The Emperor's New Groove

This article is about the film. For the franchise, see The Emperor's New Groove (franchise). For other uses, see The Emperor's New Groove (disambiguation).

The Emperor's New Groove
Small letters read "it's all about" while the background consists of "ME" in giant text. Kuzco stands in front of the word "ME" with his arms out. To his left is the title of the film and its release date.
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Directed byMark Dindal
Screenplay byDavid Reynolds
Story by
Based onOriginal story
by Roger Allers
Matthew Jacobs
Produced byRandy Fullmer
Starring
Edited byPamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland
Music byJohn Debney
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution[a]
Release dates
  • December 10, 2000 (2000-12-10) (El Capitan Theatre)
  • December 15, 2000 (2000-12-15) (United States)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100 million
Box office$169.7 million[1]

The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animated fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Mark Dindal and produced by Randy Fullmer, from a screenplay written by David Reynolds, and based on a story conceived by Dindal and Chris Williams. The voice cast features David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, and Wendie Malick. Inspired by ancient Peruvian culture and set in an Incan empire, The Emperor's New Groove follows young and self-centered Emperor Kuzco (voiced by Spade), who is accidentally transformed into a llama by his treacherous ex-advisor, Yzma (Kitt), and her dimwitted henchman Kronk (Warburton). For the emperor to change back into a human, he entrusts a village leader, Pacha (Goodman), to escort him back to the palace before Yzma can track them down and finish him off.

Development of The Emperor's New Groove began in 1994 when the film was conceived as a musical epic titled Kingdom of the Sun. Following his directorial debut with The Lion King (1994), Roger Allers recruited English musician Sting to compose several songs for the film. Because of the underwhelming box-office performances of Pocahontas (1995) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Dindal was brought in as co-director to make the film more comedic.[2] Because of poor test screenings, creative differences with Dindal, and production falling behind schedule, Allers departed, and the film became a lighthearted comedy in the vein of a Chuck Jones cartoon instead of a dramatic musical. A documentary, The Sweatbox (2002), details the production troubles that The Emperor's New Groove endured during its six years of development.

The Emperor's New Groove premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on December 10, 2000, and was released in theaters on December 15, 2000. It received generally positive reviews from critics, but underperformed at the box office compared to Disney films released in the 1990s, grossing $169.5 million on a $100-million budget.[3][4][5] However, the film found larger success when it was released for home media, and became the best-selling DVD of 2001.[6] In the years since its release, The Emperor's New Groove has garnered a cult following among fans. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song "My Funny Friend and Me", performed by Sting; that award went to "Things Have Changed" by Bob Dylan from Wonder Boys. A direct-to-video spin-off sequel, Kronk's New Groove, was released in 2005, and an animated television series, The Emperor's New School, aired on the Disney Channel from 2006 to 2008.


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  1. ^ "The Emperor's New Groove". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Hill, Jim (May 25, 2001). "The Long Story Behind the Emperor's New Groove". The Laughing Place. Archived from the original on September 2, 2004. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  3. ^ Mendelson, Scott (January 13, 2014). "Top 5 Underrated Disney Cartoons". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Leigh, Danny (February 14, 2001). "Llama drama". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Disney boss quits after Pearl Harbor flop". The Guardian. June 21, 2001. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  6. ^ McKeon, Mary (July 20, 2019). "A Walt Disney Production: "The Emperor's New Groove"". Medium. Retrieved January 7, 2024.