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adamwatchesmovies · 1 year ago

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Kronk's New Groove (2005)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Kronk’s New Groove is the worst kind of sequel. Not only is it bad, it’s so dreadful it makes you wonder if you really even liked the first movie.

Now the chef and head delivery boy of Mudka’s Meat Hut, Kronk Pepikrankenitz (voiced by Patrick Warburton) should be happy. Instead, he’s worried. His disapproving father is coming to visit and all the loveable lug can think about are the times where he tried - and failed - to obtain the family and house on the hill pops dreamed he’d have.

Think of your favourite jokes from The Emperor’s New Groove. Guess what? It's back! They’re all back! Well, cheap clones of them, anyway. The shot where Yzma (Eartha Kitt) lifts up her dress and the characters recoil in horror because they think the old, ugly witch is trying to be sexy but actually, she’s showing them something else? You get it. How about Chaca (Jessie Flower) and Tipo (Eli Russell Linnetz) arguing? You get that too. The Emperor (David Spade) breaking the fourth wall and commenting on the action? Yup. Yzma’s secret lair beneath the surface? Talking with squirrels? The food that turns out to be disgusting bugs? Check, check, check. Too bad none of it is original or remotely amusing this time.

It goes without saying that this direct-to-video sequel has animation of a significantly lower quality than its predecessor. That’s forgiveable. What isn’t is the quality of the songs. Kronk’s New Groove barely qualifies as a musical but there are just enough tunes to make you regret you have ears. The most memorable number is when Earth, Wind and Fire’s Let’s Groove plays. ‘Cause it has “groove” in the name, get it?

One of the funniest elements of The Emperor’s New Groove was its historical anachronisms. Kronk’s New Groove has them too and they’re constant. It’s set in ancient Incan times but we have scout leaders with British accents, Jewish weddings, references to Titanic and The Lord of the Rings, and so on and so forth. Seems to me as if the writers just threw whatever dusty gags they found in the bin together and called it a day.

Though it isn’t as blatantly obvious as it is in Atlantis: Milo’s Return and Tarzan 2, this all feels suspiciously like a bunch of TV episodes stitched together to make a movie. The first “plot” has Kronk swindling the village fossils out of their savings for a youth potion that doesn’t work after Yzma inexplicably returns. The second is the tale of two rival scout troupes battling it out for a trophy while romance blossoms between Kronk and Miss Birdwell (voiced by Tracey Ullman). After reminiscing these events, Kronk’s father arrives and our hero scrambles to come up with a “family” so pops won’t be disappointed. Are you tired of this movie yet?

Kronk’s New Groove proves a little of its titular character went a long way. You get sick of this movie within a quarter of an hour. Too bad. You’ve got another 57 agonizingly long minutes to go. I’m going to resist giving it the lowest possible score for reasons I can’t explain but it’s a tough inner battle. The audacity of a scene in which Kuzko yells at “the guy up in the projection booth” to restart the movie almost made me laugh. As if any theater would be desperate enough to show this on one of their screens. (February 26, 2021)

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stars-bean · 17 days ago

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Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) dir. Elliot M. Bour and Saul Andrew Blinkoff

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animations-daily · 1 year ago

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Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) dir. Elliot M. Bour and Saul Andrew Blinkoff

#animationedit #disneyedit #filmedit #Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie #*#gifs #Anna #moviegifs #chewieblog #animationsource #dailyanimatedgifs

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jingle-bones · 5 years ago

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POOH’S HEFFALUMP HALLOWEEN MOVIE (Dir: Saul Andrew Blinkoff & Elliot M. Bour, 2005).

A sequel of sorts to Pooh's Heffalump Movie (Frank Nissen, 2005), the feature which introduced the character of Lumpy the Heffalump to the Pooh universe. As with the previous movie, this one was also animated by DisneyToon Studios, the television production arm of Walt Disney Pictures. Unlike Pooh's Heffalump Movie, which enjoyed a theatrical release, Heffalump Halloween was a made for video effort. The movie is comprised of roughly two thirds new material, the remainder being recycled from the television special Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh (Rob LaDuca, 1996).

Once again, Pooh is relegated to co-star status in a film which largely revolves around Roo teaching his best friend Lumpy about the Hundred Acre Wood's 'trick or treat' traditions on the young heffalump's first Halloween. During the course of which Roo attempts to 'unscare' Lumpy by telling him of the Halloween which was almost a Hallo-wasn't due to Piglet's fears of the spooky season. Taken from the earlier special, this noticeably different footage presents us with the awkward narrative conceit of Roo narrating a story in which neither he or Kanga appear, as both were inexplicably absent from the episode.

Narrative issues aside, the film is passable entertainment for the very young; the toothless, yet sweet, confection contains no real frights for even the smallest of viewers. Children will undoubtedly find Lumpy adorable and may even enjoy the handful of forgettable songs. The expected messages about braveness and friendship are hammered home without a hint of subtlety.

There are certainly worse kid's movies out there than Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie, but there are much better Pooh movies. The youngest and most undemanding Pooh fans will probably be enchanted by this spooky special. Older children and grownups would be much better served by watching Walt Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman, 1977), or by reading the original A. A. Milne stories upon which it based.