Live-Action ‘Emperor’s New Groove’ Adaptation Reportedly in the Works

After years of neglect, an all-new live adaptation inspired by Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove is currently in the works. Boom baby!

That’s right, Disney fans, our demands have been heard, and an all-new musical inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2000 movie, The Emperor’s New Groove, is happening! It’s just not by Disney…and not in the United States.

While The Emperor’s New Groove wasn’t exactly a box office success in the United States, the movie gained tremendous popularity in Latin America, primarily thanks to the terrific dubbing the film received in the region with local puns and charismatic actors playing the roles of Kuzco, played by David Spade in English and Jesús Barrero in Latin American Spanish; Pacha, brought to life by John Goodman in the original version and Mario Sauret in the dubbed version; Yzma, sublimely interpreted by Eartha Kitt in English and Mayra Rojas in Latin America; and her hilarious sidekick Kronk, played by Patrick Warburton in English and Rubén Cerda in Latin America; to mention a few.

Despite the movie’s less-than-ideal performance at the box office, Kuzco’s story was extended with a sequel, Kronk’s New Groove (2005), and an animated series, The Emperor’s New School (2006-2008), and has inspired many fans to demand an attraction inspired by the 2000’s movie be built at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort.

Unfortunately, Disney owns too many intellectual properties to develop this project over 20 years after the movie’s release. Some of these IPs include Marvel Studios, with the House of Mouse bringing Avengers Campus to life at Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris; developing Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, in partnership with Lucasfilm, at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort; and launching Pandora – The World of Avatar, inspired by 20th Century Studios and James Cameron’s billion-dollar franchise, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom; to mention a few.

However, following the movie’s success in Latin America, a Brazilian company is currently working on a live musical inspired by the film, to be titled Kuzco, O Musical (or Kuzco, the Musical in English). The upcoming musical will feature the artist Caio Nery, who will bring the stubborn emperor Kuzco to life in all his magnificent glory.

The musical was teased on TikTok, with Caio dressed in an outfit that looks like it was pulled straight out of the movie, recreating the opening scene of Kuzco getting ready with an instrumental version of Tom Jones’ “Perfect World” playing in the background. You can see the video below or click here to watch it.

(Translated) The Emperor’s New Groove like you’ve never seen before. Coming soon. #musical #kuzco

@kuzcomusical

A onda do imperador como você nunca viu. Em breve. 🦙 #musical #kuzco

♬ som original – KUZCO, O MUSICAL

Since the musical is still in the works, there is still no information about its premiere date, the rest of the cast to bring the beloved characters to life, or the production crew involved in the project. Additionally, it is unclear if the rights for the play were acquired through an official Disney license or if the musical will be a free adaptation of the story.

Inside the Magic contacted the company developing the musical for additional details and comments and will update this article with new information as soon as a response is received.

While we wait for more details on the highly demanded musical inspired by The Emperor’s New Groove, you can enjoy Kuzco’s “groove” (just make sure you don’t throw it off) in the video below or by clicking here. 

(Translated) LET’S GROOVE!

With an incredible following of 164,800 users, we’ve conquered 4 MILLION views with our first imperial teaser here on TikTok. And on Instagram, we’ve reached 2,000 followers and just reached 95 THOUSAND views. All this in only FOUR DAYS! We’re very excited to see so many people thrilled to see this story. “A toast to the emperor! Long live Kuzco!” #musical #kuzco

@kuzcomusical

LET’S GROOVE! 😎 . Com uma incrível base de 164 mil e 800 seguidores, conquistamos 4 MILHÕES de visualizações com nosso primeiro teaser imperial aqui no TikTok. ☀️ Lá no Instagram, alcançamos os 2 mil seguidores e acabamos de atingir 95 MIL visualizações. Tudo isso em apenas 4 DIAS! Estamos muito emocionados em ver tantas pessoas apaixonadas por essa história. “Um brinde ao imperador! 🥂 Vida longa Kuzco!” #musical #kuzco

♬ som original – KUZCO, O MUSICAL

Don’t forget you can watch The Emperor’s New Groove — and its sequel, Kronk’s New Groove — on Disney+, The Walt Disney company’s streaming service.

Would you like to see more of The Emperor’s New Groove at Disney Parks? Should Disney prepare a live show inspired by the beloved movie? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments below!