anyone had even seen the film. When "Hercules" was released in the summer of 1997, it didn't flop spectacularly, but it didn't do very well, either. "Hercules" underperformed at the box office, taking in less than $100 million domestically, even less than the previous year's underwhelming "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and much, much less than that film worldwide.

Kind of a good resemblance

So what happened? Why did such a sure thing as "Hercules" have such problems? The animation is good, and some of the songs are quite memorable. "Go the Distance" by Alan Menken and David Zippel was nominated for an Academy Award, and "Hercules" received several nominations from other awards shows. Woods is smooth as silk as Hades, and there are more pure comedians in the cast than in your average sitcom. Disney blamed "the competition," but it was more than that.

Panic and Pain are good for comic relief

The answer is, Disney got a little too full of itself. While Hercules may seem so accepted as a textbook Greek myth that he seems ripe for parody and comic interpretations, not everybody sees it that way, and certainly not the Greeks. To them, he is a real entity who deserves to be treated with respect, especially by non-Greeks. Making fun of Hercules, many of them no doubt feel, is akin to making fun of them. And nobody really likes a foreign company making fun of them as it also tries to make a buck off them.

Phil is also very funny

"Hercules" was a serious miscalculation. If they had stuck with the tone set by Charlton Heston's opening narration and done a straight-forward explanation of Hercules and his deeds, people might have respected the film as a serious work and paid it respect. Playing Hercules as an uncool hick who is duped by everyone around him, regardless of the outcome, was the absolute worst tack to take. The fault, interestingly arose not from any purposeful intent, but because the film's producers had no clear plan in mind for the film. James Woods came in for a reading and played the character of Hades as a joke rather than as the ponderous, serious heavy in the script, and the producers meekly decided to go with that. Then, they let him create his own dialogue, which comes out ultra-smooth and not the least bit respectful of the material.

Titans on the loose!

It was a complete fiasco, and nobody ever really owned up to it. "Hercules" still did moderately good business based on the existing momentum of the Disney Renaissance, but the wheels were starting to come off of that revival because Disney, quite simply was over-stretched. A little more thought and oversight might have led somebody to step in and tell the directors that Hercules might seem ridiculous to them, but he sure doesn't to a lot of people around the world - people who buy movie tickets. With all those projects underway at once, and their best team on the job, who was going to minutely examine every decision made on such a sure thing as "Hercules"? Nobody, apparently. To show how far off track "Hercules" got, at one point they were considering Gregory Peck for the role of Zeus. The thought of him voicing a character in a film of juvenile nonsense is, well, unthinkable. And yet that's what "Hercules" became.

Look! I have my own action figure!

"Hercules" by no means is all bad. It is a fast-paced romp which takes gleeful fun in mocking everything in its path. If you are looking for a jokey take on the Greek legends, "Hercules" is a good place to start. James Woods is funny, and so are some of the supporting characters. Saying that he is as good as Robin Williams in "Aladdin" is a stretch, though, and that is the type of performance it would have taken to pull this off. Disney has pretty much buried "Hercules" in the vault, with the last DVD release coming in 2000 and none currently scheduled. Pick "Hercules" up for a few quick laughs, but it really doesn't add much to what you can see about Hercules elsewhere.

Below is the trailer.


2013

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) - A Dark Disney Movie with Flashes of Inspiration

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Courtesy of Disney Animation

After a string of Disney movie hits during the Disney Renaissance of the early 1990s, Walt Disney Feature Animation was looking for something fresh. Everything the studio had cranked out since "The Black Cauldron" had been light and breezy, exemplified by the romantic "Beauty and the Beast" and comedic "Aladdin." The mood of the studio with the television hit "Gargoyles" was darker than it had been, though, so story developer David Stain came up with the idea for a Disney movie from reading a comic book. The idea was to adapt Victor Hugo's classic "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996) into a children's film. There was a lot to be said for the idea of this Disney movie, as the visuals of Paris would be breath-taking, Hugo's story is an epic tale, and possibilities abound for cute gargoyle characters and the like. The one problem was that the basic plot of the original "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is full of adult themes and violence. So, this Disney movie did what so many had done before (see, oh, "The Jungle Book" or "The Fox and the Hound," for example): it changed the characters of the Disney movie "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" to make it palatable to children. How you feel about that kind of change will likely determine whether you like this Disney movie, because otherwise it is technically proficient and full of exciting adventure.

