The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animatedcomedy film produced byWalt Disney Feature Animation. It was directed byMark Dindal and written byDavid Reynolds, based on a story conceived by Dindal andChris Williams. The film starsDavid Spade,John Goodman,Eartha Kitt,Patrick Warburton, andWendie Malick. Inspired by ancient Peruvian culture and set in anIncan empire,The Emperor's New Groove followsEmperor Kuzco (voiced by Spade), who is accidentally transformed into allama by his treacherous ex-advisor,Yzma (Kitt), and her dimwitted henchmanKronk (Warburton). For the emperor to change back into ahuman, 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 ofThe Emperor's New Groove began in 1994 when the film was conceived as amusicalepic titledKingdom of the Sun. Following his directorial debut withThe Lion King (1994),Roger Allers recruited English musicianSting to compose several songs for the film. Because of the underwhelming box-office performances ofPocahontas (1995) andThe 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 aChuck Jones cartoon instead of a dramatic musical. A documentary,The Sweatbox (2002), details the production troubles thatThe Emperor's New Groove endured during its six years of development.
InSouth America,Incan emperor Kuzco has been spoiled his entire life, and has become incredibly conceited. On the day before his 18th birthday, Kuzco announces his plan to demolish a nearby village and have a lavish summer home constructed in its place, despite the objections of its leader Pacha. Kuzco also discovers his elderly advisor andalchemist Yzma is usurping his duties and summarily fires her. Yzma and her bumbling sidekick Kronk plot to poison Kuzco'swine and take over the empire before the news of Yzma's termination becomes public. However, Kronk takes the wrong chemicalvial from Yzma'slaboratory, accidentally turning Kuzco into allama instead of killing him. Yzma orders Kronk to knock Kuzco out, take him outside the city, and kill him. An attack of conscience and a series of mishaps causes Kronk to drop the sack containing the unconscious Kuzco; the sack lands on the back of Pacha's cart, and Pacha leaves the city before Kronk can catch up to him.[6][7][8]
Kuzco awakens in Pacha's backyard, havinglost some of his memory. Believing Pacha transformed and kidnapped him, Kuzco orders Pacha to take him home. Pacha refuses to help unless Kuzco changes his mind and builds his summer home elsewhere. Kuzco arrogantly rejects Pacha's demand and ventures into thejungle alone, despite Pacha's warnings. Kuzco is pursued byjaguars, but Pacha saves him. Kuzco begrudgingly agrees to relocate the construction site of his summer home if Pacha takes him home. On the way to the palace, Kuzco tries to renege on his promise; he and Pacha fight on a collapsing bridge, before being forced to work together to escape somecrocodiles and a crumbling cliff face. Meanwhile, Yzma discovers Kronk lost Kuzco and the duo set out to find him. At a roadsidediner, Pacha and Kuzco arrive at the same time as Yzma and Kronk, but neither party initially notices the other. However, Kronk nearly recognizes Pacha, who overhears Yzma's plans to murder Kuzco. He sneaks Kuzco out of the diner, but Kuzco does not believe Pacha's warnings. Kuzco and Pacha fight again and part ways. Kuzco almost approaches Yzma and Kronk, but overhears them discussing their plans to kill him; they also remark that Kuzco's subjects were not grieved by his apparent death. His self-delusions shattered by Yzma's true colors, Kuzco flees into the jungle to apologize to Pacha, but cannot find him.[6][7][8]
The next morning, Kuzco glumly resigns himself to living like a llama, but finds Pacha, and the duo reconcile. Meanwhile, Kronk remembers where he saw Pacha before and tells Yzma. Kuzco and Pacha return to Pacha's village, only to discover that Yzma and Kronk are in Pacha's house, posing as distant relatives. Pacha's family distracts Yzma to give Pacha and Kuzco a head start; however, Yzma and Kronk still manage to confront the duo in Yzma's lab. Against Yzma's orders of dispatching the duo, Kronk has another attack of conscience and Yzma repeatedly insults him and he tries to kill her instead. Yzma drops Kronk through atrapdoor. As Pacha and Kuzco flee from Yzma and her guards, Kuzco tries several different potions, without success. After figuring out which vial is the "human" potion, Kuzco, Pacha and Yzma fight over it; Yzma is turned into a cat by one of the other potions, and Pacha nearly falls off the side of the palace; this forces Kuzco to rescue Pacha, allowing Yzma to take the vial. With some teamwork and inadvertent assistance from Kronk, the duo defeat Yzma and recover the vial. After becoming human again, Kuzco makes amends with the people he hurt and builds a much smaller summer home on the uninhabited hill next to Pacha's. Meanwhile, Kronk goes on to become the leader of ascout troop, with Yzma, still as a cat, being a reluctant member of it.[6][7][8]
From left to right:David Spade (pictured in 2008) andJohn Goodman (2016), respectively the voices of Emperor Kuzco and Pacha
To accommodate the new direction taken byThe Emperor's New Groove, the choice of voice actors fell on actors associated with comic theatre.[8] The part of Kuzco was given toDavid Spade, who was introduced bySaturday Night Live, a long-running television variety show of comedy sketches and parodies.[8] The role of Yzma went toEartha Kitt, a part that earned her anAnnie Award.[8] Called "the most exciting woman in the world" by directorOrson Welles, she was a singer, dancer, comedian, and actress best known for her distinctive singing style and self-deprecating qualities.[8]John Goodman, also known for his comedic roles, including the role ofDan Conner in the sitcomRoseanne and Walter fromThe Big Lebowski, was chosen to play the gentle farmer Pacha.[8] After this first collaboration with Disney, Goodman took on numerous other voice acting roles for the Burbank company, includingSulley fromMonsters, Inc.[8] Finally, the role of Kronk went toPatrick Warburton, another sitcom actor (David Puddy inSeinfeld) and voice of police officerJoe Swanson fromFamily Guy.[8]
