The Emperor's New Groove went from a drama to a wacky, light-on-its-feet comedy. © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Emperor's New Groove
Early 1997: A new Disney feature slated for a 1999 release entitled, Kingdom of the Sun is in the pre-production stages. It's supposedly a sweeping South American tale based on the old fable of The Prince and the Pauper.

Fall 1997: The project has been greenlit. Roger Allers (co-director of The Lion King) and Mark Dindal (director of Cat's Don't Dance) are chosen to direct the film. Brilliant animator Andreas Deja is also put on the team.

Fall 1998: After a year into the project and almost a third of the picture completed, the production studio becomes a minefield. The suits take a gander at the story reel and discover this is the worst Disney film in decades, despite the fact that it had been accepted months ago. The production is put back into development and Roger Allers leaves the project due to problems with his co-director, taking Andreas Deja with him.

February 1999: For months now the production on Kingdom of the Sun has been put almost to an utter halt. Disney threatens to close down production due to high costs.

Summer 1999: An entirely new script is written. Dindal is working on this project solo now. Production slowly creeps out of the woodworks, however, the executives keep the budget extremely tight. Voice actors Owen Wilson, Harvey Fierstein and Trudie Styler are thrown to the wayside; David Spade, John Goodman and Patrick Warburton get ready for rehearsals. The new film is slated for a Fall 2000 release.

Despite ominous pre-release rumors, Kuzco and Pacha's antics carried Disney's latest quite well at the box office. © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

February 2000: The film's title has been changed to The Emperor's New Groove. Everyone gawks at the change.

July 2000: The trailer is released and anybody who followed the production of the film is strangely surprised. No more sweeping landscapes, no more Aztecan culture, just one slapstick joke after another. The huge marketing campaign begins.

December 15, 2000: The Emperor's New Groove is released into theatres with a generally positive showing. With a total budget of $100 million, the film, as of the end of March, has just under $90 million in domestic box office. Most films don't make $90 million! This should be regarded as a hit, but strangely it isn't. The film had some great moments, but I couldn't help wonder how quickly and cost effectively Disney could have pulled this off if only they had decided on this script back in 1997.