I think a key part is that Kuzco is SEVENTEEN (turning 18). He is, by all accounts of current standards, still a child. That’s what also makes his antics hilarious because it’s believable that a 17-year-old raised as an emperor and surrounded by “Yes men” would ABSOLUTELY see himself as the smartest person in the room. Pacha is fundamentally just a dad dealing with another stubborn-ass kid. 😂😂😂
@dylanweathers9727 I think only main leads in Disney movies (WDAS not Pixar) older than teens are animal leads (Robin Hood, Basil the great mouse detective, Bernard and Bianca, Judy etc) and Wreck-It Ralp. And Elsa is 21 in first Frozen so but older and then in sequel she and Anna have aged 3 years I believe?
My two thoughts: 1. Yzma said at one point that she practically raised Kuzko, and she behaves every bit like he did, so he most likely learned his manners and entitled attitude from her. 2. You can see Kuzko’s change of attitude even earlier when he and Patcha goes to Patcha’s house and he asks if it’s safe to leave Patcha’s wife and kids with Yzma and Kronk. He goes from not caring that a whole village becomes homeless to worrying about other people’s well-being even when he himself isn’t in danger.
That second point is a great catch! I didn't pick that up during a rewatch recently. Funny how one line of dialogue can give you such insight into a character.
I wonder if part of that significant shift in attitude was because he learned Yzma had tried to murder him. He recognizes Yzma as a genuine threat and has an easier time empathizing with potential victims of Yzma because he was one.
YES!! People miss that little bit of characterization from that line and it's so validating to see someone else point it out. If Yzma's the only "parent" in his life then not only does it make EVEN MORE SENSE that he acts the way he does, but it means that Yzma ALSO created her own monster and I just LOVE that.
Let's be honest. EVERY character stole the show. 😂 I don't think I know of another movie where almost every single line is quotable. Even the no-name guard is quotable, lol! "I'm sorry, but you threw off the Emperor's groove."
And it's a damn shame that Eartha Kitt's villain song "Snuff out the Light" was cut from the production. TBH, that movie went through such production hell, we're lucky to have it
One of my favorite things that only goes somewhat explored in the film is how Yzma "practically raised" Kuzco, and Kuzco basically grew to take on many of her character traits, but Kuzco never realizes that the traits in Yzma that bother him are traits he also possesses, nor does Yzma ever notice that she basically taught Kuzco to be the kind of person who would throw her aside as he did. Neither ever look internally, and it takes a third person coming in to finally get Kuzco to self-examine.
SUCH a good observation! The movie seems to know this, as Yzma and Kuzco are shown to be so similar when they're correcting their orders to Kronk in the diner scene.
Now that you say that, Kronk is kind of a mirror to Pacha in a way? Being the Really Big Sweet Guy who has the potential to enact change in their scrawny egotist, but Kronk never truly challenge Yzma like Pacha challenges Kuzko
Yeah, maybe not stupid, but more ignorant. Because while some may say that it is pretty stupid that he never figures out that it was Yzma, it’s literally established that she raised him. So to him, “her whole world revolves around him”, something that he responds to with most of the people at the palace. Why would the people that take care of him, want to cause harm to him, even after he treats them like garbage? It makes it all the more heavy, when it’s later to revealed him that it was Yzma, and when her and Kronk leave to go find/kill him, Kronk responds with, “Well, you got a point. Nobody really seems to care that he's gone, do they?”.
Love your vids dude! And same thing with me! This plus Lessons in Anime (I think it’s called) are two channels I watch semi-regularly! (Also Psych 2 Go as well) From one animator-who-is-working-on-emotional-maturity to another…I salute you! o7
@@tbotalpha8133 … okay, it doesn’t sound as funny when you say it out loud, but yeah. That, but also because I’ve gotten some real good advice from this channel. Some real “eureka” moments!
I loved that there was no unnecessary romance subplot, but it was more about found family, and Kuzco learning to be a better person, thanks to Pacha and his patience.
i think thats because hes not inherently a narcissist, just a spoiled brat who never had proper parenting or was dissaplined. until he goes on the adventure ect
as a Peruvian, i absolutely adore Emperors New Groove. The patterns in their clothing, and even the setting itself is accurate to ancient Peru. Also Kusco's name is a huge reference in itself.
For real! The gorgeous illustrated landscapes and backdrops of the palace and the kingdom and even the canals that were in the city. (Prior to the scene with the Chimp and the bug lol)
As you get older you realize just how alone Kusco really is. Even since birth he has servants catering to him. No mom or dad in the beginning with him as a baby. He has everything handed to him and given to him. You can tell the contrast from Pacha that he had to work for everything he has. It takes work to love others, but you have to work harder to be selfish.