For the dubbing of international versions ofThe Emperor's New Groove, voice actors associated with humor and cabaret were similarly chosen.[8] For example, Kuzco and Kronk in the Italian version of the film are played respectively byLuca Bizzarri andPaolo Kessisoglu, who in 2000 took over the hosting ofLe Iene after being launched byMTV Trip, a video reportage with interviews and comedy sketches filmed while driving around Italy in a hearse.[8] The voice of Yzma was that ofAnna Marchesini, considered one of the queens of Italian cabaret, who reached the peak of her success alongsideTullio Solenghi andMassimo Lopez in the successful group Il Trio.[8] Pacha was dubbed byAdalberto Maria Merli, a performer with a long career behind him.[8] Unlike the rest of the cast, Merli was known for more dramatic roles, such as dubbingJack Nicholson inOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; with his calm voice, as with Goodman, he was a suitable voice actor for Pacha, being able to balance out the exuberance of his supporting cast.[8]
David Spade as Emperor Kuzco, the entitled, pampered, and arrogant 18-year-old emperor of the Inca Empire who has no patience for the needs of others and has a lack of compassion
John Goodman as Pacha, a brave, kind, and humble village leader
Eartha Kitt as Yzma, Kuzco's evil, elderly advisor who seeks to usurp him
Patrick Warburton as Kronk, Yzma's hapless but unintelligent muscular sidekick
Wendie Malick as Chicha, Pacha's supportive, pregnant wife
Kellyann Kelso andEli Russell Linnetz as Chaca and Tipo respectively, Pacha and Chicha's two young, mischievous children
Bob Bergen as Bucky the Squirrel—Kronk's companion who hates Yzma and has an unpleasant encounter with Kuzco—and as a fly stuck in a web
Tom Jones as the Theme Song Guy, Kuzco's personal theme song conductor
Patti Deutsch as Mata, a waitress at Mudka's Meat Hut
John Fiedler as Rudy, a well-meaning old man who is first thrown out a window by Kuzco's guards, then later befriends him
Joe Whyte as the Royal Recordkeeper (also known as Official)
"Kingdom of the Sun was such a heart-breaking experience for me. I put four years of my heart and energy into that one ... I was creating an 'epic' picture mixing elements of adventure, comedy, romance and mysticism. The head of Disney Features at the time was afraid that we were doing, in his opinion, too many films in the same vein. He was also uncomfortable with the spiritual and cultural (Inca) aspects of it. Hence, he decided to make it a simple slapstick comedy ... Would it have worked out if we had had more time? I would hope so, but one can never know these things."
—Roger Allers, reflecting on the troubled history ofKingdom of the Sun[9]
Following the theatrical release ofThe Lion King (1994),Roger Allers was called intoThomas Schumacher's office to discuss his next project. Inside his office, Schumacher explained that Disney Feature Animation was interested in exploring ancient cultures for prospective film projects. He held three pictures representative of the Inca,Aztec, andMayan cultures. Allers chose the Inca culture as he became intrigued with the visual possibilities of theInca creation myth. Allers would base his story onAnthony Hope's adventure novelThe Prisoner of Zenda.[10]
Alongside co-writerMatthew Jacobs, Allers formulated the idea forKingdom of the Sun,[11] in which development on the project began in 1994.[12] Uponpitching the project to then-Disney CEO and chairmanMichael Eisner, Allers recalled Eisner saying "It has all of the elements of a classic Disney film,"[13] and because of his directorial success onThe Lion King that same year, Eisner allowed Allers to have free rein with both the casting and the storyline.[14] In January 1995,Variety reported that Allers was working on "an Inca-themed original story".[15] In 1996, the production crew traveled toMachu Picchu in Peru, to study Inca artifacts and architecture, and the landscape this empire was created in.[16][17]
Kingdom of the Sun was to have been a tale of a greedy, selfish emperor (voiced byDavid Spade) who finds apeasant (voiced byOwen Wilson) who looks just like him; the emperor swaps places with the peasant to escape his boring life and have fun, much as in authorMark Twain'sarchetypal novelThe Prince and the Pauper. However, the villainous witch Yzma (voiced byEartha Kitt) has plans to summonSupay (the evil god of death), and destroy thesun so that she may become young and beautiful forever (the sun gives her wrinkles, so she surmises that living in a world of darkness would prevent her from aging). Discovering the switch between the prince and the peasant, Yzma turns the real emperor into a llama and threatens to reveal the pauper's identity unless he obeys her. During his time as the emperor and doing Yzma's orders, the pauper falls in love with the emperor's soon-to-be fiancée Nina who thinks he is the emperor who has changed his ways. Meanwhile, the emperor-llama learns humility in his new form and even comes to love a female llama-herder named Mata (voiced byLaura Prepon).[18] Together, the girl and the llama set out to undo the witch's plans. The bookReel Views 2 says the film would have been a "romantic comedy musical in the 'traditional' Disney style".[19]
After bothPocahontas andThe Hunchback of Notre Dame performed below expectations at the box office, studio executives felt that the project was growing too ambitious and serious for audiences following test screenings, and needed more comedy.[2] In early 1997, producerRandy Fullmer contacted and offeredMark Dindal, who had just wrapped up work onWarner Bros.'Cats Don't Dance, to be co-director onKingdom of the Sun.[20] Meanwhile, Allers personally calledSting, in the wake ofElton John's success withThe Lion King'ssoundtrack, to compose several songs for the film.[13] He agreed, but on the condition that his filmmaker wifeTrudie Styler could "document the process of the production".[21] This film, which was eventually entitledThe Sweatbox, was made by Xingu Films (their production company). Along with collaboratorDavid Hartley, Sting composed eight songs inextricably linked with the original plot and characters.[12]
