History Trivia / TheEmperorsNewGroove

* * QuoteSource:

** A smaller one: Kuzco's insults to his potential brides were originally much nastier ("Moo." "Get a human head." etc), but the filmmakers realized that it made him [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy much more unlikable than they needed him to be]].

* TookAShortcut

* {{Trope Namer|s}}: For KissOfLife.

* CreatorCameo: According to supervising animator Nik Ranieri (who animated the opening scene), he provided Kuzco's sobbing in the opening in place of David Spade during the [=ADR=] process of the film.

* DeletedScene: After Kronk stuff Kuzco in a bag and loses him in Pacha's cart, A scene where Pacha is standing in the middle of a giant model version of his village where Kuzco's army destroys it as practice for when they destroy his real village.

* AccidentallyCorrectWriting: Roads in the Inca Empire actually did have rest stops that provided food and lodging, but they were obviously nothing like the modern-day GreasySpoon depicted in the film.

** As the story was first being retooled, Creator/EarthaKitt wasn't too keen on the changes made to Yzma. The original script gave her depth and nuance, while the ultimate version was a broad cartoon villain. Eventually, though, she warmed to the character's new incarnation.

** Yzma would have her DarkReprise to "Perfect World" but was removed during post-production.

** The candle-holder in the dinner scene depicts a character who got cut in the overhaul.

* DuelingMovies: Against two films, nonetheless: ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' from Creator/DreamWorks as well as ''Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King'' from Japan, all three of which take place in Mesoamerica. Disney themselves released ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' to go up against ''El Dorado''. ''New Groove'' did win since it got better reviews and ''El Dorado'' bombed and sunk that franchise immediately. ''Legend of the Sun King'' as part of a [[Manga/{{Doraemon}} wider franchise]] became the highest-grossing film at $32 million, but obviously it pales in comparison to the $169 million ''Emperor'' earned due to not being released outside of East Asia (since the series it's part of is unknown outside of the region).

** The film started out as a PrinceAndPauper film called ''Kingdom of the Sun'' in 1994, described by ''Lion King'' co-director Roger Allers as an "epic picture mixing elements of adventure, comedy, romance and mysticism". It would have been in the traditional style of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. The plot would've involved a greedy, selfish emperor who finds a peasant who looks just like him, so the emperor swaps places with the peasant for fun. Meanwhile, the evil witch Yzma has plans to summon the evil god Supai and capture the sun so that she may retain her youth forever. Discovering the switch between the prince and the peasant, Yzma turns the emperor into a llama and threatens to reveal the pauper's identity unless he obeys her. The emperor learns AnAesop about humility, and ends up loving a llama herder named Mata. Together, she and the emperor set out to stop Yzma's evil plans. Sting was signed on as the song composer. Disney execs thought that due to the poor critical and commercial reception of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', both of which were serious dramatic musicals in the vein of ''Sun'', the film would be unsuccessful. Compounding this was the fact that the release date had been firmly set at the year 2000, and by 1998 it was clear that production would not wrap up in time. Disney execs ordered production on ''Sun'' to be halted. Almost all the original plot points and characters were scrapped. Most of Sting's compositions were cut as well. The film became transformed into a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-style slapstick buddy comedy. While the end result was warmly received by critics, who found it a breath of fresh air compared to most of Disney's fare, animator Andreas Deja, who supervised animation on Yzma during ''Sun'', was displeased with what the film was reworked into, and left to work on ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' before the retool. Allers was also disappointed with the final film, calling it a "simple slapstick comedy", and saying that if he had had more time, he could've made the film according to his original visions.

** At first, Creator/EarthaKitt disliked how Yzma was rewritten. The original script gave her depth and nuance while the ultimate version was a broad cartoon villain. Eventually, though, she warmed to the character's new incarnation.
* CreatorCameo: According to animator Nik Ranieri (who animated the opening scene), he provided Kuzco's sobbing in the opening in place of David Spade during the ADR process of the film.

** In the Mexican Spanish dub, Kuzco was originally planned to be [[CelebrityVoiceActor dubbed by a soap opera actor]] (Arath de la Torre), and while he did finished the dub and was payed for it, it was never used because Walt Disney's Mexican branch didn't like his performance and, probably to avoid another sub-par performance with the main character just like they did with the dub of ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', he was replaced with Creator/JesusBarrero, who originally only dubbed him in the trailers.