Yzma mentions that she "practically raised him" which, even if she's exaggerating, is a pretty horrifying implication. Your "mom" cares so little about you, she'll kill you without a second thought when you insult her.
@@FATE522 oh yeah, absolutely! When you rewatch these movies as an adult, it just hits kinda different.. I've had almost the same realization recently when I rewatched the first Cars movie. It's about a kid who gets infinite attention, but it's all superficial, nobody actually cares about him. And the story is about him learning what the difference is when he meets people who treat him like a person.
Yeah, and props to the movie’s writers; they manage to illustrate this point in one of the VERY FIRST SCENES of the movie. Baby Kuzco is playing with a toy and it breaks. Baby Kuzco starts to cry. On cue, several faceless servants hand him exact replicas of the same toy. When I was little, I thought it was just a funny cutaway gag. But now as an adult I find it almost tragic. No one comforts him. No one reassures him. No one tries to teach him how to self-soothe. Just, “quick, get him another toy so he’ll stop crying.” From the very beginning, Kuzco was given everything he wanted- but he never got what he needed.
Yeah, and props to the movie’s writers; they manage to illustrate this point in one of the VERY FIRST SCENES of the movie. Baby Kuzco is playing with a toy and it breaks. Baby Kuzco starts to cry. On cue, several faceless servants hand him exact replicas of the same toy. When I was little, I thought it was just a funny cutaway gag. But now as an adult I find it almost tragic. No one comforts him. No one reassures him. No one tries to teach him how to self-soothe. Just, “quick, get him another toy so he’ll stop crying.” From the very beginning, Kuzco was given everything he wanted- but he never got what he needed.
I love that while Pacha already has two small children of his own, he and Kuzco develop this kind of father-and-son dynamic over the course of the film. Pacha is basically babysitting a spoiled brat for the first half. But Pacha also recognizes Kuzco as a grown adult, is aware of his background, and lets him figure things out and marinate in his own individual thoughts, thereby challenging Kuzco's mindset of how he was raised and what he was taught. Pacha is seriously the best animated dad ever, and I like to believe Kuzco feels fortunate to have a kind father figure in his life, seeing that his parents were not at all present let alone mentioned. It warms my heart that he was welcomed by Pacha's whole family at the end, not as their prince but as part of them.
John Goodman has played 2 fantastic father-figures in Disney movies so far (Pacha in the Emperor's New Groove and Sully in Monsters, Inc.) so it's definitely a talent of his.
Agree with everything you said about Pacha. Kuzco's parents would have to both be dead for him to be the emperor, especially with him still being a teenager.
"by extension every child is a narcissist" important to mention, Kuzco turns 18 over the course of the movie. he is a teenage boy. pretty standard prince teenage boy behavior. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS MOVIE!!!
Kuzco's arc is probably the best arc I've ever seen. Everything about it feels real, and by the end, it feels earned. And the fact it's an arc in a comedy? I'll never get over it
5:51 This moment, as short and brief as it is, is actually chilling. Pacha, a llama farmer and peasant, just told Kuzco, the *emporer,* that he "Can't" do something. The shock on Kuzco's face that some nobody would *dare* say "No" to him is great, then he goes on the quietest monologue: "When I give the word, you and your little town thingy will be... Bye-Bye." Then it swerves immediately into a chipper, "Bye-Bye!" I want David Spade to play this kind of villain, because shockingly, this was probably the best performance I've ever seen him do.
I agree that it is a memorable performance by Spade. I have a similar impression of Woody Allen in the animated film Antz. I'm normally not a big Allen fan, but I feel his voice performance as mild mannered hero "Z" is a great performance and my personal favorite of his work.
I FEEL like he brought his JOE DIRT preformance to this but reversed it. Joe dirt was a kid who had nothing BUT was super optimistic. NO matter what went wrong and EVERYTHING DID IN HIS LIFE! He never felt depressed- save till the end and that was very short Kuzco is the MIRROR. he has everything and is still pessimistic like he thinks unless things go perfect for him. its all gone wrong and horrible. the two feel almost LIKE brothers prince and pauper style.
@@yourcollegedebt8384 Yeah, basically! Kuzco basically says he can do whatever TF he wants, and... he's not wrong. He's the emporer, who's going to argue with him? If it weren't for Yzma's assassination plot and his character development, Kuzco would absolutely be the villain in this story.