In the summer of 1997, it was announced that Allers and Dindal would serve as the film's directors and Randy Fullmer as producer. Spade and Kitt had been confirmed to voice the emperor Manco and the villainess, whileCarla Gugino was in talks for the role of Nina.[22][23]Harvey Fierstein was also cast as Huaca, a 10,000-year-old rock who kept a sharp eye on the emperors who ruled before Manco.[13] In the summer of 1998, it became apparent thatKingdom of the Sun was not far along enough in production to be released in the summer of 2000 as planned. At this time, one of the Disney executives reportedly walked into Fullmer's office and, placing his thumb and index finger a quarter-inch apart, angrily stated "Your film is this close to being shut down."[2] Fullmer approached Allers and informed him of the need to finish the film on time for its summer 2000 release as crucial promotional deals withMcDonald's,Coca-Cola, and other companies were already established and depended upon meeting that release date.[2] From screenings, Allers' vision of the film was recognized as having far too many elements. Schumacher andPeter Schneider spoke to Allers and Dindal to try to work out a pared-down film, but the two had different ideas for which direction to take the film. Schumacher and Schneider broke the staff into two small teams under Allers and Dindal and effectively had them run a "bake-off" to decide which version to go. While Allers altered some of the details of the original pitch, Dindal proposed a complete tonal shift into a comedy that Schumacher and Schneider responded favorably to. Allers allowed Dindal's version of the film to go forward and opted to step down from co-director.[10] With this change in direction, on September 23, 1998,[12][24] the project became dormant with production costs amounting to $25–30 million[12][14] and twenty-five percent of the film animated.[25]
Upset that Allers left the project, Eisner gave Fullmer two weeks to salvage the project or production would be completely shut down.[2] In December 1998, Fullmer and Dindal halted production for six months to retool the project, renaming it fromKingdom of the Sun toKingdom in the Sun,[20] thus making it the first Disney animated feature to have an extensive overhaul sincePinocchio.[26] Meanwhile, followingEric Goldberg's pitch for theRhapsody in Blue segment forFantasia 2000, the animators were reassigned to work on the segment.[27]
Story work on the revised film started when they knew what to retain from the original version, namely David Spade as Manco and Eartha Kitt as Yzma, with the remaining elements to be written around those characters.[10]Chris Williams, who was a storyboard artist duringKingdom of the Sun,[28] came up with the idea of making Pacha an older character as opposed to the teenager that he was in the original version, as to be the opposite of Manco.[29][10] Following up on the new idea, former late-night comedy writerDavid Reynolds stated, "I pitched a simple comedy that's basically a buddy road picture with two guys being chased in the style of aChuck Jones 'toon, but faster paced. Disney said, 'Give it a shot.'"[30] One of the new additions to the revised story was the scene-stealing character of Yzma's sidekick Kronk.[31] Kronk was inspired by actorRick Rossovich, according to Williams, and as they wrote for him, Reynolds immediately thought of castingPatrick Warburton for the role based on his character Puddy fromSeinfeld.[10] Meanwhile, the name Manco was changed to Kuzco following Fullmer's discovery of the Japanese slang termmanko, which translates tocunt.[14] Due to in part to the production shutdown, Sting began to develop schedule conflicts with his songwriting duties interfering with his work onthe next album he was planning to record in Italy. Sting admitted, "I write the music, and then they're supposed to animate it, but there are constantly changes being made. It's constantly inturnaround", but added, "I'm enjoying it."[13][32] Because of the shutdown, the animated filmDinosaur assumed the summer 2000 release date originally scheduled forKingdom.[14]
Andreas Deja declined to return to the film after observing his more serious version of Yzma was incompatible with the new comedic tone of the film, and moved toOrlando, Florida to work onLilo & Stitch. AnimatorDale Baer would replace Deja as the supervising animator for Yzma.[33] Fullmer would inform Sting by telephone that his songs, related to specific scenes and characters that were now gone, had to be dropped.[13][34] Bitter about the removal of his songs, the pop musician commented "At first, I was angry and perturbed. Then I wanted some vengeance." Disney eventually agreed to allow three of the six deleted songs as bonus tracks on thesoundtrack album, such as Yzma's villain song "Snuff Out the Light", the love song "One Day She'll Love Me" and the dance number "Walk the Llama, Llama".[35] The plot elements, such as the romance between the llama herder Pacha and Manco's betrothed Nina, the sun-capturing villain scheme, similarities toThe Prince and the Pauper story, and Inca mythology were dropped.[2] The character of Huaca was also dropped, although he would make acameo appearance as the candle holder during the dinner scene in the finished film.[36] Kuzco—who was a supporting character in the original story—became the protagonist.[37]
In the summer of 1999, cast members Owen Wilson, Harvey Fierstein, and Trudie Styler were dropped from the film.[38] Kitt and Spade remained in the cast, Dindal commented, "[a]nd thenJohn Goodman andPatrick Warburton came aboard."[39] After Sting's songs forKingdom of the Sun were dropped from the new storyline, Sting remained on the project, although he was told by the studio that "[a]ll we want is a beginning and an end song."[40] The song, "Perfect World", was approached "to open the movie with a big, fun number that established the power of Kuzco and showed how he controlled the world", according to then-Feature Animation presidentThomas Schumacher.[41] The filmmakers had asked Sting to perform the song for the film, although Sting declined by telling them that he was too old to sing it and that they should find someone younger and hipper. They instead went withTom Jones, who is eleven years older than Sting.[42]
