The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne with the help of Pacha, the gentle llama herder.

Director:

Mark Dindal

Writers:

Chris Williams (story by), Mark Dindal (story by)

Stars:

David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Spade	...	Kuzco (voice)
John Goodman	...	Pacha (voice)
Eartha Kitt	...	Yzma (voice)
Patrick Warburton	...	Kronk (voice)
Wendie Malick	...	Chicha (voice)
Kellyann Kelso	...	Chaca (voice)
Eli Russell Linnetz	...	Tipo (voice)
Stephen J. Anderson	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Stephen Anderson)
Bob Bergen	...	Bucky / Fly stuck in web (voice)
Rodger Bumpass	...	Townspeople (voice)
Robert Clotworthy	...	Guards (voice) (as Rob Clotworthy)
Jennifer Darling	...	(voice)
Patti Deutsch	...	Waitress (voice)
John Fiedler	...	Old Man (voice)
Miriam Flynn	...	The Piñata Lady (voice)

Storyline

In this animated comedy from the folks at Disney, the vain and cocky Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) is a very busy man. Besides maintaining his "groove", and firing his suspicious administrator, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), he's also planning to build a new waterpark just for himself for his birthday. However, this means destroying one of the villages in his kingdom. Meanwhile, Yzma is hatching a plan to get revenge and usurp the throne. But, in a botched assassination courtesy of Yzma's right-hand man, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), Kuzco is magically transformed into a llama. Now, Kuzco finds himself the property of Pacha, a lowly llama herder whose home is ground zero for the water park. Upon discovering the llama's true self, Pacha offers to help resolve the Emperor's problem and regain his throne, only if he promises to move his water park.

---

Plot Keywords:

peru | slapstick comedy | disney | llama | emperor | 

---

Taglines:

Mingin'!

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Kuzco says to Pacha, "Buh bye" when they're on the bridge, David Spade has said the same quote from Saturday Night Live (1975).

---

Goofs

When Tipo tells Pacha that he ate a bug that day, Pacha jokingly says "Oh, has your mother been baking again?" which seems to annoy or offend Chicha. However, Pacha later eats a pill bug at Mudka's Meat Hut and treats it like a delicacy he is familiar with.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Kuzco: [Narrating] Will you take a look at that? Pretty pathetic, huh? Well, you'll never believe this, but that llama you're looking at was once a human being. And not just any human being. That guy was an emperor. A rich, powerful ball of charisma. Oh, yeah! This is his story. Well, actually, my story. That's right... I'm that llama. The name is Kuzco... Emperor Kuzco. I was the world's nicest guy and they ruined my life for no reason. Oh, is that hard to believe? Look, I'll tell you ...
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

In the closing Walt Disney Pictures logo, after the arc is drawn over the castle, it disappears.

---

Alternate Versions

A sequence showing Kuzco's guards training for the destruction of Pacha's village was fully animated, scored, and in color when it was deleted from the film. Animation of the guards from this sequence appears during the final battle in the film's third act. This sequence appears as a special feature on the DVD.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Villain Sidekicks (2019)

---

Soundtracks

My Funny Friend and Me
Lyrics by Sting
Music by Sting and Dave Hartley
Performed by Sting
Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Flyle Tyme Productions,
Inc.
Co-Produced by Big Jim Wright (as "Big Jim" Wright) for Flyle Tyme Productions, Inc.
Recorded by Dave Rideau and Steve Hodge
Mixed by Steve Hodge
Sting appears courtesy of A&M Records

User Reviews

Underrated Disney Gem

Being in development hell for a very long time and released to not much hype "The Emperor's New Groove" is often, unjustifiably, overlooked as one of the Disney masterpieces. It has fast comedic timing. a sharp script and All Star cast, where Patrick Warburton's performance especially stands out. The animation is top notch, like we expect from Disney, with very colorful and vibrant visuals that leap of the screen. One of those flicks that gets better with each viewing, so a must to check out.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kingdom in the Sun

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Feature Animation - 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,812,302, 17 December 2000

Gross USA:

$89,636,687

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$169,661,687

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby Digital 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) DTS (DTS HD Master Audio 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) SDDS (8 channels) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 (D-Cinema prints) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) Dolby Atmos (Dolby Atmos) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1