** Creator/EarthaKitt disliked how Yzma was rewritten. The original script gave her depth and nuance while the ultimate version was a broad cartoon villain.

* DuelingMovies: Against two films, nonetheless: ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' from Creator/DreamWorks as well as ''Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King'' from Japan, all three of which take place in Mesoamerica. Disney themselves released ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' to go up against ''El Dorado''. ''New Groove'' did win since it got better reviews and ''El Dorado'' bombed and sunk that franchise immediately. ''Legend of the Sun King'' as part of a [[Anime/{{Doraemon}} wider franchise]] became the highest-grossing film at $32 million, but obviously it pales in comparison to the $169 million ''Emperor'' earned due to not being released outside of East Asia (since the series it's part of is unknown outside of the region).

* CreatorBacklash: As seen in ''The Sweatbox'', many involved were unhappy that the film got to be retooled.

* DVDCommentary: It's mainly Producer Randy Fullmer and Director Mark Dindal Commentary, but they're also joined by Art Director Colin Stimpson, Character Designer Joseph C. Moshier, Head of Story Stephen Anderson, Kuzco Animator Nik Ranieri, and Pacha Animator Bruce W. Smith.

* DVDCommentary: It's mainly Producer Randy Dullmer and Director Mark Dindal Commentary, but they're also joined by Art Director Colin Stimpson, Character Designer Joseph C. Moshier, Head of Story Stephen Anderson, Kuzco Animator Nik Ranieri, and Pacha Animator Bruce W. Smith.

** In the Brazilian dub, Kuzco is voiced by Selton Mello (who ironically initally started his carrer as voice actor, providing voices for the Brazilian dub of movies like ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' and ''Film/TheGoonies'' and even voiced Doofus Drake in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987''), Pacha is voiced by Humberto Martins, Yzma is voiced by Marieta Severo and Theme Song Guy is voiced by famous musician Ed Motta (who previously worked with Disney in ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' by singing the Brazilian version of "Someday", and the Brazilian dub of the songs from ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'').

* ChristmasRushed: The film was firmly set for a 2000 date, hence Roger Allers' resignation.

** The movie as made was supposed to end with Kuzco building his mansion on a hill further away from Pacha's village and inviting Pacha and his family to stay in it, before Sting pointed out that if Kuzco still built his mansion after all his experiences [[BrokenAesop he wouldn't really have learned anything]].

* AcclaimedFlop: This film did get decent reviews but failed to make more than double its budget.

** In addition to Bucky the squirrel, Creator/BobBergen also voices the fly that Kuzco sees in the jungle.

** In the Brazilian dub, Kuzco is voiced by Selton Mello (who ironically initally started his carrer as voice actor, providing voices for the Brazilian dub of movies like ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' and ''Film/TheGoonies'' and even voiced Doofus Drake in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987''), Pacha is voiced by Humberto Martins, Yzma is voiced by Marieta Severo and Theme Song Guy is voiced by famous musician Ed Motta (who previously worked with Disney in ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' by singing the brazilian version of Someday, and the brazilian version of the songs from ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'').
* ChristmasRushed: The film was firmly set for a 2000 date, which was why Roger Allers quit.

** The Hungarian title can be roughly translated as "Mindless Empire" or "The Empire Gone Crazy".
** The European French title translates as "Kuzco, The Egotistical Emperor" (albeit with a very familiar term for 'egotistical'). The French Canadian title instead goes for the [[RuleOfThree above]] Norway title, albeit translated (''"Un Royaume pour un Llama"'').
** In Portugal, the title would be hard to translate in way that would be easy to understand so the film is simply titled "Pacha e o Imperador", which simply uses the two main characters names as the title.
* CreatorBacklash: As seen in ''Film/TheSweatbox'', many people involved were unhappy that the film got to be retooled.

** Just about ''every'' song was cut from the movie, except for one, with another played over the end credits. They're still on the soundtrack, though. There's a whole documentary, ''Film/TheSweatbox'', about the film's troubled production (see TroubledProduction below) which puts a great deal of focus on these songs (which were written by Music/{{Sting}}).
** The most notable of which was Yzma's VillainSong, "Snuff Out the Light", which, while a fantastic song, was actually a necessary cut, because the plot of the movie changed and made the motivation and ultimate goal described by the song irrelevant.

