Film

The Emperor's New Groove

A self-absorbed emperor gets turned into a llama and must trek through the jungle with the one man he wronged. It's anarchic, quotable, relentlessly funny—a Disney film that doesn't hug you, it ambushes you. Perfect for anyone who likes comedy that lands and doesn't linger on sentiment.

TMDb rating3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy brisk, gag-packed animation where the jokes land on character rather than plot, and a self-absorbed lead gets quietly humbled by a sly, scheming villain who steals every scene.

Skip it if you want sweeping emotion or a slow-building world; this one plays its ideas for laughs at a quick clip and rarely lingers to let a moment breathe.

What it asks of you: Around seventy-eight minutes, all momentum, with no wasted scenes; it wants you to keep up with fast banter and cartoon slapstick rather than settle into anything reflective.

If you liked this

Aladdin1992

Same era Disney energy but wilder—a genie who steals every scene, a villain who actually commits, and a hero who's genuinely charming. Big laughs, beautiful animation, and no scene that feels obligated to exist.

But The 1990s softness around some character choices hasn't aged gracefully, and the romance subplot stops momentum dead when it arrives.

Aladdin poster

Tropic Thunder2008

Peak ensemble comedy where everyone's at their best and the movie itself refuses to behave. Irreverent, painfully quotable, and so sure of what it's doing that it trusts you to keep up.

But The humour is aggressive and doesn't apologize. Some of the jokes won't land if you're not inside action-movie culture, and it ages into a minefield around tone.

Tropic Thunder poster

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas2003

Gorgeous hand-drawn adventure with charm, swagger, and surprisingly emotional stakes. Brad Piro's Sinbad actually has charisma, and the film moves like it's wound too tight.

But DreamWorks' middle-budget period—ambitious but uneven. Some jokes sit flat, and the story's simpler than it pretends to be.

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Emperor's New Groove

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Monkey Dust2003

Both find comedy in character and situation rather than jokes. Both trust the audience to keep up. Both understand that cruelty can be hilarious if the target deserves it.

British sketch comedy so sharp and strange it makes most American comedy look like it's moving in slow motion. Characters recur, stakes feel real inside the absurdity, and the laugh comes from recognition, not setup.

But Dense and dark—you need to pay attention. Some sketches are genuinely disturbing, and the British-specific references exclude. Only three series exist.

Monkey Dust poster
More like this (8)

The Lego Movie2014

Relentless jokes layered three deep, genuine warmth underneath, and animation that's a joy to look at. Everyone in it is committed to the bit, and the bit is excellent.

But The meta-commentary and self-referential humour wear thin if you're not in the mood. Some will find the earnestness underneath cloying.

The Lego Movie poster

Megamind2010

Subverts every superhero trope with style, wit, and a villain protagonist you actually like. Sharp writing and voice acting that makes each character feel real underneath the spectacle.

But The second half softens its edges in service of a message, and the romance subplot feels obligatory in ways that undercut the better story.

Megamind poster

Anastasia1997

Fox's answer to Disney: lush animation, genuinely funny supporting characters, and a plot that moves. Bartok the bat is peak comic relief—funny on purpose, not by accident.

But The villain is theatrically evil in a way that hasn't aged well. Some sequences feel padded, and the middle drags compared to its beginning and end.

Anastasia poster

Shrek2001

Ogre with layers, fairy tale gone wrong, and a donkey that shouldn't work but does. Pop-culture jokes land harder than they should, and the voice work is impeccable throughout.

But The humour dates—some jokes feel specifically of 2001—and the second half retreats into a more traditional story than the first half promises.

Shrek poster

The Incredibles2004

Superhero family dysfunction told with Pixar's precision. Genuinely funny, tense, beautifully drawn, and characters you believe in without a trace of manipulation.

But There's a section in the middle that sags, and the action climax is less inventive than everything that came before. Some will find it slightly sterile.

The Incredibles poster

Tangled2010

Disney reboot that earns itself: gorgeous, funny, surprising twists, and voice performances that sound like actual people. The chameleon steals moments, and the sword fight is unexpectedly great.

But Chases your laugh with sentiment in a way that can feel calculated. If you're burned out on princess narratives, this won't change your mind.

Tangled poster

Undone2019

Both are comedies that don't wear the costume of typical comedy. Both let character contradiction be the engine. Neither explains itself or apologizes.

Rotoscoped animation of a woman unraveling after a car crash, maybe gaining superpowers, maybe breaking. It looks like nothing else on television. Genuinely unsettling, genuinely moving, genuinely funny in the dark spaces.

But Slow. Requires patience. The animation technique feels arty in a way that'll annoy people wanting straightforward narrative. Season two's release was delayed years.

Undone poster

The Secret of Kells2009

Both are animated films about transformation—literal here, spiritual there. Both understand that funny doesn't mean relentless. Both have antagonists who aren't evil, just wrong about what matters.

Irish animation with a story about books and magic and a boy growing up across one perfect winter. Hand-drawn, luminous, strange, and funny without chasing laughs. It trusts you completely.

But Quiet. Folkloric. The plot is slight and the ending whisper-soft. If you need clear goals and satisfying climaxes, this won't give them to you, and it won't care.

The Secret of Kells poster

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