It’s hard to deny that when The Emperor’s New Groove first made its theatrical debut on December 10, 2000, at El Capitan Theatre, it was…odd. Very odd. You could even say bonkers, even. With an extremely offbeat sense of humor, constant breakings of the fourth wall, and with one of the most selfishly egotistical protagonists ever created in Kuzco (voiced by David Spade), it was most definitely not a traditional Disney film. And yet, it became a wildly successful hit because it was not a traditional Disney film. All because director Mark Dindal and screenwriter David Reynolds apparently just…stopped caring and went with the groove. It’s that bonkers humor that made the film into a cult classic today, and likely why we’re getting this story.

Disney is proud to announce a special theatrical run of The Emperor’s New Groove for the film’s 25th anniversary. This is effectively a re-release of the film that will occur again at El Capitan Theatre from November 21-24, 2025. What’s more, the re-release will be in 4K UHD so that you can see this cult classic in modern graphics.

That’s not all, though. Starting on December 9, 2025, this 4K UHD version of The Emperor’s New Groove will also arrive on home video. If you want the digital version, you can download it from digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. However, there will also be a version for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. Alas, you can’t preorder it yet for some reason. We’ll just have to wait for Disney to tell us when we’ll get a box inside of a box at a later date.

The Emperor’s New Groove Celebrates 25th Anniversary With 4K UHD Theatrical Run

Don’t you just love how every has a forced smile here…except for Kuzco?

Honestly, this theatrical re-release is going to be a blast. You can tell that I’m a huge fan of The Emperor’s New Groove for the simple reason that it’s one of the most unique Disney films they’ve ever made. Also, the funniest, precisely because they are willing to subvert all of the usual Disney tropes. If you’ve never seen this before, then I would highly recommend giving this a watch. While your kids may or may not like this, you will definitely enjoy every offbeat moment this film offers.

What do you all think? Are you interested in checking out The Emperor’s New Groove in theaters? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.