In February 2000, the new film was announced asThe Emperor's New Groove with its new story centering on a spoiled Inca Emperor—voiced by Spade—who through various twists and falls ends up learning the true meaning of friendship and happiness from a poor peasant voiced by Goodman. The release date was shifted to December 2000.[43] Despite the phrasing of the title, the film is not related toHans Christian Andersen's classic Danish fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes", although both stories involve an emperor being tricked.[44] According to Mark V. Moorhead of theHouston Press, the film's plot bears some resemblance to that ofThe Golden Ass byApuleius, wherein a man is turned into a donkey.[45]
Eisner worried that the new story was too close in tone toHercules, which had performed decently yet below expectations at the American box office. Dindal and Fullmer assured him thatThe Emperor's New Groove, as the film was now called, would have a much smaller cast, making it easier to attract audiences. Towards the end of production, the film's ending originally had Kuzco building his Kuzcotopia amusement park on another hill by destroying a rainforest near Pacha's home and inviting the former and his family to visit.[7] Horrified at the ending as anenvironmentalist,[7] Sting commented: "I wrote them a letter and said, 'You do this, I'm resigning because this is exactly the opposite of what I stand for. I've spent 20 years trying to defend the rights of indigenous people and you're just marching over them to build a theme park. I will not be party to this.'"[46] As a result, the ending was rewritten,[7] and saw Kuzco taking the decision to construct a shack similar to Pacha's to spend his vacation among the villagers.[47]
During the production ofKingdom of the Sun, Deja was the initial supervising animator of Yzma and incorporatedsupermodel poses published in magazines to capture Yzma's sultry, seductive persona.[48]Nik Ranieri was originally slated as the supervising animator for Yzma's rocky sidekick, Huaca. During the research trip to Peru in 1996, Ranieri acknowledged that he "was researching for a character that looked like a rock so I was stuck drawing rocks for the whole trip. Then when we got back they piled it into this story about ancient Incas."[49] Mark Pudleiner was to be the supervising animator of Kuzco's proposed maiden, Nina.[50] In early 1997,David Pruiksma came on board to animate the llama, Snowball.[51] According to Pruiksma, Snowball was "a silly, vain and egotistical character, rather the dumb blond of the llama set. I really enjoyed developing the character and doing some early test animation on her as well. Before I left the film (and it was ultimately shelved), I created model sheets for not only Snowball, but for the rest of the herd of seven other llamas and for Kuzco as a Llama."[52] When the film was placed on production shutdown, Pruiksma transferred to work onAtlantis: The Lost Empire being developed concurrently and ultimately the llama characters were dropped from the storyline.[51]
Following the production overhaul and the studio's attempts for more cost-efficient animated features, Dindal urged for "a simpler approach that emphasized the characters rather than overwhelming special effects or cinematic techniques".[53] Because of the subsequent departure of Deja, animatorDale L. Baer inherited the character of Yzma. Using Kitt's gestures during recording sessions, Baer commented "She has a natural voice for animation and really got into the role. She would gesture wildly and it was fun just to watch her. She would come into each session almost serious and very professional and suddenly she would go wild and break up laughing."[54] Ranieri was later asked to serve as the supervising animator of Kuzco (as a human and a llama), though he would admit being reluctant at first until he discovered that Kuzco "had a side to him, there was a lot of comedy potential and as a character he went through an arc".[49] Pudleiner was also reassigned to work as an animator of the human version of Kuzco.[55] In addition to drawing inspiration from Spade during recording sessions, the Kuzco animation team studied llamas at the zoo, visited a llama farm, watched nature documentaries, and even observed the animals up close when they came for a visit to the studio.[53] For the rewritten version of Pacha, animatorBruce W. Smith observed that "Pacha is probably the most human of all the characters," and further added that he "has more human mannerisms and realistic traits, which serve as a contrast to the cartoony llama he hangs out with. He is the earthy guy who brings everything back into focus. Being a big fellow about six-foot-five and weighing about 250 pounds we had to work hard to give him a sense of weight and believability in his movement."[53]
Actual animation began in May 1999, involving 400 artists, 300 technicians, and production personnel.[49] Outside of the Walt Disney Feature Animation studio building inBurbank, California, animators located atWalt Disney Feature Animation Florida andWalt Disney Feature Animation Paris assisted in the production ofThe Emperor's New Groove.[56] During the last eighteen months of production, a 120-crew ofclean-up artists would take the character animators' drawings and place a new piece of paper over the existing drawing to draw a cleaner, more refined image. "We're basically the final designers", said clean-up supervisor Vera Pacheco, whose crew worked on more than 200,000 drawings for the film.[57] The motion reference material for the film was extensive, and included live-action footage of the actors, including Gustavo Rodríguez (born in 1981 inCaracas,Venezuela), Delia Reátegui (born 1963), Alonso Cano (born 1989) and Gabriela Villalobos (born 1988) as Kuzco, Chicha and Chicha's slim children Tipo and Chaca, respectively, performing the scenes.