** The candle-holder in the dinner-scene depicts a character who got cut in the movie's overhaul.

* DuelingMovies: Against two movies, nonetheless: ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' from Creator/DreamWorks as well as ''Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King'' from Japan, all three of which take place in Mesoamerica. Disney themselves released ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' to go up against ''El Dorado''. ''The Emperor's New Groove'' did win since it got better reviews and ''El Dorado'' bombed and sunk that franchise immediately. ''Legend of the Sun King'' as part of a [[Anime/{{Doraemon}} wider franchise]] became the highest grossing film at $32 million, but obviously it pales in comparison to the $169 million ''The Emperor's New Groove'' got due to not being released outside of East Asia (since the series it's part of is unknown outside of the region).

** The film started out as a PrinceAndPauper movie called ''Kingdom of the Sun'' in 1994, described by ''Lion King'' co-director Roger Allers as an "epic picture mixing elements of adventure, comedy, romance and mysticism". It would have been in the traditional style of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. The plot would've involved a greedy, selfish emperor who finds a peasant who looks just like him, so the emperor swaps places with the peasant for fun. Meanwhile, the evil witch Yzma has plans to summon the evil god Supai and capture the sun so that she may retain her youth forever. Discovering the switch between the prince and the peasant, Yzma turns the emperor into a llama and threatens to reveal the pauper's identity unless he obeys her. The emperor learns AnAesop about humility, and ends up loving a llama herder named Mata. Together, she and the emperor set out to stop Yzma's evil plans. Sting was signed on as the song composer. Disney execs thought that due to the poor critical and commercial reception of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', both of which were serious dramatic musicals in the vein of ''Kingdom of the Sun'', the film would be unsuccessful. Compounding this was the fact that the release date had been firmly set at the year 2000, and by 1998 it was clear that production would not wrap up in time. Disney execs ordered production on ''Sun'' to be halted. Almost all the original plot points and characters were scrapped. Most of Sting's compositions were cut as well. The movie became transformed into a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-style slapstick buddy comedy. While the end result was warmly received by critics, who found it a breath of fresh air compared to most of Disney's fare, animator Andreas Deja, who supervised animation on Yzma during ''Sun'', was displeased with what the film was reworked into, and left to work on ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' before the retool. Allers was also disappointed with the final film, calling it a "simple slapstick comedy", and saying that if he had had more time, he could've made the film according to his original visions.
** On the DVD commentary, director Mark Dindal grumbles about a minor example, claiming an executive at Disney forced him to include a particular ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' ShoutOut.
* FanNickname: The movie is called the "Dindal Cut" to help differentiate it with the "Allers Cut".

* IronyAsSheIsCast: When called upon to sing the theme song for Kuzco that he had written, Music/{{Sting}} said that a then-50-year-old wouldn't do that song justice and that it was suited for someone younger and hipper. The filmmakers went with Music/TomJones, who is ten years older than Sting.

** The same happens in the Japanese dub from the same film, as Creator/ShowtaroMorikubo has to do double duty on replacing ''both'' Tatsuya Fujiwara from the first film (and also reprising that role from the dub of the [[WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool TV series]]) and Yuuki Tokiwa as Tipo.

** For the Disney Animated Canon, this is tons of humor-oriented moments that wouldn't be out of place for a Creator/DreamWorksAnimation movie.
* PromotedFanboy: Music/{{Sting}}, who would write "Perfect World" and "My Funny Friend and Me" has been a fan of watching Disney films such as ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' and was happy to be a part of one.
* SpoiledByTheMerchandise: One of the Mcdonald's toys based on the movie is [[spoiler:Yzma as a cat.]]

** Originally, it was going to be a more traditional Disney epic called ''Kingdom of the Sun'', with a typical PrinceAndPauper storyline. After a WriterRevolt, ExecutiveMeddling, and a ReTool (as the two directors were going in opposite directions, and the film had only a short span of two years to get completed), they scrapped the idea of doing a serious epic, and the resultant film was [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail completed in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute.]] Several animators, such as Andreas Deja who wanted to work on "a great film," left in a huff[[note]]He would end up flying down to Florida to work on ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''[[/note]], as well as many other staff members who just left Disney entirely.

