The Emperor's New Groove: The Ultimate Groove (Two-Disc Collectors Edition) [DVD]

Set Contains: Producer Randy Fullmer and director Mark Dindal literally run through each department at Disney Animation Studios to show us how their feature was created. While this is a more energized approach (and in tune with the film's spirit), the effort is never as intrinsically funny as the Pixar (Toy Story) gang's behind-the-scenes DVDs. This "Ultimate Edition" is laid out as in previous deluxe Disney DVDs to examine the development and art of the film, including three deleted sequences. With one vital new feature, you can select a tour "Groove" that takes you through 25 minutes of highlights of the filmmaking process instead of clicking through the DVD menus. Unfortunately, the disc does not dig into the origins of the film, originally developed as a musical epic called Kingdom of the Sun. There are only a dozen nondescriptive art drawings that entice us. Instead of illustrating how a massive change in tone was successfully made, Disney just looks the other way. Fans of the final movie should enjoy this two-disc set (especially the conversational tone of the commentary), but this is hardly an "ultimate edition." --Doug Thomas