The Emperor's New Groove

The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animated buddy slapstick comedy film created by Walt Disney Feature Animation. It is the 40th film in Disney's animated features canon. It was directed by Mark Dindal, produced by Randy Fullmer, written by David Reynolds, and stars David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton and Wendie Malick.

The film follows a teenage emperor who is transformed into a llama by his ex-advisor and henchman. In order for the emperor to change back into a human, he trusts a village leader who escorts him back to the palace. The film was altered significantly over its six years of development and production. It began as a musical epic titled Kingdom of the Sun, to have been directed by Dindal and Roger Allers (co-director of The Lion King), and was changed by Disney executives into a light-hearted buddy comedy. The documentary The Sweatbox details the production troubles that the film endured.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "My Funny Friend and Me" performed by Sting, but lost to "Things Have Changed" by Bob Dylan from Wonder Boys. The film was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Kronk's New Groove (2005), and an animated television series, The Emperor's New School (2006).