Disney spent four years making the wrong movie. Then they threw most of it away and made The Emperor's New Groove. Case, Sam, and guest J. Kennedy dive into the remarkable production disaster behind the beloved animated comedy, from Kingdom of the Sun and the infamous Sweatbox to Sting, drastic rewrites, cultural compromises, and the miracle of turning creative chaos into a movie this funny, warm, and endlessly quotable.

Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: October 16, 2026

Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan

Podcast Edited by Sophia Ricciardi

Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com

Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia

Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4

PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Another Pass - https://www.certainpov.com/another-pass-podcast

⏱️ Chapters

00:30 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:59 The Emperor's New Groove

01:12 Why This Is a Fifth Episode

02:21 J's History with the Movie

03:55 Sam's Experience and the Representation Problem

05:35 Case's History with the Movie

07:02 Patrick Warburton and Kronk

08:12 J's Conversations with Patrick Warburton

11:03 Why the Movie Feels So Turn-of-the-Century

12:19 The Production Disaster Begins

12:56 Kingdom of the Sun

14:21 The Original Story

15:09 Sting Joins the Production

17:10 Casting and Cultural Representation

18:19 The Sweatbox Screening

19:54 The Sweatbox Documentary

20:34 The Creative "Bake-Off"

22:00 Rebuilding Pacha

23:21 Making Kuzco the Lead

23:49 Rebuilding the Movie in a Year and a Half

24:33 Becoming a Cult Classic

25:30 Rule of Comedy

27:06 Why the Movie Has Staying Power

28:14 The Movie's Unexpected Heart

29:57 The Surprisingly Wholesome Ending

32:07 Kuzco Learns Accountability

32:35 Making a Great Movie in 78 Minutes

33:25 Pressure Creates the Fifth-Episode Success Story

36:11 The Ultimate "Another Pass"

38:38 How the Show's Fifth Episodes Work

39:08 Could Emperor's New Groove Be Improved?

40:23 Eartha Kitt and the Importance of Star Casting

41:11 Sting's Role in Keeping the Movie Alive

45:28 Representation Then and Now

46:27 Incan, Aztec, and Mayan Influences

49:21 The Road to El Dorado Comparison

50:35 Disney's Turn Toward Different Cultures

51:32 The Tarzan Tangent

52:24 What Is the Best Disney Movie?

56:16 Fascinating but Flawed Movies

57:45 Returning to Emperor's New Groove

58:59 How Animation Productions Fall Apart

01:01:03 The Cost of Scrapping Four Years of Work

01:01:43 Finding the Movie's Heart

01:03:20 The Best Movie They Could Have Made

01:04:14 Why Kronk Is Secretly the Most Capable Character

01:06:00 Yzma and Kronk

01:06:51 Patrick Warburton and The Woman Chaser

01:08:03 Kronk's New Groove

01:09:24 Disney Direct-to-Video Sequels

01:12:03 Final Thoughts

01:12:56 J's Plugs

01:13:18 The CPOV Discord

01:17:29 Sam's Plugs

01:18:20 Case's Plugs

01:18:54 Patreon and Executive Producer Shout-Outs

01:20:44 Next Time: Highlander II

01:21:07 Outro

01:21:20 Books That Burn Promo

01:22:16 CPOV Tag

Case and Sam are joined by Jesse Fresco to take another pass at Sphere, the 1998 Michael Crichton adaptation starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson. They dig into a killer sci-fi premise, a stacked cast, an undersea mystery, and why the finished movie somehow feels smaller, flatter, and less frightening than all of those ingredients suggest.

Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: September 18, 2026

Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan

Podcast Edited by Sophia Ricciardi

Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com

Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia

Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4

PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Another Pass - https://www.certainpov.com/another-pass-podcast

