Emperor’s New Groove, The

Disney’s latest animated feature takes place somewhere in pre-Columbian America, where a spoiled young king named Kuzco (voice by David Spade) is deposed and turned into a llama by his evil advisor Izma (Eartha Kitt). Lost and alone, he is forced to rely on the good will of a peasant he once disdained (John Goodman). The arc of the story may be predictable, but it’s balanced out by some marvelously unpredictable flashes of visual comedy, all very much in the style of Chuck Jones in his prime. Spade and Goodman drolly exploit their standard live-action personae, while Kitt shows a surprising knack for vocal comedy. There are a couple of disposable songs by Sting, but they don’t seriously impede the colorful flash-and-rattle of it all, and the film frolics across the screen in a zippy 75 minutes.