The Emperor's New Groove is an Academy Award-nominated animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures through Buena Vista Distribution on December 15, 2000. The thirty-ninth film in the Disney animated features canon, The Emperor's New Groove is a comedy including adult and child humor. Produced by Randy Fullmer and directed by Mark Dindal over a six-year production timeline, The Emperor's New Groove was altered significantly from its original concept as a more traditional Disney musical entitled Kingdom of the Sun, to have been directed by Dindal and Roger Allers (co-director of The Lion King).
While not a blockbuster, The Emperor's New Groove was successful enough to warrant a direct-to-video sequel, Kronk's New Groove, released in December 2005, and an animated television series, The Emperor's New School, in January 2006.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song for "My Funny Friend and Me" performed by Sting, but lost against "Things Have Changed" from Wonder Boys by Bob Dylan.
In this animated comedy from the folks at Disney, the vain and cocky Emperor Kuzco is a very busy man. Besides maintaining his "groove", and firing his suspicious administrator, Yzma; 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, 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. Written by Richard Hudson