The Emperor's New Groove incorporates various visual and cultural elements inspired by the Andean region, particularly the Inca Empire, though its representation is heavily filtered through a Western comedic lens. The film’s setting—a mountainous landscape with shifting terrains—resembles the highlands of Peru and draws visual parallels to well-known archaeological sites such as Machu Picchu.[58] While the location in the film is fictional, architectural motifs, agricultural terraces, and stepped structures resemble Andean features. Costume and textile designs in the film further reflect Andean aesthetics. Characters are depicted wearing ponchos, tunics, and headdresses that mirror traditional Andean garments. These garments feature geometric patterns and earth-toned colors—such as reds, yellows, and greens—that are historically significant in Andean textile traditions. Yzma, however, is costumed in black and purple, diverging from traditional Andean palettes to signify her role as the antagonist.[59]
Animals play a significant role in the film's iconography. Llamas, native to the Andes and essential to transportation and agriculture, are central to the plot—most notably in the transformation of Emperor Kuzco into a llama. This metamorphosis loosely echoes Andean spiritual motifs of transformation, though it is recontextualized for comedic effect rather than to convey religious or cosmological meaning.[60] Other animals with Andean symbolic associations, such as jaguars and condors, appear in background elements and wilderness scenes.[61] Despite these visual nods to Andean culture, scholars argue that the film lacks depth in its cultural representation. The omission of Andean religious elements—particularly the absence of deities and cosmological beliefs central to the Incan worldview—limits the authenticity of the narrative.[62] Originally conceived asKingdom of the Sun, the film was intended to explore Incan mythology more explicitly, but the project was restructured into a slapstick comedy following creative challenges and unfavorable test screenings.[63]
The film has sparked ongoing discussion around cultural representation versus appropriation. While it visually references Andean culture, it simplifies or omits core aspects such as governance, spiritual practices, and astronomical knowledge. Critics note that this reflects broader trends in Western media that prioritize entertainment value over cultural accuracy when depicting non-Western civilizations.[citation needed] Nevertheless,The Emperor’s New Groove remains notable for its use of recognizable Andean imagery. Through stylized depictions of architecture, textiles, and symbolic animals, the film offers a visual homage to Andean culture, though one that prompts critical discourse regarding the balance between cultural inspiration and narrative integrity.[64]
The Emperor's New Groove emphasized Kuzco's famous groove, which changed by the end of the film as Kuzco underwent a significant character change,[6] from being superficial and selfish to learning that one can feel empathy for others.[8] According to Italian reviewers,The Emperor's New Groove referencedHans Christian Andersen's Danish fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes".[6][8] As the fairy tale emperor, Kuzco is equally vain, in love with himself, and incapable of admitting he is wrong; by the end of the film, instead of new clothes, Kuzco found a new groove.[8] Translated into Italian,groove is close to the English word, meaning "a cyclically repeating musical rhythmic series", usually found in swingjazz songs.[8] In this case, the etymology derives from thegrooves and grooves onvinyl records, which in English are calledgrooves.[8] The second translation ofgroove is "daily routine"—an extension of the sense of cyclical musical repetition—or even "a lifestyle dedicated to fun and pleasure".[8]The Emperor's New Groove refers to and is used in this latter sense.[8]
The double meaning ofgroove was at the origin of the misunderstanding of the old man who interrupted the emperor'srhythm during the "Song of the Man" at the beginning of the film; as the old man thought that he interrupted the rhythm of Kuzco's daily routine, he had in fact interrupted the song because the emperor bumped into him while moonwalking.[8] In the original version, the rhythm referred to in this sequence was indicated withgroove.[8] The title change in the Italian adaptation toThe Emperor's Madness (Le follie dell'imperatore) is considered the first of its several significant change.[8] The Italian title thus lost the pun on Andersen's fairy tale, and there was no reference to the emperor introducing changes into his life.[8] The Italian adaptation, which lost some humor but added other humor through its adaptation, instead emphasized the film's extravagance and exuberance as if to distance itself from the solemnity of the classic films of the previous decade that were part of the Disney Renaissance.[8] Nonetheless, it was observed that a reference to musical rhythm was still present in the Italian title as madness is a musical theme of Portuguese origin, derived from the folk dances of peasants and shepherds, and was present in the works of various composers includingJohann Sebastian Bach andGeorge Frideric Handel.[8]
The "Song of the Man" (the only song in the film, excluding the closing credits) acted as an introduction to highlight Kuzco's mania for prominence.[8] While the original version was played byTom Jones, one of the most popular names on the international music scene, the Italian adaptation was voiced by Ernesto Brancucci.[8] Although he never became a pop star, Brancucci was a mainstay of Italian Disney dubbing, having worked for the company since 1986, officially taking on the role of musical director in 1993 until his death in 2021.[8] In the Italian version, the chorus of the "Song of the Man" was not repeated in the same way as in the original and put even more emphasis on Kuzco's arrogance as in the second chorus the lyrics changes from "ruler of the world" to "magnificent lord of the universe".[8] Due tometer and rhythm, some lines had to be translated non-literally; however, the lyrics of the original version and the translation remained consistent for the most part, owing in part to both the short duration of the song and Brancucci's experience as a lyricist.[8] In the original version, the chorus was "What's his name? Kuzco! That's his name: Kuzco! He's the king of the world, Kuzco! Is he hip or what? Kuzco! Don't you know he's the king of the world?", which was rendered in Italian as "Who are we talking about? Kuzco! Yes, it's him: Kuzco! He's magnificent, Kuzco! He's the master of the universe, Kuzco!"[8] The Italian version of the song put even more emphasis on Kuzco's arrogance as in the second chorus the lyrics changes from "ruler of the world" to "magnificent lord [or master] of the universe".[8]
