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The Emperor's New Groove

Play trailer Poster for The Emperor's New Groove G Released Dec 15, 2000 1h 19m Kids & Family Comedy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 135 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Arrogant young Emperor Kuzco is transformed into a llama by his power-hungry advisor -- the devious diva Yzma. Stranded in the jungle, Kuzco's only chance to get back home and reclaim the high life rests with a good-hearted peasant named Pacha. Together, they must return Kuzco to the throne before Yzma tracks them down and finishes him off.
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The Emperor's New Groove

The Emperor's New Groove

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media More fun, goofy cartoon antics than Disney polish. Rated: 4/5 Aug 3, 2010 Full Review Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader Ingenious action sequences driven by surprisingly little plot lead to a climax full of the transmogrification animation was invented for. Nov 16, 2009 Full Review Richard Corliss TIME Magazine Emperor doesn't aim too high or strain too hard; it is at ease inhabiting its pretty, miniature realm. Sep 8, 2008 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins There’s a certain hipness and modernness to the characters and their conversations, providing a curious contrast to the ancient Incan setting, but it’s not enough to set it apart as a notable project. Rated: 4/10 Jan 17, 2025 Full Review Grant Watson Fiction Machine The Emperor’s New Groove is fast-paced, furiously amusing, and genuinely unlike any other Disney feature ever made. Rated: 8/10 Jan 13, 2024 Full Review Zita Short InSession Film It’s one of those near-flawless masterpieces that makes you wonder why every troubled production doesn’t result in a sensational finished product. Feb 1, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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norriskeel still funny after all these years my step son actually sat through the whole thing amazing Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/11/22 Full Review Amir S Funny and light - that's all I have to write and say about this project. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/19/25 Full Review matthias s **Review: *The Emperor’s New Groove* (3.5/5 stars)** Alright, so *The Emperor’s New Groove* is absolute chaos—in the best way possible. It’s fast, funny, and packed with some of the best fourth-wall-breaking humor Disney’s ever done. I love a good meta gag, and this movie *thrives* on them. The characters? Iconic. David Spade’s Kuzco is peak sarcastic energy, Patrick Warburton’s Kronk is comedy gold, and Eartha Kitt’s Yzma is pure, cackling villainy. But here’s the thing—it’s all surface-level fun. The plot is simple, the pacing is lightning-fast, and because of the short runtime, there’s no real depth. No big emotional gut-punch or layered themes. Just jokes, llamas, and slapstick chaos. And honestly? That’s fine. It’s not *smart* humor, but it’s *fun* humor. If you’re looking for a deep Disney flick, this isn’t it. But if you just want 78 minutes of ridiculous, quotable nonsense? This one’s a winner. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/25 Full Review Mr A I first discovered this movie back in the summer of 2015 and remember watching it in the summer of 2016. I must say Kuzco is a big jerk as he obviously doesn't care about anyone but himself. The emperor is just as bad if not worse than Yzma. Even though Kuzco is the protagonist, Pacha is the real hero in this movie. I can list all of Kuzco's wrongdoings. 1) He threw an old man out the window for "throwing off his groove" but in reality Kuzco bumped into him and wasn't looking. 2) He plans to destroy Pacha's village for his summer resort called Kuzcotopia. 3) He lied to Pacha about changing his mind to build Kuzcotopia somewhere else. 4) He left Pacha on the Bridge. 5) He sent Pacha away when Yzma was planning to kill him. Kuzco deserved to be turned into a llama as punishment for being cruel to everyone. Yzma is still the villain but you just can't blame her as her emnity towards the emperor is justifiable and understandable. I gotta say Pacha has a wonderful family. Chicha as the beautiful wife, Chaca and Tipo as the two adorable little children :). Anyway, Kuzco had to learn the meaning of empathy and the only way to do that was spend a night in the jungle and join a herd of llamas. He also had to learn the meaning of hard work because he's a lazy emperor while the villagers are hard working peasants. You know, Pacha could've used Kuzco to haul his carts since llamas were used to transport people and items back then. But lucky for Kuzco, Pacha appears and forgives him. Kronk is a funny guy, he may be asissting Yzma with her evil schemes but he's truly a nice guy at heart. Mudka's Meat Hut had nothing delicious and I for one am not eating there. The finale battle against Yzma was very comical and can't be taken seriously. Kuzco become nicer once he turns back into a person and everything turns out to be just fine. I love the ending scene in which Kronk is a scout leader. Kronk got his own movie which we can empathize more with than this one. Also, Pacha deserves to have his own movie since he's the real hero in this movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/25 Full Review André M Love Kuzco. Love Kronk. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/25 Full Review Kevin P The story is done to death, but every line is so quotable and the voice cast is giving it there all to make this hilarious. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Emperor's New Groove

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Movie Info

Synopsis Arrogant young Emperor Kuzco is transformed into a llama by his power-hungry advisor -- the devious diva Yzma. Stranded in the jungle, Kuzco's only chance to get back home and reclaim the high life rests with a good-hearted peasant named Pacha. Together, they must return Kuzco to the throne before Yzma tracks them down and finishes him off.
Director
Mark Dindal
Producer
Randy Fullmer
Screenwriter
David Reynolds, Mark Dindal
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co
Walt Disney Pictures
Rating
G
Genre
Kids & Family, Comedy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 15, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$89.6M
Runtime
1h 19m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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