Who knew that the best way to improve The Emperor’s New Groove would be to eliminate the emperor? Following in the paw prints of last year’s successful “spin-off sequel,�? The Lion King 1 ½, comes Kronk’s New Groove, a new video premiere follow-up that actually surpasses its predecessor in laughs and heart.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and, looking back at 2000’s New Groove, it is obvious that the best bits were those featuring that oddest of couples, the wicked sorceress-slash-would-be empress Yzma and her lovable lunk-head of a henchman Kronk. In the new film, the stars of the original, spoiled Emperor Kuzco and humble llama herder Pacha, are relegated to supporting turns, while the spotlight is solely on our man Kronk, once again voiced impeccably by Patrick Warburton, the master of testosterone-tinged dimness.

This new Groove finds our hero a new man, reformed from his dastardly deeds as Yzma’s minion and employed as the chef and “chief delivery boy�? for Mudka’s Mud Hut, the greasy spoon that was the setting for one of the first film’s most gleefully goofy scenes. Liberated from lackey duty, Kronk has a new goal in life: to make his father, who disapproves of his lifestyle, proud of him, Kronk must be a success, which in his eyes amounts to owning a house on a hill complete with a Mrs. Kronk and a whole passel of his own Junior Chipmunks.