About what Alan said about the similarities between narcisism and adiction: interestingly in German, you can describe someone who is narcisistic or self centered as "selbstsüchtig", which translates to self-addicted
@@eliasbischoff176 That legitimately is what I love about german. There are a few odd words that dont quite translate the intent or connotation even if they do translate literally across to english words, but overall as a lover of word play, its a freaking awesome aspect for a language to have. For instance that word in German for, if I recall correctly, "insurance for a work vehicle" that is like 22 letters, and twice as many syllables somehow, long. Its literally, effectively, "Craft motor vehicle insurance" with the spaces removed. And I love it. I do something similar with the parts of words in the sense of the latin-y grecko-y etc-y bits (for example if something is used as a hyperbole, I may refer to it as being used 'hyperboleically' (hy-per-bo-leh-ic-ally), and it would drive my ex up the walls. Thats the kind of fun you can have mixing and matching parts of words when we accept languages are always evolving, dictionaries are retrospective accountings of a lexicon and not a set in stone rule book for speech, when we gain a feel for the intent of the different parts of a word (the whole past present possessive active first/second/third party retrospective etc thing), and just generally have fun communicating. Of course, it helps when people are more interested in the idea, thought, and intent one is attempting to convey (or not in the case of hiding intentions) versus simply how it is being conveyed (which that alone if more people would better themselves on the world would be a much more inviting place overall. Communication gatekeeping is just another form of petty tyranny...IMHO). Also, I am totally going to use "selbstsüchtig" in daily life now! ......probably to describe myself......but recognizing that its a thing is ...a... step, right? Thats a good thing, right? ....Right?! 😅
@@eliasbischoff176 Exactly! Well, mostly. I apparently got it a little mixed up with "Kraftfahrzeugversicherung" which I thought had something to do with company owned work vehicles (probably from 'kraft' and coming across these when I just started getting into German, back in the long ago. The previous word is "motor vehicle insurance" in general. The one Elias posted is literally "commercial vehicle insurance", for the non-germanically enthused out there), and "Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung" (motor vehicle liability insurance)....it has been a while since I happened across them.... But yeah! Totally! They're literally just the words for the things without spaces! And that will never not be awesome. At least to me.... More fun long ass compound German words for the uninitiated: Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit Arbeiterunfallverischerungsgesetz Bezirksschornsteinfegermeister And the longest word in common usage (according to this list I found), at 63 letters..... Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz That last one is super important for public health....look it up non-German speakers, I dare you.... Anyhoo, German is a funny old language, und ich liebe seine macken.
I love how Kuzco changes through the movie but at his core remains the same person, or at least pretending to be. He doesn't go around like the Grinch who Stole Christmas giving all the gifts back, he just claims Patcha lied to him so he'll build his summer home on a nicer hill. I love that.
I like to think by the end of the film he hasn't completely changed, he still has work to do but has achieved the first step of realising this atleast.
I think another reason that Kuzco works so well, is that he constantly reapes what he sows. Like how in that bridge scene he immediately falls down afterwards. A lot of the reason why people don't like similar characters is because they don't have any consequences for their actions. So the movie constantly doing that to Kuzco but still not being overly cruel to him work.
@@omegahaxors9-11A lot of writers tend to have a soft spot for their “asshole,” characters and therefore have a hard time dishing out harsh consequences to them. It’s like a parent excusing their child’s bad behavior and being soft on punishment or not even punishing them at all.
I think the only other character I've seen where they almost instantly get punished for their actions is Eddy from Ed Edd and Eddy. His scams fail almost all the time and he does get comuppance for being greedy, though the other two Eds are dragged into his punishments as well.
On that last bit on apology, Kuzco apologized genuinely to the old man he threw out the window, someone he didn’t grow with on his journey and then did that playful apology with Pacha
I love the scene where Kuzco talks to his voice over. "They saw the whole thing, they know what happened." The first time he openly admits he did this to himself. And knowing it's so obvious that even his bias storytelling can't fool the viewer.
I mean, I’m pretty sure nobody fell for it before in the beginning. “I was the world’s nicest guy and they ruined my life for no reason.” I’m pretty sure some people in the audience would be, “Hmm…. You sure about that?”. But yeah, for the most part, if you’re a kid, you may have missed that.
I think another key thing about Kuzco saving Pacha, is that it's not just that he does something selfless to save someone else or help someone else, it's that he does so, and actually feels GOOD about it. Because it's him, whether he realizes it or not, enjoying the feeling of being a good person, as shown when he does one of his victory dances after saving him.
