I am absolutely obsessed with Disney. But when I say that don’t you dare for one minute think I am a Disney Adult. I am NOT someone who is trying to re-live their childhood because of how terrible life is now. I just really enjoy the movies. My party trick is definitely Disney trivia. I know just about everything there is to know about those quirky little children’s movies. I watch them when doing homework, cleaning, or trying to fall asleep at night. While doing this, I have found many movies that are just not being recognized for the masterpieces that they are.
The first movie that comes to mind when I think of underrated Disney movies is “The Emperor’s New Groove.” I never hear anyone talk about this movie and it is easily one of the best of all time. Not Disney movies, just movies in general.
If you have not seen the movie, I will give you a quick summary. Kuzco, a rude and pretentious emperor of a small city, wants to destroy a family’s house on the tallest mountain to build his summer home. Meanwhile, his personal advisor Yzma and her dumb henchman Kronk plan to kill him and take the throne. Unfortunately, Kronk mixes up the poisons and accidentally turns him into a llama. Kuzco’s only form of help is the man whose house he plans to destroy. So, they set out on a quest to return Kuzco to the palace and turn him back into a human.
This movie has so many quotable and funny moments that can make you laugh even as you get older. Watching it back as a young adult just makes it even funnier, as you catch things you wouldn’t have known as a kid. Kronk and Yzma are the perfect evil duo. It gives us a darker side of Disney as we watch them attempt to murder our protagonist.
One of my favorite things in a movie, TV show, or book is when the main character is unlikable, and you get exactly that from Kuzco. He is a privileged kid who gets everything he wants in life, but by the end of the movie, we see him form a genuine friendship with the other characters and become a good person.
Another important factor in this movie is the 1990’s to early 2000’s animation. There is something about these specific cartoons, similar to the art style in the movies Lilo and Stitch, Tarzan, Mulan and many others that are just so great, yet so simple. While watching, you can see the time and hard work that went into the hand-drawn cartoons that we do not get today. This brings back so much nostalgia from being a kid, watching the movie with a little bucket of popcorn before going to bed.
If you want to give this movie some love, you can watch it on Disney+. In the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing more of my favorite Disney movies. So stay tuned for some more underrated Disney Movies!