December 13, 2005 – The Direct to Video Sequel Kronk’s New Groove is Released
“But then he did a whole 180, said vamoose to the shady lady, now he’ll teach your kid to talk like a squirrel.”
On December 13, 2005, the direct-to-video sequel to the 2000 animated feature film The Emperor’s New Groove, titled Kronk’s New Groove, was released. This sequel was nominated for three Annie Awards, including Best Home Entertainment Production, Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production, and Best Writing in an Animated Feature Film. The film overall was panned, as critics considered the storyline weak. It was written by Tom Rogers, Anthony Leondis, and Michael LaBash, and was directed by Elliot M. Bour and Saul Andrew Blinkoff. The film includes the original cast from the first film, including Patrick Warburton as Kronk, Eartha Kitt as Yzma, David Spade as Kuzco, John Goodman as Pacha, and Patti Deutsch as the Waitress; the film also includes Tracey Ullman as Miss Birdwell, and John Mahoney as Kronk’s father.
The film begins with a cheese explosion at Mudka’s Meat Hut, where Kronk is the head chef. Kronk is distressed, as his perfect life seems to have gone awry. He takes the audience back to when his troubles started – earlier that same day. Kronk has changed a lot since the end of his involvement with Yzma, with the whole town adoring him. Kuzco interrupts Kronk’s narration to talk about himself, but explains that the film really belongs to Kronk, but still interrupts here and there. Back at the Meat Hut, Kronk continues his duties as head chef and head delivery boy, and sees his friend Pacha and his family. Soon, an urgent message arrives for Kronk, which he attempts to hide from everyone. He is panicked that his father is coming for a visit, as he hasn’t told his father that he doesn’t have a wife, family, and a house on a hill. His father never approved of his cooking talents, and Kronk feels like he always disappointed his father.
True to form, Kronk misses the signs that he’s heading into a dangerous area
Kronk begins telling the story about how he gained and lost his house on a hill to the waitress, where he first goes to the senior citizens home, where the seniors are wishing for a youth potion. He is unaware that he’s being watched by Yzma, who comes up with a trap to catch Kronk. She is no longer a cat, but still maintains some catlike qualities, including a tail. She claims that she has changed and wishes to help others, and takes him down to her secret lair, where she has created a youth potion. She tasks Kronk to sell the youth potion to the seniors, knowing that he needs the money to buy a big house and finally get a thumbs up from his father. Everyone takes the potion, and starts believing they are now young and beautiful, although they are really only having a placebo effect. Yzma soon reveals that she’s been running a scam, as the potion is nothing more than sewer slime.
Kronk soon makes a lot of money, and as the seniors need money to buy more youth potion, they sell Kronk the home. After a while, one of the seniors named Rudy stops by to visit, but isn’t wearing any clothing. Rudy reveals that he had to sell his clothes to buy more youth potion, and Kronk gives him a free bottle. Rudy then goes crazy on receiving the potion, and Kronk realizes that the potion was a fake. Kronk feels incredibly guilty for helping Yzma to cheat his friends, and Rudy reveals that the seniors were ready to elect Yzma as emperor. Kronk exposes Yzma as a fake, and the seniors chase after her. After they catch her, the seniors realize that they’re only as young as they feel, but still wish to get their belongings back from Yzma. She pulls out her most diabolical potion ever, and turns into a fluffy pink bunny, but is soon taken away by a hawk. Kronk then returns his attentions to the problems at hand, and decides to give his house back to the seniors.
Kronk finishes his story, and begins the tale of his lost love
As Kronk finishes telling the story of how he gained and lost his house on a hill, he starts to cry. The waitress sends Kronk back to work, but he then moves into a story about how he lost his girl. Kronk begins with taking the village children to Camp Chippamunka, competing for best troop for a third year. There, Kronk falls in love with troop leader Miss Birdwell, but thanks to the antics of his troop, the romance between Birdwell and Kronk doesn’t last long, turning into a rivalry between the troops. The two have a fight one night, but come to an understanding and work together to make a treat of raisin bread for their troops, which once again leads to a mutual attraction. The two declare to their troops that they are ending the feud, but are unaware that Tipo from Kronk’s troop is planning on playing a mean prank on Miss Birdwell’s troop. At the final event of the contest, Kronk’s troop performs exceptionally well, and Tipo puts his plan into action, accidentally leaving behind his empty pouch of itching powder in their grip chalk. After discovering Tipo’s bag of powder, marked with Tipo’s name, Kronk steps in to take the blame, and loses the woman he loves. He then goes back to the present, and the waitress points out that his father is on his way.
Kronk then comes up with the idea to borrow Pacha’s wife, kids, and house on a hill. Kronk’s father soon arrives at the restaurant, and Pacha’s family pretends that they are Kronk’s family. However, the idyllic scene is interrupted when Pacha enters the scene dressed as a woman, but Kronk pretends that he’s his mother-in-law. Kronk’s father, thinking Pacha is attractive, starts hitting on him. Kronk also has to pretend that he’s not the chef of the restaurant, and as he tries to balance cooking and meaningful, yet meddlesome, gestures from his friends as they try to assist him, the fondue explodes, bringing it back to the scene at the beginning of the film. Kronk finally explains the truth to his father, and resigns himself to being a failure. Chaca, one of Pacha’s kids, tells Kronk that he has the entire village, which cheers him up. His father finally gives him the thumbs up he’s always wanted, and tells him that he’s proud of him. The movie ends with Miss Birdwell returning, and the two rekindle their romance.
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