When Kuzco and Pacha found themselves stuck in a ravine above a river full of alligators; the only solution was to try to climb up the walls by pushing each other back to back.[8] In the English version, Pacha asked "Ready?" and Kuzco simply replied, "Okay, got it".[8] In the Italian dubbing, Kuzco was much less cooperative and more facetious as Pacha still asked him "Are you there?" but he sarcastically answered "No, I'm at the bar".[6][7][8] While at the restaurant, Kuzco's flashy and poorly executed disguise was lost in the old waitress's line, "Bless you for coming out in public!" (translated in Italian, which lost some of this humor, as "for being shown in public"), playing on the unconventionality of this strange relationship between a llama and a man.[6] Also lost in the Italian version was Kronk's sarcastic remark to Yzma's statement, "I practically raised him!", which shifted from overt sarcasm ("Yeah, you think he would've turned out better") to subtle irony ("How strange, he doesn't look anything like you").[6] In the final showdown, Kuzco and Pacha fell into a drain whose vent is one of the nostrils of the mask that adorns the facade of the royal palace, located hundreds of feet above the ground.[8] As the two tried to cling to the edge of the drain, Yzma ordered the guards to fetch them.[8] The captain urged the troops on with a cry of "Come on, men! Nobody lives forever! Charge!", a phrase worthy of a proud and charismatic leader.[8] This was replaced in Italian by a dignified resignation, "Come on, guys! It couldn't get any worse than this!", as in the midst of the brawl the troop had been transformed into a caravanserai composed of a retired cow, a giant ape, an ostrich, an octopus, and a wild boar, led by an unidentified reptile.[8]
In her first appearance, Yzma was receiving Kuzco's subjects on his behalf, among them a poor peasant who had nothing to eat, to whom Yzma refused help by shouting, "You really should have thought of that before you became a peasant!"[8] The Italian version, "You should have thought about that before you became a beggar [pezzente]!", included a Italian-specific pun becausepezzente, which sounds similar topeasant, does not refer to a farmer but has a negative meaning of someone being "uncouth, ignorant, simpleton" but not "miserable beggar" as Yzma addressed the peasant.[8] While the English original was more logical (a more faithful translation of the phrase would have been "You should have thought about it, before becoming a rude ignoramus!"), the Italian adaptation highlighted Yzma's contemptuous sarcasm andclassism, and a more literal translation would have lost that out.[8] The hilarity of the joke in Italian was in its paradoxical nature because the audience had to imagine someone who, without much thought, took a job and suddenly became not only a beggar but a poor one, whose only fault according Yzma would have been of not having thought about it enough; additionally, unlike what Yzma said, the man did not decide to be a beggar as he actually had a job as a farmer.[8] As Yzma tried to justify herself for sitting on the throne, Kuzco was shocked by her web of wrinkles, exclaiming in his head "Whoa!"[8] In the Italian dubbing, the astonished tone was the same as Kuzco exclaimed in his head "To the soul" (All'anima), with no clear direct correspondence between the two expressions in the dictionary.[8]
When Yzma planned to get rid of Kuzco bypoisoning him with a black potion whose power can be felt just by looking at it, she exclaimed "Feel the power!" as Kronk answered "I can feel it!"[8] The Italian adaptation highlighted the fact that the potion was not only visible but black like acoffee (more specifically a strong coffee,caffè forte), with Yzma stating "Touch it, Kronk: don't you feel the black power?" and Kronk answering "Wow, it's strong black!"[8] The original line when Kuzco arrived at Yzma's for dinner and demanded to be served immediately was "I am a hungry king of the world".[8] While "king of the world" is an idiomatic expression to define a positive state of mind, like its Italian equivalentre del mondo, the phrase as a whole had no comedic intent.[8] The Italian dubbing instead included the pun "I am a broad-minded king but I am so hungry I can't see it".[8] In the original version, Kronk justified his knowledge of squirrel language by stating that he was a member of theJunior Woodchucks, a reference to the TV seriesHappy Days whereJoanie Cunningham, the Cunninghams' younger sister, was a Junior Chipmunk.[8] In the Italian adaptation, Kronk instead said that it was due to him being a member of theJunior Woodchucks, a fictionalscouting organization appearing inDisney comics, which are especially popular in Europe, particularly in Italy, more so than in the United States.[8] During the film, Yzma was repeatedly described as a scary and ugly old woman who inspired fear beyond reason.[8] In the Italian version, she was described as resembling "Dracula's ugly grandmother".[8] The starting line was "scary beyond all reason", which could be literally translated as "horrifying beyond all reasonable measure, more than anything else in the world".[8] The gag played on the mechanism of repetition as people who had never seen Yzma still described her the same way despite not knowing each other.[8]
After narrowly missing Kuzco at the inn, Kronk woke up with a start, realizing that the farmer they encountered that day was the same one he had seen disappearing through the crowd, carrying the sack containing Kuzco.[8] Knowing that tracking him might lead him to Kuzco, he ran to talk to Yzma, who rose from the bed, revealing herself without her wig, with cucumbers over her eyes and cream on her face, prompting Kronk to erupt in a frightened cry and recoiled.[8] In the original version, Yzma commented annoyed at being woken up with "This had better be good!"[8] In the Italian version, Yzma was highlighted as ruthless, vain, and intolerant as her line had nothing to do with Kronk's irruption; the problem was not the abrupt awakening but rather Kronk's frightened reaction, which Yzma interpreted as an affront as she said, through gritted teeth, "Look, I killed for much less!"[6][7][8] This was a historical reference fromDark Command (1940) where the same phrase was only present in the Italian adaptation.[6] To slow down Yzma and Kronk, Pacha's family temporarily locked the two in a closet.[8] As Yzma ordered Kronk to break down the door, he refused because, in his own words, "This is hand-carved mahogany!"[8] Yzma pointly dismissed him, "I don't care, you fool!"[8] In the original, the humor was Kronk's artistic sensibility, which made him reluctant to destroy a piece of craftsmanship despite the fact that a moment earlier he had not had any issue when there was talk of burning down the house.[8] In the Italian version, Kronk was more practical and instead complained that breaking down the door seemed difficult, "The door is made of solid wood!"[8] Again highlighting Yzma's more biting sarcasm, she retorted to Kronk, "Just like your head!"[8] Yzma and Kronk fell into a ravine while chasing Kuzco and Pacha.[8] Despite this, they reached the palace before Kuzco and Pacha.[8] As Kuzco expressed shock wondering how they did make it before them and how it was impossible for them to do so, highlighting aplot hole, Yzma asked Kronk how they did it, with Kronk stating, "Well, you got me. By all accounts, it doesn't make sense", as he showed a map highlighting how their path ended in the crevasse.[8] In the Italian version, the humor was further highlighted by the fact that Kronk directly addressed the audience by stating, "Good question. Everyone in the hall is wondering that!"[6][7][8]
After the release date had shifted to December 15, 2000, similarities were noted between the film andDreamWorks Animation'sThe Road to El Dorado.[65]Jeffrey Katzenberg had been at Disney while production began onKingdom of the Sun, but then left and started DreamWorks in 1994. There was some speculation thatThe Road to El Dorado was based on what Katzenberg had seen while at Disney.[66] Marc Lument, a visual development artist forEl Dorado, stated, "It really was a race, and Katzenberg wanted ours out before theirs", and also added, "We didn't know exactly what they were doing, but we had the impression it was going to be very similar. Whoever came out second would face the impression that they copied the other."[11]
