Kronk’s New Groove Parent Guide

All Kronk (voice of Patrick Warburton) has ever wanted is a thumb’s up from his dear old Dad (John Mahoney). As we know from the prequel, The Emperor’s New Groove, his stint as the sidekick to the evil villainess Yzma (Eartha Kitt) didn’t amount to a promising career. So the muscular-bodied, softheaded man has since tried to find a new groove. Working as a fry cook and delivery boy for Mudka’s Meat Hut, his culinary skills have really whipped-up the diner’s popularity. Despite this success, a letter announcing a forthcoming visit from his picky Papi has Kronk feeling like a failure.

In flash backs, the insecure king of cuisine tells of his attempts to meet his father’s exacting expectations, which include a big house on a hill, and a wife and kids. Each time he has come close to securing these status symbols, an ethical dilemma (discussed with his shoulder-sized angle and devil) has left him sacrificing his dream for his conscience’ sake. Faced with the prospect of having to confess his true domicile and marital situation, Kronk concludes his best option is to lie.

As is too often the case with sequels, Kronk’s New Groove slips into an old rut, succumbing to reusing the same types of gags seen in the first film. Unfortunately, what was once fresh and innovative, now just feels like rehashed leftovers. In an effort to include all the characters introduced last time, the returning voice cast (David Spade and John Goodman) are each given parts, even though they really have no place in the present story. As well, the script of this direct-to-home video project lacks creativity and witty humor. Which is really a shame, because the movie serving as its inspiration was so unique and charmingly funny.

Such disappointments aside, the plodding plot, cheesy comedy and half-baked parodies don’t present many content concerns, with the exception of some very mild sexual innuendo (Yzma’s tells Kronk she has a proposition for him—but it’s a business deal), a few elderly people wear little, if any clothing (no full nudity shown), and plenty of slapstick antics. In the end Kronk learns honesty is the best policy and that success can be measured by more than one yardstick. It’s just too bad this animation doesn’t cook-up any sizzle worthy of a hearty thumb’s up.

Original Direct-to-Home-Video Release Date: 13 December 2005

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.