Another aspect is that it was an innate reaction. Sure he COULD have let him fall. But in that moment, it was a "I have to engage in this event in order to secure a positive outcome" Pacha being an aspect of said event, arguably Kuzco and Pacha against the mountain, when Pacha was in a danger scenario, and that little bit of ones brain filters out everything else other than "they're close enough, I can grab them", that is what fires. Grabbing Pacha. Not 'someone should help that filthy villager' as having to physically interact with them is beyond his comprehension. He is fully aware and accepting (on an interior base instinct level) touchy happens. He just doesnt like it, probably instilled in his mind much later in life. But it does happen. However, reaching out and physically interacting with someone or something is not abhorrent to him, its still in his deep deep deep down wiring regardless of later opinions formed through the experiences and conceptualizations of the world around him. Yes, he has servants to do things for him. But hes the damn emperor! He will touch whatever he pleases! Doesnt like the curtain, pull this cord. Kissy stamp the babies. And this is my changing hut in Kuzco-topia. And here is...OH SHI...the mountain is crumbling! [YOINK] Yeah! Suck it, gravity! ......I mean....no one is that hear......uh......hmm.......... The little dance after is still his narcissisms, he is the hero, A number 1 emperor protecting the people of his kingdom ("now worship your awesome protector!"). But the instinctual action when all time to think is gone, was to grab someone falling to their death. Narcissist or not, thats not a bad trait to have.
And that is how Narcissists, and other people who struggle with empathy, learn to treat people well. They may never actually feel empathy for other people, but they can still really enjoy the feeling of being praised/admired for doing good towards other people. CinemaTherapy talks a lot about this in their Loki episode, another great breakdown of a Narcissistic character that grows over time.
One youtuber pointed out that one thing that makes this movie so loved is that it excels in "nonsense humor". Which, as these guys point out, isn't pop culture jokes or political humor. It's timeless, and in this movie, endlessly hilarious. It was underappreciated when it was first released, but I'm glad it has the love it deserves now
I absolutely love Kronk, Yzma's henchman. Honestly, Kronk is the only character I remember from this movie--he was so damn memorable. His little tent that he slept in, the fact that he's an accomplished chef, the fact that he can speak Squirrel, the fact that he's so good-hearted and goofy that he doesn't quite understand that he works for the true baddie. He's marvelous. Truly the original "Himbo" of Disney movies, other than Hercules, that is...
@@sarahsbakingcreations Pacha was so boring and one-dimensional a character that I forgot he was there halfway through the movie. And that happened during my original viewing of this film. LOL.
@@pdruiz2005 Fun Fact: Pacha was original suppose to be played by Own Wilson, but when Kindom of the Sun died and it became New Groove. The writes decided that Pacha should be the opposite of Kuzko, which also meant getting rid of Wilson.
I remember when therapy first started to have an actual effect on me, and I began setting healthy boundaries.. It took mere days for my abusive family to accuse me of being a narcissist, simply because I stopped entertaining their abuse and stood up to them.
A therapist once told me that the people around you often resist it when you start to change because they know and are comfortable with the you that was. They resent the change, often because they can no longer control you, and do everything they can to make you go back to the old you. Congratulations on your growth!
My dad would say “I don’t make deals with peasants!” whenever we would try and weasel our way out of responsibilities 😂 this whole movie is so quotable
@@tvrkm6897 that's why silly, childish and innocent humor is the kind of humor that I like. I'm really not into "adult" or "crude" humor. I'd say the only childish humor that doesn't make me laugh is like fart stuff and the like. Emperor's New Groove is the best kind of humor to me.
My mom died this summer and when I was in highschool she was extremely verbally and emotionally abusive as well as neglectful. She was very narcissitic and frequently put herself before me. I always said "My mom loves me, she just loves herself more." So after I turned 18 I moved in with my dad fulltime and distanced myself from her. I told her that I wanted her to be in my life, but if she was going to treat me poorly, then she'd have to be kept at a distance, which is exactly what I did. The past two or three years before her death she completely turned around. She was visiting me frequently, being extremely kind, and extremely loving towards me. A lot of people can't quite understand how I can forgive and still love her after everything she did when she never apologized. But it was never about the apology, it was about the change. I'm proud to say that she was my mother now, a feeling that I didn't have when I was a teenager. I miss her a lot, and it's really hard for people who haven't witnessed her change to understand why I'm grieving her so hard. But it's because of the potential she had, and the way things were going, I could see us getting to a genuine healthy place. But, sadly, because she's passed, what we had is all that we'll ever get. It's never too late to change, unless you're burried in the ground.
I like to believe in an afterlife in which you continue on the trajectory you chose in life, and that those who chose to rise and continuously seek the good will continue onward and upward into the stars of existence. I like to believe that we'll all meet again and can choose to keep moving forward with those we love. I hope you find her on the other side and get to take your time making new memories to fill in for every lost moment. It sounds to me like she'll be there to meet you when you finish the journey, lessons, and quests of life.
Kuzco is a great example of how you can grow up in a very spoiled family and grow to be Narcissistic (and maybe even the opposite type of family), but how a new perspective, can change your entire life sometimes.
Some of it has been linked to genetics. It is a lot of nurture than nature, granted. Part of your mental state though is dictated by your genetics. @@DustLion
I love that Pacha became a father figure for Kuzco in the film, something the 18 year old emperor obviously needed in his life. I also love that it's very evident that Yzma raised Kuzco since they like the same things and have alot of the same habits.