Fullmer and Dindal denied the similarities, with the latter commenting, "This version [The Emperor's New Groove] was well in the works when that movie came out." Dindal further added, "Early on, when our movie got to be very comic, all of us felt that you can't be making this farce about a specific group of people unless we are going to poke fun at ourselves. This didn't seem to be a proper choice about Incas or any group of people. It was more of a fable."[67]
The marketing campaign forThe Emperor's New Groove was relatively restrained as Disney opted to heavily promote the release of102 Dalmatians, which was released duringThanksgiving.[67][68] Nevertheless, the film was accompanied by six launcher toys of Kuzco, Kuzco as a llama, Pacha, Yzma, Yzma as a cat, and Kronk,[69] accompanied byHappy Meals atMcDonald's in North America. McDonald's also released toys for the film in Europe and Asia.[70][71] The film premiered at theEl Capitan Theatre on December 10, 2000, with Sting in attendance.[72][73]
The film was released onVHS andDVD on May 1, 2001, and September 30, 2003, as well as a "2-Disc Collector's Edition" that included bonus features such as Sting's music video of "My Funny Friend and Me", aRascal Flatts music video of "Walk the Llama, Llama" from the soundtrack, audio commentary with the filmmakers, a multi-skill-levelset-top game with the voice cast, and deleted scenes among other features.[74] ThisTHX-certified DVD release also contained aDTS 5.1 audio track and DVD-ROM.[75]
Unlike its theatrical box office performance, the film performed better on home video, becoming the top-selling home video release of 2001.[76] In September 2001, it was reported that six million VHS units were sold amounting to $89 million in revenue. On DVD, it was also reported it had sold twice as many sales. The overall revenue averaged toward $125 million according to Adams Media Research.[77] It was re-released on VHS on February 26, 2003.[citation needed] Disney re-released a single-disc special edition called "The New Groove Edition" on October 19, 2005. Disney then digitally remastered and releasedThe Emperor's New Groove onBlu-ray on June 12, 2013, bundled in a two-movie collection combo pack with its sequelKronk's New Groove.[78] On its first weekend, it sold 14,000 Blu-ray units grossing $282,000.[79] A4K Ultra HD Blu-ray will be released on December 9, 2025, to coincide with the film's 25th anniversary, following a run at theEl Capitan Theatre from November 21-23, 2025.[80]
Despite making back its budget,The Emperor's New Groove was considered a box office disappointment, grossing considerably less than any of Disney's animated films from the 1990s.[81][82][66] The film grossed roughly $10 million on its opening weekend, opening in fourth place behindWhat Women Want,Dude, Where's My Car?, andHow the Grinch Stole Christmas.[83] It also competed with Disney's own102 Dalmatians, which had been released just three weeks prior.[66] The film ultimately made $89.3 million in the United States and an additional $80 million worldwide for a total of $169.6 million[84]— the lowest box office earnings for an animated Disney feature since the 1980s.[66] In January 2021, the movie was re-released in theaters and earned an additional $334,000.[85]
Because of itspre-Columbian setting and Latin American flavor, Disney spent $250,000 in its marketing campaign towards the Latino market releasing dual English- and Spanish-language theatrical prints in 16 multiplexes across heavily populated Latino areas in Los Angeles, California in contrast to releasing dubbed or subtitled theatrical prints of their previous animated features in foreign markets.[86] By January 2001, 19 days into its theatrical general release, the Spanish-dubbed prints were pulled from multiplexes as Hispanic Americans opted to watch the English-language prints with its grossing averaging $571,000 in comparison to $96,000 for the former.[87]
The film received generally positive reviews from critics.[66][88][89] Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,The Emperor's New Groove holds an 86% approval rating based on 135 reviews and an average of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "The Emperor's New Groove isn't the most ambitious animated film, but its brisk pace, fresh characters, and big laughs make for a great time for the whole family."[90] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[91] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[92]
Writing forVariety, Robert Koehler commented the film "may not match the groovy business of many of the studio's other kidpix, but it will be remembered as the film that established a new attitude in the halls of Disney's animation unit".[93]Roger Ebert, writing his review forChicago Sun-Times, awarded the film 3 (out of 4) stars distinguishing the film as "a goofy slapstick cartoon, with the attention span ofDonald Duck that is separate from what's known as animated features". Ebert would later add that "it doesn't have the technical polish of a film likeTarzan, but is a reminder that the classic cartoon look is a beloved style of its own."[94] Emma Cochrane ofEmpire gave the film a three out of five stars, writing, "An attractive, generally enjoyable concoction, but never really hits its comedic or emotional targets full on. Fun but quickly forgettable."[95]Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly graded the film a B+, describing it as a "hip, funny, mostly nonmusical, decidedly non-epic family picture, which turns out to be less of a hero's journey than a meeting of sitcom minds".[96]
In contrast to the positive reviews, Marc Savlov ofThe Austin Chronicle gave the film 2 stars out of 5, noting that the film "suffers from a persistent case of narrative backsliding that only serves to make older members of the audience long for the days of the dwarves, beauties, and poisoned apples of Disney-yore, and younger ones squirm in their seats". Savlov also unfavorably compared the film's animation to that ofTarzan's, writing it "is also a minor letdown, with none of the ecstatic visual tour de force."[97] Bob Strauss, in his review for theLos Angeles Daily News, acknowledged that the film is "funny, frantic and colorful enough to keep the small fry diverted for its short but strained 78 minutes", though except for "some nice voice work, a few impressive scale gags, and interesting, Inca-inspired design elements, there is very little here for the rest of the family to latch onto". Strauss blamed the film's story overhaul during production as the main problem.[98]
In 2018,The Emperor's New Groove was named the 16th-best Disney animated film byIGN,[99] and the 27th byRotten Tomatoes in November 2022.[100] In 2022, it did not appear in lists of the best Disney movies, between 35 chosen byHarper's Bazaar[101] and 50 selected byTime Out.[102]
The Sweatbox is a documentary that chronicled the tumultuous collaboration ofSting andDavid Hartley with the Disney studios to compose six songs forKingdom of the Sun (the film's working title).[116] The documentary featured interviews from directorsRoger Allers andMark Dindal, producerRandy Fullmer, Sting (whose wifeTrudie Styler created the documentary), Disney story artists, and the voice cast being dismayed by the new direction. Disney was not believed to be opposed to Styler's documentary, with Disney animation executive Thomas Schumacher, who had seen footage, commenting "I think it's going to be great!"[117]
The film premiered at the2002 Toronto International Film Festival but has gone virtually unseen by the public ever since. Disney owns the rights but has never officially released it.[118] In March 2012, a workprint of the documentary was leaked online and was uploaded onto YouTube by a United Kingdom cartoonist before it was ultimately pulled.[119] As of April 2015, some scenes from the documentary could be seen from the home media release, including the behind-the-scenes and the making of "My Funny Friend and Me".
