The Emperor's New Groove facts for kids

The Emperor's New Groove is a fun animated family movie from 2000. Walt Disney Animation Studios made it, and it came out on December 15, 2000. It was the 40th movie Disney ever produced! The movie's name sounds like the fairy tale The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, but the stories are very different.

This movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. The song was "My Funny Friend and Me" sung by Sting. However, it didn't win. The award went to "Things Have Changed" by Bob Dylan from the movie Wonder Boys.

Later, a sequel movie called Kronk's New Groove was released in December 2005. It went straight to video. There was also an animated TV show called The Emperor's New School, which started in January 2006.

The Story of Emperor Kuzco

Kuzco (David Spade) is a very selfish and spoiled young emperor. He lives a fancy life in South America and punishes anyone who upsets him. One day, he calls Pacha (John Goodman), who is the kind leader of a nearby village. Kuzco tells Pacha that he plans to build a huge, fancy resort just for himself. This new resort, called Kuzcotopia, would destroy Pacha's village. Pacha tries to explain why this is a bad idea, but Kuzco doesn't listen.

Meanwhile, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), Kuzco's old advisor, is very angry. Kuzco had just fired her! She decides to get revenge and take over the throne. Yzma and her strong but not-so-smart helper, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), plan to poison Kuzco during dinner. But their plan goes wrong. Instead of dying, Kuzco is accidentally turned into a llama!

Kuzco's Journey as a Llama

After Kuzco turns into a llama, Yzma tells Kronk to get rid of him. Kronk throws Kuzco's unconscious body into a river. But Kronk has a change of heart and saves Kuzco at the last moment. He accidentally puts the llama-Kuzco onto Pacha's cart. When Pacha arrives back at his village, Kuzco wakes up. He demands that Pacha take him back to the palace. Pacha agrees, but only if Kuzco promises to build his resort somewhere else.

Kuzco refuses Pacha's offer. He decides to go back to the palace by himself, even though Pacha warns him. Kuzco gets lost in the jungle and is almost attacked by black panthers. Luckily, Pacha rescues him. While this is happening, Yzma takes control of the empire. When she finds out Kuzco is still alive, she and Kronk start searching for him.

Friends and Foes on the Road

Kuzco pretends to agree to Pacha's demands. But during their trip back to the palace, they fight on a collapsing bridge. Kuzco reveals he still plans to destroy Pacha's village. Working together, they manage to climb out of the valley after the bridge falls apart. Meanwhile, Yzma and Kronk also end up in the jungle. They get directions from Bucky, a friendly squirrel that Kuzco had met earlier.

Kuzco and Pacha arrive at a roadside diner. They don't know that Yzma and Kronk have followed them there. While Kuzco complains to the chef, Pacha secretly listens to Yzma's plan. He tries to warn Kuzco that Yzma wants to kill him. But Kuzco doesn't believe him. He thinks Yzma is loyal and even tells Pacha he still plans to destroy the village. When Kuzco overhears Yzma planning to kill him because he's so selfish, he leaves the diner alone. He decides to just live his life as a normal llama. Soon after, he reunites with Pacha and they make up.

The Final Showdown

When Kuzco and Pacha return to Pacha's house for supplies, they find Yzma and Kronk already there, searching for them. Pacha's family helps distract Yzma and Kronk. This gives Kuzco and Pacha a head start to reach the palace. They need to find a potion to turn Kuzco back into a human. However, Yzma and Kronk somehow get to the palace before them and ambush them.

Yzma tells Kronk to kill Kuzco and Pacha. But Kronk hesitates. Yzma insults him and his cooking, which makes Kronk betray her! She then drops him down a trapdoor. Yzma calls the palace guards, but they are turned into animals. She tricks them into thinking they killed Kuzco. Kuzco and Pacha grab an armful of potions and run. Yzma had knocked them to the floor on purpose so they wouldn't find the right one easily. During the chase, Kuzco keeps turning into different animals. When they are cornered, Kuzco and Yzma fight over the vials. One breaks, turning Yzma into a cat!

Kuzco and Pacha work together to get the right potion. Yzma snatches it, but Kronk, who found a secret exit, knocks her out. Pacha gives Kuzco the potion, and he finally turns back into a human! After all this, Kuzco realizes how selfish he was. He takes Pacha's advice and builds his resort on a different hill. He later joins Pacha and his family at a smaller, cozier resort. Elsewhere, Kronk becomes a scout leader, teaching a group of scouts, including Yzma, who is still a cat!

Characters in the Movie

• David Spade as Emperor Kuzco: He is an 18-year-old emperor of the Inca Empire. He starts out very selfish but learns to be friendly.
• John Goodman as Pacha: A kind villager who helps Kuzco.
• Eartha Kitt as Yzma: Kuzco's old advisor who wants to rule the Empire herself.
• Patrick Warburton as Kronk Pepikrankenitz: Yzma's helper. He is strong and kind, but not very smart.
• Wendie Malick as Chicha: Pacha's wife, who is pregnant.
• Kellyann Kelso and Eli Russell Linnetz as Chaca and Tipo: Pacha's children.
• Bob Bergen as Bucky the Squirrel: Kronk's friend who doesn't like Yzma.
• Tom Jones as the Theme Song Guy: The person who sings Kuzco's theme song.
• Patti Deutsch as a waitress.
• John Fiedler as an old man: He was thrown out of Kuzco's castle. His name is Rudy in the sequel Kronk's New Groove.
• Joe Whyte as an official: He was in charge of finding Kuzco a bride.

How the Movie Was Made

The Emperor's New Groove started being made in late 1994. It was first called Kingdom of the Sun. It was planned to be a more traditional Disney animated movie. But by 1997, Disney wanted movies that were funnier and less serious. So, the movie changed to be more of a comedy.

Awards for Animation

The Annie Awards are given out every year for animated movies.

See also

A robot icon, linking to the Spanish version of this article for kids

In Spanish: The Emperor's New Groove para niños