Regarding what he said to Pacha at the end, Kuzco also made a genuine apology to the Old Man he threw out at the beginning (fun fact: the guy that got thrown out was the original voice of Piglet). Great unsung thing about Kuzcotopia: Pacha mentions that his village grows most of the grain the palace is using. In destroying Pacha's village, Kuzco is foolishly cutting off his own food supply to feed his ego instead. It's a great early indication of how self-destructive Kuzco's behavior is. And yes, it's true that Sting forced Disney to change the ending. In the original ending, Kuzco would end up destroying a rainforest to build his summer house, which he didn't like because of his activism for fighting for the indigenous of the Amazon. He saw it as "you’re just marching over them to build a theme park". I always saw a different angle in that Kuzco had no family. In all the images of his youth, no family at all is shown. It was always servants, there was no warmth or connections there, no one to teach him anything other than 'you are the ruler, you have all the power, what you say goes no matter what' and Pacha is the father figure that turns him this all-powerful ruler into an actual mature human being over time. the end scenes of him with Pacha and his family swimming it just feels so much like an adopted child who has finally been made to realize his adopted parents do love him and do care about what type of person he is that is the real telling point.
Fan fact - Kuzko in Polish sounds almost like "kózka" (pronounce koo-zka), which means little goat. As a child I always wondered whether Kuzko was a llama or a goat 🤣 Plus the goat's stubborn nature suited Kuzko perfectly.
@@matityaloran9157 Actually, the city's name derives from a Quechuan word that means "the centre of the world/universe"... so it's a particularly appropriate name for this character.
24:14 I think what's even MORE awesome than Kuzco arguing with himself/his own narration is the fact that llama Kuzko we see here is changed from the narrating one we heard from the beginning, and yet this voice in his head is one he's heard all his life and is now feeling guilty about what he was like.
True, it's like a moment of self-reflection where you can step outside of your core beliefs and what you've heard being echoed your entire life. That's very insightful!
A few months ago, I watched this and Nimona back-to-back. It hit me like a truck when I realized that i just happened to watch the only two films in the world where a main character transforms into a pink whale and crashes through a floor to escape some guards that are chasing them.
If I had a nickel for every time a main character turned into a pink whale and crashed through a floor to escape some guards, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.
I always interpreted a great amount of loneliness in kuzco too, like when he says "it's my bday gift to me" I always felt a bit sad for him in that moment, like he must have absolutely nobody. Like on top of the NPD, he also just doesn't have a genuine Person he can turn to or hang out with, he's only surrounded by fearful servants. So when pacha shows up and not only sees through him immediately, but also sticks with him despite everything, it gives kuzco something he's never had before, someone being Real around him without any alternate agenda, who also doesn't quit on him. To me that's what plants the first nuggets of empathetic change in kuzco.
Im Peruvian and this was a love letter for us it had so many iconic moments and its one of the films that does not depict us as savages or impoverished but sees our nature and high points of history while adding a heartfelt message. It brings tears of joy especially after the things we as a people have been through as of late.
As the child of a narcissist, can confirm. You HAVE to draw hard boundaries and be ready, willing and able to enforce them at all times. And if you can't... ✂️ It does no one any good to let someone walk all over you. Not you, not them, not anyone else around you.
@@Player_Raccoon I feel you. Did 21 years with my mom before I was finally in a position where I could get out. Just keep looking for escape paths, enforce what boundaries you can and hang in there.
I feel you dude, I deal with people in my personal life while not narcissists can’t be hypocritical with her behavior, very controlling, and do not deal well with criticism even if it’s constructive to them, you’re right there are times we have to try to set boundaries and make things clear if they can except then ✂️ ties.
The part about how Kuzco's upbringing contributed to his narcissism is actually touched upon in the movie in a really clever way! *Yzma:* "Why, I practically raised him!" *Kronk:* "Yeah, you think he would've turned out better." *Yzma:* "Yeah, go figure." Kuzco's a narcissist in large part because Yzma's a narcissist, and he emulates a lot of her behaviors. The difference is, he's only 18 so he has time to learn and change and grow as a person, whereas Yzma's well into adulthood and so stays the same.
Well and I would add that Yzma being well into adulthood isn't really a problem if she wanted to change. It's HARD to change your personality when you're older, but then it's ALWAYS hard. The problem with her isn't that she CAN'T change because of her age - it's the she doesn't WANT to. But I do think you made a really good point
Additionally, in the cut song 'Snuff out the Light', she refers to Kuzco as a "little ray(s) of sunshine" that robbed her of her youth. She straight up resented having to play mother to Kuzco
Similar concept with Beast and Gaston. Beast was cursed at like 11 as the math says so as a child he needs to learn the lesson and before 21, the age of adulthood especially when he's in a position of power and responsibility. Meanwhile Gaston has been bolstered for a while and is well into like mid-late 20s or so so he's a grown man still acting like that stereotypical high school jock jerk.