The star of our show, ladies and gentlemen

It is Paris during the middle ages (1482 to be precise). Judge Claude Frollo is out to keep Paris pure. He chases a group of gypsies out of the city, but the deformed baby, Quasimodo, of a gypsy woman that he kills somehow survives. To atone to his boss the Archdeacon for the crime of killing the woman, Frollo adopts the boy and raises him (some atonement!) to be the bellringer of the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Better than four dogs playing poker on black velvet, I suppose

Quasimodo, who as a young man becomes a self-imposed outcast from society (heavily encouraged by mean Judge Frollo), lives alone in the Notre Dame belltower with his three friends Victor, Hugo and Laverne. They are stone gargoyles on the cathedral roof that come to life when only Quasimodo is around. Frollo forbids Quasimodo from leaving the cathedral, but one day Quasimodo can't resist the attraction of the annual Festival of Fools. Quasimodo becomes popular at the event, but Frollo's men spot Quasimodo and arrest him. Esmeralda, a sympathetic gypsy girl, frees Quasimodo. Curious about him, she follows Quasimodo back to the cathedral.

Paradoxically, the stone gargoyles are the liveliest part of  "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"

Captain Phoebus, one of Frollo's soldiers who likes Esmeralda and Quasimodo, observes all this and detains Esmeralda within the cathedral for her own safety. There, Esmeralda becomes friends with Quasimodo, who shows her a way out past the guards. In gratitude, Esmeralda gives Quasimodo a map to the fabled Court of Miracles, the gypsies' secret camp (you just know that is a bad idea).

Very pretty picture that really didn't need animation to achieve

Frollo falls in love with the beautiful Esmeralda and orders the soldiers to find her. The soldiers burn down homes where gypsies live as part of the search, but Phoebus refuses to participate. He is sentenced to death, but escapes. Unfortunately, he injures himself, and Esmeralda finds him and takes him back to the cathedral to recover. Frollo figures out that Quasimodo knows where the Court of Miracles is located and threatens to burn it down, inducing Quasimodo and Phoebus to set out to warn the gypsies. Frollo, following behind like the cagey fox that he is, then has his men spring out of hiding and capture the gypsies at the Court of Miracles, including Esmeralda.

"Look at me, I can fly... Oh wait, wrong Disney movie"

Frollo orders Esmeralda burned at the stake because she doesn't like him (this part may confuse some children). Quasimodo swoops down and rescues her, returning her to the cathedral where she enjoys sanctuary. To settle matters for good with Frollo, Phoebus incites an uprising of the people of Paris. They come after Frollo and his men, who try to seek safety in the locked cathedral. Quasimodo, though, is ready for them and pours molten copper from the cathedral roof. Frollo manages to get in and confront Quasimodo, and they struggle to see who shall prevail and who shall die.

"I'm just a wild and crazy guy!"

While there are many strong characters in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," there is no question that the real star of this animated Disney movie is the cathedral itself. Not only does most of the action take place in and around it, but parts of it actually come alive and talk to Quasimodo. All that is well and good, but a stone building is not something that is an ideal setting for animation, however immense and regardless of the views. Animation is best with fluid scenery and quick changes of locale. Putting aside the usual animation flourishes, there is little in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" that you couldn't see or re-create in a live-action version. The mostly drab colors of the clothes - lots of white/black stark contrasts, muddy browns, olive, subdued reds - are not ideal for animation, either. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" looks very washed-out at times.

There is something very disturbing about this picture

Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, though, who had helmed the pinnacle of the Disney Renaissance, "Beauty and the Beast," knew what they were about with "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." They dumbed down the story to make it kid-friendly, adding "kindly" characters like the archdeacon and changing others. Phoebus is vastly nicer than in the novel, and most of the overt sexuality and violence now is only hinted at. All these changes open the dynamic directing duo up to charges of turning edgy characters into cute clichés, but really, what do you expect in a Disney movie? "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," despite their efforts, remains very dark, and dark doesn't usually play well with family Disney movie audiences. There is a song called "Hellfire" sung by Frollo, and frequent uses of words like "strumpet" and "licentious" and "damnation" with which little children - if they even understand them at all -may have trouble. The entire ending, based on Esmeralda's rejection of Frollo, is packed with sexual innuendo and the tragic consequences of that rejection. This is a children's Disney movie that wasn't really aimed squarely enough at children, though it isn't aimed at adults, either.

