The Emperor's New Groove
Short description
The Emperor's New Groove centers on Kuzco, a young and self-absorbed Inca emperor who has his heart set on a lavish personal project that would displace a village. When he dismisses his scheming advisor Yzma, she retaliates with a plot against him. Her bumbling assistant Kronk botches the job, and Kuzco is transformed into a llama instead of being killed. Stranded far from his palace, he falls in with Pacha, a kind peasant whose home is threatened by the emperor's plans. The two become an uneasy team as Kuzco tries to undo the spell and take back his throne.
The film was directed by Mark Dindal, his second feature after Cats Don't Dance (1997) and before Chicken Little (2005) and The Garfield Movie (2024). David Reynolds wrote the screenplay, Randy Fullmer produced, and the voice cast includes David Spade as Kuzco, John Goodman as Pacha, Eartha Kitt as Yzma and Patrick Warburton as Kronk, alongside Wendie Malick and Kellyann Kelso.
Released in December 2000 by Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Feature Animation, the 78-minute animated adventure comedy cost about 100 million dollars and earned roughly 169 million dollars worldwide, a modest return against its budget. Audiences have been warm toward it over the years, with a 7.4 rating on IMDb from about 247,000 votes and a 7.6 on TMDB from a smaller base. A critics' rating of 7.5 from 135 reviews sits close to those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- To film the life of a South American resident, the film's creative team traveled to Peru in 1996 to capture the artistic and cultural treasures of the ancient Incas. During their ten-day trip, they visited landmarks such as the high-altitude city of Machu Picchu and the ancient city of Cusco. They also filmed pastures, steep mountain slopes, and huge stones using a military helicopter.
- The Russian dub lacks the voice-over monologue of Kuzco in the scene where Kronk carries him in a sack to drop him in the canal. In the original English dub, Kuzco speaks about himself as a victim and mockingly comments on Kronk's actions.
- The girl scattering petals along the path before Kuzco at the beginning of the film is Yoli, Pernat's ward, from “The Emperor’s New Groove 2: Kronk’s New Groove.”
- Producer Randy Fullmer admits that when Disney representatives showed them the first version, they disliked it so much that they issued an ultimatum – redo it in two weeks or there would be no “Empire.” The premiere, which took place on December 15th, has little in common with the first version. Roger Allers, originally working with Mark Dindal, was moved to another animated project, and Dindal took control. The story was completely reworked into its current format, and the character who was supposed to be voiced by Owen Wilson was now voiced by John Goodman.
- “The Emperor’s New Groove” was initially titled “Children of the Sun,” then “Kingdom of the Sun,” then “Kingdom on the Sun.” The initial story, when the project was announced, was based on “The Prince and the Pauper” with a strong romantic subtext. David Spade was supposed to voice the imperial heir who discovers he has a second “self” (Owen Wilson) in the form of a humble peasant.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