My ex used to come out of the shower every day with an "epiphany" that all of her problems were caused by other people. She also called herself "the only empathetic person". It's hard for people to be accountable if they can't self reflect without the starting point being "given I did nothing wrong, where do these problems come from"
I had a friend like this. We told her we didn't like how she was acting towards us, and I told her multiple times that she should self reflect on her actions, why she is feeling certain emotions , etc. and every time she would blame someone else. It is exhausting
Wow. I have an ex who regularly had “epiphanies” too. They were usually the same one/s he’d had about 3-5 years earlier, but never integrated, and forgot about. :( Glad that person is an ex for you now!
My ex was like that, too. He always had big ideas and as we'd be in the middle of the last great idea of his, he'd switch it up and all of it was a waste of our time. Many times he'd say, "I'm smarter than God..." or "If I were God, I'd do a _much_ better job." 🤦🏻♀️ All his problems were always someone else's fault, so he never changed~ only got worse. Talk about giving your power away! 😮
Emperor's New Groove was groundbreaking for a "mainstream" animated movie to be meta and 4th wall breaking. And it does an amazing job of mixing in traditional comedy beats - the diner and family home. *chef's kiss* And it not only does one goody buddy journey, it does 2 - Kuzco and Pacha and Yzma and Kronk. It was so ahead of it's time
Kuzco’s happy ending doesn’t come from how he defeats some great evil or fulfills some grand dream/destiny; it’s simply that he becomes a kinder, more well-adjusted person in his own way. His opening theme music touts how “this perfect world will spin - about his every little whim”, but in reality he’s the only one in the movie whose character really changes from the influence and actions of others. The whole movie’s known for its wall-to-wall hilarity, and for good reason, but I think this bit of character detail elevates it to be more clever and subtle than people give it credit for. Not to mention, the Perfect World song changes by ending with "A perfect world begins and ends with us!" The Emperor's New Groove facts: Yzma was voiced by Eartha Kitt. Besides voicing Yzma, she's famous for singing Santa Baby which was originally released in 1953, participated in a lot of activism like advocating against the Vietnam War, and she starred as Catwoman in the third season of the Adam West Batman series! This movie isn't where Kuzco's story ends as there is a TV series that follows its events called The Emperor's New School. The plot of the series is that Kuzco has to graduate from an academy and ace a test to remain emperor, and Yzma tries to stop him from passing his courses as she is principal. Kronk also gets a sequel movie called Kronk's New Groove where Kronk tries to win his father's approval.
I think what sells Kuzco's evolution as a character is the way the story really beats him up and how all of it is a consequence of his actions and in the end it makes him see exactly how his actions have come back to him. Because he is an absolute monster early on and that's usually a killer for a character.
@cheezemonkeyeater One of my favorite moments in the whole movie is right after Kuzco finally understands that his former top advisor, who'd been his nanny for most of his life before that, hated him enough to try to kill him. He eventually got within sight of the palace, but, though he was almost home, his heartbreak made him turn around. He suddenly didn't feel worthy of it anymore, because he realized that no one in there would ever be as true to him, as Pacha had been. The scene ties into Tom Jones's reprisal of his song from the beginning of the film: "But if you ain't got friends, then nothing's worth the fuss." (11/7/2023)
As a psychologist, I regularly say “no touchy” as both a boundaries example (with trainees) and as consent example (with clients). You said “there is no growth without humility” and I say “people do not change until discomfort is high enough” and in NPD the ego tends to shield or deflects the “maybe it’s me” of discomfort and so the motive to change is rarely there.
I regularly quote "Cheese me no likey" when I'm talking about my sensory issues and the textures in food, I feel like it's more bearable for people to deal with me that way lmao.
in Kuzco's defense on being a narcist, the incan emperor historically was treated as a god, even after death. When the Spanish conquistadors took over, the current emperor was already dead and the guards were defending the corpse to their own demise, so it was the culture that made him a narcist too. (at least according to one world civ's college history teacher). I love this movie though. "oh right the poison, the poison for kuzco, kuzco's poison..."
Man do you really need to bring up that mysoginistic shit in a comment section about a kids movie, in response to a comment about how the ancient people treated their monarchs? You really need some help.
I adore the bromance between Pacha and Kuzco and how it eventually becomes a buddy comedy. I also appreciate that Pacha isn't just a bland perfect "oh isn't everything wonderful" goody two shoes character, he has some limits and self respect and he'll only tolerate so much of Kuzco overstepping those limits before he puts his foot down.
