The Emperor's New School
Kuzco must graduate to reclaim his throne.
The Emperor's New School, a Mark Dindal creation, aired on Disney Channel from January 2006 to November 2008. This animated series serves as the second sequel to the 2000 film The Emperor's New Groove, following the direct-to-video Kronk's New Groove. High syndication ratings for the original movie prompted Disney to develop the show.
Quick Facts
- Based on
- The Emperor's New Groove, David Reynolds
- Chris Williams
- Mark Dindal
- Creator
- Mark Dindal
- Writer
- Kevin D. Campbell; Ed Scharlach
- Director
- David Knott; Howy Parkins
- Theme music
- Danny Jacob
- Opening theme
- "Kuzco Academy"
- Composer
- Michael Tavera
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series follows Kuzco, a brash emperor-in-waiting who must graduate from Kuzco Academy to reclaim his throne as emperor of the Inca Empire. The educational requirement is revealed on his birthday, when he expects to assume the throne but is instead evicted from his palace. Kuzco Academy resembles a modern American-style high school despite its historical setting. Story arcs often focus on Kuzco learning life lessons about friendship and hard work, and the series addresses peer pressure, self-esteem, and responsibility. Kuzco's former royal advisor Yzma disguises herself as principal Amzy and repeatedly tries to prevent his graduation so she can become empress. She is motivated by ambition and revenge for Kuzco's mistreatment of her. In the first season, Yzma often transforms Kuzco into an animal using potions to thwart his school assignments. Her henchman Kronk poses as a student and is driven by loyalty to Yzma. Kuzco lives with the peasant Pacha, his wife Chicha, and their children Chaca, Tipo, and Yupi. Pacha acts as a father figure and helps Kuzco with assignments. Kuzco is also assisted by Malina, a cheerleader and president of every club, who challenges his narcissism and spoiled behavior. Kuzco has a crush on Malina and often calls her a hottie. Other characters include the Royal Records Keeper and teacher Mr. Moleguaco, a wise but short-tempered teacher. In the series finale, Kuzco graduates and becomes emperor, inviting Pacha's family to live with him, making Kronk his royal advisor, and dating Malina.
Production
The Emperor's New Groove had disappointing box-office returns but drew large audiences on Disney's pay television channels. Its 2002 broadcast premiere on Disney Channel ranked first in its time period with 1.3 million children ages 6 to 11 and 1.2 million tweens ages 9 to 14. Reruns over the next three years continued to draw high ratings. On Toon Disney, the film increased the channel's audience share by 125 percent. The film also sold millions of copies on VHS and DVD. Gary Marsh, president of Disney Channels Worldwide, stated that the film's post-box office success led to the commission of New School. The series was announced in 2004 for a 2006 release with the tentative title The Emperor's New Skool. Bobs Gannaway, who had worked on Timon & Pumbaa and Lilo & Stitch: The Series, was approached as executive producer. New Groove director Mark Dindal approved Gannaway's selection and was credited as creator. Howy Parkins and David Knott served as directors. The writing staff was led by Dindal, Kevin Campbell, and Ed Scharlach. New School was Disney's last spin-off series for children above preschool age until Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure in 2017.
Broadcast history and release
The Emperor's New School was broadcast on Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and ABC, and could also be accessed through Disney Channel On Demand. Its debut episode, "Rabbit Face," first aired on Disney Channel at 7:30 pm Eastern on January 27, 2006, and was then shown across all three networks from January 27 to 29. Hal Erickson of AllMovie called this scheduling a typical example of Disney's "super-saturation" approach. A promotional website offered minigames, clips from the premiere, and downloadable character images, wallpapers, and messenger icons. Each 22-minute episode carried a TV-G rating. The series finale aired on November 20, 2008. Both seasons are available for digital purchase on iTunes and for streaming on Disney+. Previously, the show was on Netflix from 2009 under a licensing deal; Disney ended such deals with Netflix in 2019 upon launching Disney+. It was also part of the test service DisneyLife, which rebranded as Disney+ in 2019.
Reception
New School received mixed reviews from critics upon its initial broadcast. Animation World Network's Sarah Baisley praised its simple but attractive background designs. Karen MacPherson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette highlighted the Kuzco's Doodles segment and believed the focus on comedy prevented storylines from becoming preachy. Several publications criticized the characters as obnoxious; Pam Gelman of Common Sense Media dismissed the series for lackluster animation and annoying characters. Kevin McDonough of the United Feature Syndicate panned the show, stating that the characters' tendency to shout dialogue would irritate parents. Retrospective reviews have also been mixed. Author David Perlmutter praised the animation and performances of Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton but disliked the series overall, believing it destroyed the original film's charm. Perlmutter classified New School as one of Disney's derivative adaptations, alongside Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and The Legend of Tarzan. The series has been criticized for low educational content, potential negative impacts on young viewers, and age appropriateness under FCC regulations, with a target age of 8 to 11 years old.
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