** Related to TroubledProduction: Mrs. "Sting", Trudie Styler, filmed a (slightly unfinished) documentary on the film's production, ''Film/TheSweatbox''. It was screened once, but since Disney owns this document of chaos, they make sure it never gets released (very likely due to there being a large amount of swearing in it), though it was briefly leaked on the internet in March 2012. Website/PlatypusComix did a review when they got hands on the workprint, which can be found [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/educational/thesweatbox.html here.]]

* ChristmasRushed: The film is firmly set for a 2000 date, which is why Roger Allers quit.

* ''Trivia/KingdomOfTheSun'' script

** The film started out as a PrinceAndPauper movie called ''Script/KingdomOfTheSun'' in 1994, described by ''Lion King'' co-director Roger Allers as an "epic picture mixing elements of adventure, comedy, romance and mysticism". It would have been in the traditional style of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. The plot would've involved a greedy, selfish emperor who finds a peasant who looks just like him, so the emperor swaps places with the peasant for fun. Meanwhile, the evil witch Yzma has plans to summon the evil god Supai and capture the sun so that she may retain her youth forever. Discovering the switch between the prince and the peasant, Yzma turns the emperor into a llama and threatens to reveal the pauper's identity unless he obeys her. The emperor learns AnAesop about humility, and ends up loving a llama herder named Mata. Together, she and the emperor set out to stop Yzma's evil plans. Sting was signed on as the song composer. Disney execs thought that due to the poor critical and commercial reception of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', both of which were serious dramatic musicals in the vein of ''Kingdom of the Sun'', the film would be unsuccessful. Compounding this was the fact that the release date had been firmly set at the year 2000, and by 1998 it was clear that production would not wrap up in time. Disney execs ordered production on ''Sun'' to be halted. Almost all the original plot points and characters were scrapped. Most of Sting's compositions were cut as well. The movie became transformed into a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-style slapstick buddy comedy. While the end result was warmly received by critics, who found it a breath of fresh air compared to most of Disney's fare, animator Andreas Deja, who supervised animation on Yzma during ''Sun'', was displeased with what the film was reworked into, and left to work on ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' before the retool. Allers was also disappointed with the final film, calling it a "simple slapstick comedy", and saying that if he had had more time, he could've made the film according to his original visions.

** Marc Shaiman originally scored the film but had his work rejected after a test screening and was replaced by Music/JohnDebney. Shaiman's work can be heard in ''The Sweatbox'' (the making-of documentary on the film and its TroubledProduction). He describes his take as having too much MickeyMousing.

* DescendedCreator: Writer and director Mark Dindal has an uncredited role as [[spoiler: Kitty Yzma]].

* PlayingAgainstType: Wendie Malick, usually known for playing {{deadpan snarker}}s, plays a sweet (though still somewhat sarcastic) housewife and mother of two.

%%* BoxOfficeBomb: Sort of as it only made $169,327,687 on a $100 million budget.

* CreatorBacklash: Animator Robin Steele, one of the uncredited co-directors on ''WesternAnimation/KronksNewGroove'', does not recall his experience at the studio with much fondness.
-->"And then there was that truly evil epoch called Creator/{{DisneyToon Studios}}, wherein actually solving script problems with storyboard work was a capital offense, when Disney executives figured that they were the REAL storytellers and directors were nothing but "hired wrists" who were brought on to know how to make animation out of the hash they were handed to work with. The day that I objected to the whole idea of a "cheerleading camp" in ancient Peru ([[WagTheDirector because the writer's wife was SO TOTALLY into cheer camp]]), at a production meeting with the president of [=DisneyToon=] Studios, was the day I signed my death warrant therein. When I questioned the anachronism of the two, I was loudly accosted by said president, who screamed at me: "You're being unproductive, Robin! This movie doesn't even HAVE TO BE IN ANCIENT PERU! It could be in OUTER SPACE! You're not being a TEAM PLAYER!!!" There wasn't much creative logic going in there, in those days. [[MoneyDearBoy "Put it in a jewel case and ship it"]] seemed to be the overriding principle."