One of my favorite stories about this movie is how they brought in Sting to work on the music for the movie, and they asked him to perform the opening Kuzco song, and he's like, this song is supposed to be a jam, i don't think we should have a 50 year old Sting trying to belt this song. So they went and got 60 year old Tom Jones and he just crushed it.
I think change on this scale is all about pain tolerance. You don't necessarily need to hit rock bottom, but you do need to get to the point where the pain of things staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.
It was also good that it was Pacha that stood up to Kuzco and set boundaries. Pacha had already displayed real kindness and humanity in the face of Kuzco's cruelty so it's more impactful because he is clearly a good man. When a good person like that washes their hands of you I'm sure it would be enough to make anyone stop and think... especially after everything you've watched them continue to go through but still display decency.
I would have loved to hear you talk more about Kronk and Yzma - they are SUCH great characters in this movie. I understand focusing on the narcissism of Kuzco though, but man Kronk and Yzma are some of my favs - especially Kronk. He's the worst henchman because he's such a kind soul really, just a bit (a ton) naive.
I remember in a BTS, Eartha Kit had a fun time with voicing the character. She loved the part when Yzma wakes up with the cucumbers when she was doing facial.
I was excited to watch this movie because Im from Bolivia and having a Disney movie that was placed in the Andes was very exciting for me. The fact the Emperor is a Llama was hilarious to see and some of the cultural references about the jungle, waterfalls and environment made me happy. In Bolivia people keep herding llamas and we even have a dance for llama herders called Llamerada
That’s awesome! I’m from Ecuador and I also loved to see Andean culture portrayed in a Disney movie! Plus, love the animation style, voice acting, and humor
The story behind how this movie was made is absolutely BANANAS. Apparently it was so cobbled together that the final script wasn't completed until AFTER the film was in theaters.
I was never a narcissist, but I did have a big ego. Rock bottom for me was my first love dumping me and my friends telling me I deserved it. That was the wakeup call I needed. Before that, I thought things were great but really I was getting close to alienating a bunch of people. Nowadays I've learned and grown and my life is genuinely great. It's a hard thing to admit, but I celebrate that that's my story because it got me where I wanted to be, just made sure I deserved it first.
I love the line about all kids are narcissists, even if it was just in jest, cuz the birthday Kuzco is looking forward to is his 18th birthday. He is still a teenager. His pre-frontal cortex isn't fully developed yet. Combine that with how his was raised, no wonder he is the way he is.
One of the subtle aspects of this movie that I love and that I think a lot of people don't notice is the arc Kuzco goes through to learn about his own efficacy. At the beginning, literally EVERYTHING is made easy for him. We see he does kinda still take care of "responsibilities" like launching a ship, "kissing"babies, etc. However are the tasks are brought to him and made incredibly easy. The wine bottle is on a rope to just swing at the ship right next to him. The kissing babies is just done with a stamp. And you can expect EVERYTHING in his life is like that. Through the movie, we see him grow to learn that he is much more capable than he knows. He snatched Pacha from falling off a cliff and he was rightfully super proud of himself. He was panicking while they were trapped between the cliffs, but eventually linked arms with Pacha to help get himself free. He learned he could be self-reliant and that is a POWERFUL thing. This movie is so perfect in every single way.
This is a really good point! I mean, look at the way he eats in the opening sequence-people are feeding him like a baby! It's no wonder he feels good when he starts getting used to being able to do things for himself!
There is a difference between not having empathy and just never having learned it. With the later there is a chance to learn. With the former there isn't, or at least its much, much harder.
21:52 That "projecting" felt oddly powerful, like before I've never thought it that way but now with his comment made me remember when a streamer (girl) that I follow has been asked many times how she handles so well criticism and bad comments (even her friends always talk about this like wanting to be like her) and her answer was "I just think how horrible her life or day had to be for them to be saying such hurtful things, and it makes her feel bad for them and wish them to heal one day", 'cause to her it's a way to show up how hurt you are and ngl it's so true, we even have a way to call it in Méxcio at least (lo que te choca, te checa) and I've seen it and experienced it, the more hurt you are, the more you want to hurt others, the more selfish you are, the more you think others are the same A great lesson to keep in mind, it makes things look different, I guess 😅
You mentioned David Spade's voice is one that delivers this totally pompous and obnoxious attitude, but also makes you want more... another rare gem who can pull that off is in this movie, too! Wendie Malick, who also co-starred with David Spade in Just Shoot Me, played Poncha's wife, and that voice oftentimes exudes the same energy
That and wolf walkers, which draws on themes of friendship, parenting, and of course looking at the entire background of colonialism through the Irish perspective
My mom and sister are both narcissistic and the rest of the family barring one brother have the "well, you know how they are" mentality. Last year I cut them all out over them defending my sister physically threatening my wife and it was the best decision I could have made for mine and my wife's mental health. It's been hard, with lots of attempts manipulation to get me back under their control.