⏱️ Chapters

00:21 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:38 Introducing Sphere
02:07 Why Jesse Chose the Movie
02:46 The Book and Roadside Picnic
04:24 Book vs. Movie Perspective
05:16 Beth in the Book
06:00 Bigger Differences from the Novel
07:03 The Squid
07:36 Where Did the Budget Go?
08:45 Case's First Impression: Boring
09:46 The Michael Crichton Formula
10:50 Why the Performances Feel Flat
12:25 Barry Levinson and the Wrong Material
13:09 Should Sphere Have Been a Miniseries?
13:58 What's Inside the Sphere?
15:31 Why the Sphere Changed Color
16:17 The Ending Doesn't Work
17:22 The Missing Cover-Up
18:14 The Problem with Erasing Their Memories
18:58 Sphere and Roadside Picnic
21:01 Why Jurassic Park Works as an Adaptation
22:03 Sphere Hurts the Source Material
22:46 The Movie Has No Point of View
24:32 Norman and Beth's Added History
25:39 How the Movie Changes Beth
27:14 Harry's Role in the Book
28:51 The Added Comedy
29:12 Stories Where Everyone Forgets
30:19 Legion and Erased Timelines
31:25 Why Give Up the Power?
33:50 Nobody Learns to Control the Sphere
35:26 The Black Hole Problem
37:17 Space Is Really Big
38:04 Underwater Pressure and Hypothermia
38:59 The Helium Atmosphere
40:02 Things We Actually Like
40:34 Peter Coyote and Queen Latifah
41:13 Liev Schreiber
41:59 The Sets and Production Design
43:10 The Most Boring Version of the Events
43:27 Where Is the Giant Squid?
45:19 The Snake Attack
46:18 Sea Snakes and Ocean Nightmares
47:22 Why the Movie Needed More Suspense
49:34 The Deaths Need More Weight
50:45 Harpoon Guns
51:29 Samuel L. Jackson Needed a Harpoon
53:19 Final Thoughts Before Another Pass
54:00 Long Live the Legion Promo
54:44 Another Pass Begins
55:21 Jesse's Found-Footage Pitch
56:38 Intercutting the Survivors and the Tapes
57:53 Europa Report
59:46 Keeping the Ship Intact
01:00:48 Preserving the Time Loop
01:02:05 Why Security Footage Works
01:04:52 The Deleted Scene Fixes the Ending
01:05:48 Final Fixes
01:07:11 Too Much Budget, Not Enough Movie
01:08:25 The Genre Problem
01:10:48 Neither Horror nor Science Fiction
01:12:31 Nostalgia for Sphere
01:13:10 Why This Format Was Wrong
01:15:56 Sphere vs. Congo
01:16:50 The Found-Footage Pitch Wins
01:17:22 Jesse's Plugs
01:21:51 Sam's Plugs
01:22:20 Case's Plugs
01:23:04 Trade School
01:24:33 Patreon Shout-Out
01:25:20 Next Time: Highlander II
01:25:38 Credits

What if a movie about unlocking the full potential of the human brain also unlocked the full potential of being completely ridiculous? Case and Sam are joined by Renaldy Smith to revisit Lucy, the Scarlett Johansson action-thriller/complete misunderstanding of how the human brain works.

Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: August 24, 2026

Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan

Podcast Edited by Sophia Ricciardi

Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com

Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia

Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4

PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Another Pass - https://www.certainpov.com/another-pass-podcast

⏱️ Chapters

00:19 Welcome and Guest Intro
03:05 Initial Thoughts on Lucy
06:16 What Works and What Doesn't
11:26 The Plot of Lucy
12:55 The Movie's Worldbuilding Problems
14:38 The 10% Brain Myth
17:00 Lucy Loses Her Humanity
19:06 Lucy's Transformation
22:49 Time Travel and Visual Effects
24:53 Lucy Becomes Too Powerful
27:24 The Movie Takes Itself Too Seriously
30:47 Lucy's Roommate
34:44 The Bechdel Test
36:42 The Movie's Three-Part Structure
38:02 Limitless Comparison
39:39 Superman and Power Levels
42:02 IV Bags and Drug Logic
43:46 The Drug Dealer Problem
46:42 What Does the Drug Actually Do?
50:55 Giving Lucy a Rival
52:50 The Missing Bigger Villain
54:41 The Horror of the Drug
58:23 The Matrix Comparison
01:02:04 The Cab Driver
01:07:04 What Does Lucy Leave Behind?
01:11:38 Bookstore That Burn Promo
01:12:38 Another Pass Begins
01:14:27 Renaldy's Another Pass
01:18:52 Character Work and Pacing
01:20:28 Choi as a Horror Villain
01:24:52 Sam's Another Pass
01:36:09 Making the Action More Dynamic
01:40:59 Fixing the Final Standoff
01:43:32 Clarifying the Villains
01:50:58 Case's Another Pass
01:55:17 Letting Lucy Discover Her Powers
02:01:06 Final Thoughts
02:01:50 Sam's Chores Rating
02:03:23 Renaldy's Plugs
02:04:52 Sam and Case's Plugs
02:06:46 Patreon Shout-Outs
02:07:55 Next Time: Highlander II
02:08:06 Credits