The Emperor's New Groove was not as well received as Disney's other animated features at the time, which were more focused on Broadway-style musicals likeBeauty and the Beast or heroic characters with comedy situations likeHercules, and arrived just before films likeShrek andIce Age that would launch a wave of animated comedy films.[66] Reception towards the film has improved over time, withPolygon's Petrana Radulovic theorizing that the film's irreverent style of comedy had simply been released at the wrong time by debuting too soon after the tonal shift away from the musical animated films that had defined the 1990s, and too early for the humor that would become trademarks of films such asShrek andIce Age.[66]
The Emperor's New Groove andThe Road to El Dorado have since gained appreciation as standalone works from that period as well-written comedies in part due to the arrival of Internet culture and has since become something of a cult favorite among Disney fans at the time. ForThe Emperor's New Groove, the film has comedic timing and slapstick comedy that has been compared to classicLooney Tunes. As a result, numerousInternet memes based on screenshots from the film have emerged, such as Pacha's "just right" gesture as animage macro representing perfection,[120] or a meme during theCOVID-19 pandemic featuring Kronk documenting "Apocalypse Bingo".[66][121]
In November 2025, many crew members including the film's directorMark Dindal, writerDavid Reynolds, story supervisorStephen Anderson as well as cast memberBob Bergen the voice of Bucky the Squirrel, reunited to celebrate the film's 25 year anniversary by participating in a 2-hourlivestream on YouTube onThe Tammy Tuckey Show. The event had been organised ahead of time.[122]
During the years,The Emperor's New Groove attracted acult following in several countries, particularly Italy.[6][7][8] As is common inItalian cinema, the title was changed to the English equivalentThe Emperor's Madness (Le follie dell'imperatore).[6] The Italian version is considered to be an adaptation (dating back to the 1920s and 1930s with the birth ofsound cinema) rather than an accurate translation, which in the 21st-century is still a relatively new concept.[6] While it also included accurate translations of the dialogues, this caused the loss of some humor; however, new humor was found in the adaptation, whose dubbing was specifically tailored to Italians and theculture of Italy,[6][7][8] so much so that one could speak of an unprecedented case, a revolution, and a film in its own right that went beyond the Italian dubbing of Disney'sAlice in Wonderland byRoberto de Leonardis andYoung Frankenstein.[6]
Although the Italian adaptation did not impact the story, it changed the tempo of the action, significantly altering the characters' characterizations.[6] New lines of dialogue were created as an adaptation, and the dubbing rendered comic situations that were neutral in the original.[6][7][8] Among the most notable dialogue adaptation was the breaking of thefourth-wall scene, with Kuzco stating "It's not possibile! How did you get back here before us?" and Kronk answering "Well, you got me. By all accounts, it doesn't make sense", was changed to Kronk stating "Good question! Everyone in the cinema [or theater] hall is wondering [or asking the same question]!" (Bella domanda! Se lo stanno chiedendo tutti in sala!),[6][123] which became part of Italian common parlance andmeme culture.[6] Unlike some other Italian adaptations, whose dubbing made it not as good as the original or where it lost some meanings of the original, the dubbing ofThe Emperor's New Groove was considered an exception for the dubbing adaptation making it better than the original.[123]
Two video games were developed and released concurrently with the film. The first, for the SonyPlayStation, was developed byArgonaut Games and published bySony Computer Entertainment of America. The second, for the NintendoGame Boy Color, was developed by Sandbox and published byUbisoft. Both titles were released inPAL territories the following year. The PlayStation version was re-released for the North AmericanPlayStation Network on July 27, 2010. Additionally, Kuzco, Pacha, Yzma, and Kronk appear as playable characters in theworld-builder video gameDisney Magic Kingdoms, as well as attractions based on Mudka's Meat Hut and Yzma's Lair.[126] TheTokyo DisneySea rollercoaster attractionRaging Spirits took visual inspiration for its Inca ruins theme from the buildings in the film with a structure based on Kuzco's palace similarly crowning the ruins site.[127]
^abLaporte, Nicole (2011).The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks. Mariner Books. pp. 208–9.ISBN978-0-547-52027-8.
^abMark Dindal (November 18, 2000)."Mark Dindal's Place in the Sun" (Interview). Interviewed by Joe Strike.Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. RetrievedFebruary 8, 2015.
^Harvey, David (September 27, 2002)."Review: 'The Sweatbox'".Variety.Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. RetrievedFebruary 8, 2015.
^Vincent, Mal (December 18, 2000)."Wacky "Emperor's New Groove" Is Departure from Typical Disney Fare".Virginian Pilot. Archived fromthe original on March 29, 2015. RetrievedFebruary 14, 2015.But someone had to call Sting and tell him that all his songs would be thrown out. 'As the producer, it fell to me,' Fullmer said. 'It wasn't easy. He had taken a full year off to work on the movie's score. He didn't want to compose while he was touring.'
^"2000 Sierra Award Winners". Las Vegas Film Critics Society. December 13, 2021.Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2022.
^abManara, Lorenzo (October 21, 2019)."L'importanza della traduzione" [The importance of translation].LorenzoManara.it (in Italian). RetrievedNovember 6, 2025.
Various cast and crew members (May 1, 2001).The Emperor's New Groove—Supplemental Features (DVD). Disc 2 of 2 (The New Groove ed.). Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.UPC786936150926.
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