"Nyah Nyah, I have Esmeralda and you don't!"

The soundtrack is by veteran Disney composer Alan Menken, working with Stephen Schwartz, and is unremarkable. Menken is a terrific composer, with numerous Academy Awards, but this is not his best effort. The soundtrack album did not make the top ten in the United States, and there were no radio hits. Part of that may have been related to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"'s setting in medieval times, leading to songs loaded with Gregorian chants and religious influences which are not the types of bits that lead to radio airplay (unless you are "Enigma" with its sexual overtones, but that's another story). The main setting is a church, so the songs tend to be quiet - Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell" wouldn't fit in at all despite the fact that Quasimodo actually does that, well, you know what I mean. Dark songs like "Hellfire" with Latin chants are not big crowd pleasers, though they certainly support the plot of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and create the mood the animators needed.

Oh, my poor little soldier man

The voice actors are fine but not really exceptional for an animated Disney movie during the Disney Renaissance period. Tom Hulce, enjoying a continuing period of fame after "Amadeus," voices Quasimodo like a pure innocent, which he is, but that makes him bland. Quasimodo is drawn with some resemblance to the classic Charles Laughton character. Hulce, whose voice is clear but not very distinctive, is overshadowed by practically everyone else, particularly hammy Jason Alexander from "Seinfeld" in a high-profile role as one of the gargoyles (watch the trailer below and listen to see whose voice you hear more often). Demi Moore with her distinctive throaty voice is Esmeralda, and it cost Disney a pretty penny to get her, making her the highest paid actress in Hollywood. Kevin Kline shines as Phoebus, with several funny lines delivered only the way he can do it. Disney movie stalwart David Ogden Stiers ("Beauty and the Beast," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "Lilo and Stitch" and several animated Disney series) plays the small but pivotal role of the Archdeacon in typical Stiers arch fashion. Tony Jay, the voice of Monsieur D'Arque in "Beauty and the Beast," voices Frollo in fine, deep villainous tones. That role almost went to Marlon Brando, which would have been epic. Marlon, though, didn't like the material and turned it down.

"If you're sexy and you know it, clap your hands"

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is a competent job. It is akin to reading an abridged version of a classic novel, or seeing one of those five-minute versions of an hour-long television show. The high points are there, and you get a feel for the basic story, but a lot of the richness, complexity and satisfaction of the original is absent. Part of that is simply the limitations of the media, and another part the attempts by the producers to reach a mass audience. A real problem is that the love affair between Esmeralda and Phoebus never really ignites, leaving "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with an empty core, but children are unlikely to notice. The most fun scenes happen early on, at the Festival of Fools, and it is a shame the entire film could not have retained that light-hearted tone. Oh, and Esmeralda isn't a princess, either, which excludes her from that pantheon of Disney Movie heroines.

"I really shouldn't have eaten that lemon...."

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was a successful Disney movie upon release, earning over $100 million in the States and $325 million worldwide, but it is not a high point of the Disney Renaissance. Still, there are many very devoted fans, and it did well enough to justify a sequel, the 2002 direct-to-video "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II" (compare the two, and you will see that Disney dumbed the sequel down even more and made it much more kid-friendly). There also have been stage shows and comic book adaptations of the Disney movie (somewhat ironic, that), and this story may well play out better on stage than it ever did on film. The story has been around for almost two hundred years, though - who really needed Disney to put together a stage version?. In Germany, where they like dark, Gothic productions like Wagner's "Die Nibelungen," the stage version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was a huge hit, which may tell you something about the tone. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" receives occasional revivals elsewhere as well, pushed heavily by Menken.

Watch that hand, buddy!

When you mess with the classics like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," you take your chances with the critics. Here, Disney escaped without too much damage, though, looking at it now, one might wonder whether today this would have had lower-profile actors and gone straight to video. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was a fairly good adaptation of the novel, and the same team went on to do "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," another mediocre animated Disney movie. Neither of those was nearly as good as the team's first effort, "Beauty and the Beast," but few Disney movies are. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is worth a look, but this Disney movie may not be appropriate for the youngest children. It also may require a little patience from some others, though ultimately it should be worth the trouble. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" will be released for the first time ever on Blu-ray alongside its sequel in a Special Edition "2-Movie Collection" on March 12, 2013. so if you are interested, you might pick that version up.

Below is the theatrical trailer for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."



2013

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