@@scipocelah6677 You did the right thing. No one should have to put up with something horrible like that. I hope your brother is perhaps still someone safe to be around, but if not, that's not on you & you're not losing anything, but rather, you're gaining something, and that something is freedom & peace.
Been there. Years later, it gives me the icks every time I remember that phase of my life. I lost myself to someone else’s image, and it is painful to remember myself in that situation. But I promise, it only gets better.
One of the big things about having a Narcissist in your life is when you've gotten to the point that, while you know they can change, while you hope they DO change, you realize it's time to let go of the need to be there when/if they do. It's hard to let go, especially when it's someone you've known for a very long time, especially when it's someone you love and you want that connection, but if they can't respect your boundaries, unfortunately you gotta let go for your sake and for the sake of anyone in your care.
The addiction and narcissism parallel is interesting. Narcissism often relies on "supply" (people to manipulate/talk down to) the same way an addict relies on a drug.
Speaking of Disney’s experimental era, I’d love to see you guys do an assessment of Atlantis: The Lost Empire. I feel that movie tells a great story about rising to leadership.
@@lamelu6013I believe they covered said theme with the Moana episode from a while ago; I do feel that there’s still something to be said on how Milo grows from a place of intellectual passion and curiosity, and how that leads him to subvert the exploitative mercenary leadership of the expedition team
I love the symbolism that Kuzco essentially confront himself. That is something that not only NPD peeps gotta do but all of us at one point. The same as been caring and loving with ourselves.
As someone who has two NPD parents, and I live with one of them currently, I can tell you that while most Narcissists do not change (bc they don’t think they need to), what they are capable of is learning to behave. Idk if this is a bad comparison, but in a way, it is like working with a wild, undomesticated animal. They have a lot about them to be admired, and they can even learn how to behave and treat people well, but at the core, you Cannot forget what they actually are. It’s a very fine line to walk, because placing trust in another person can really change how that person thinks/feels, and sees the world, but so often that sets you up for pain and disappointment, or even harm, depending on the situation. All I can say is have clear boundaries and be able to protect yourself if you have a Narcissist in your life, and go with God, or any other powerful belief or force you put faith in, because boy you are going to need it.
I appreciate this comment especially with the holidays right around the corner and the possibility of being around the narcissists in my family after avoiding them all year.
I feel you completely :( I'm in basically the same situation + sibling who took after our parents in narcissim so it's NOT a good family life. The moment you let your guard down they'll just start taking advantage, but when you insist on boundaries they whine about "how unfair" you are to them until it's clear I'm refusing to budge, then they pretend to behave for 5min. It's exhausting.
@@themisheika Believe me, I understand. It took a LONG time for my mom to learn that I absolutely was not kidding around when it came to my boundaries. I’m over 30, and our relationship is only now just becoming more stable and a little more healthy. Hang in there. Do whatever it is you need to do in order to keep yourself safe and emotionally healthy, regardless of what anybody else tells you.
@@anjelica948 are you mirroring my life? Because hot damn that is me, and I'm also just over 30 and only now is our relationship starting to be acceptable to me. It really came down to, my family had to understand that if it was between their behaviour and my mental health, I was going to choose me every time and too bad if that affects our relationship. Somewhat unexpectedly, they wanted to keep our family together so are my boundaries regularly respected? Nope. Do I know that I am a disappointment to them despite having a well functioning career, good friends, and someone in my life that I can safely say I love? Yup. Do I care? A little, but we're acceptable at this point, maybe one day they'll change enough when they see enough positive experiences to realize it's worth it. Or they might not, but I keep them at a certain distance and we co-exist together.
Honestly I like the TV series because you get to see him have room to grow and by the last episode I remember being a child who saw it all and thinking "Kuczo is going to be a good emperor".
the line just before the waterfall is one of the greatest lines ever written and it could only be delivered by David Spade. The casting in this movie couldn't be more spot on.
“Someday you’re gonna wind up all alone, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.” I think that’s a saying that everybody needs to live by, if they don’t want to change their bad ways.
I always thought that it was just that he was taught to be a spoiled brat but actually his personality is what he ends with at the end of the journey. I really love the character growth and the self-awareness that comes to his character as he goes through the story
It still comes as a shock to me that Emperor's New Groove is this good. It was once an epic musical, was then forcibly rushed due to a happy meal deal, split into two movies being developed as one movie, completely reworked what basically was a completed film, nearly ruined its message, and in the end, they didn't even have a complete script (they compiled everything they could when asked for one). And yet, by some miracle, it's genuinely Disney's best experimental era film.
I cannot even explain how much I absolutely adore this movie. It's even gotten to the point where I can recite the whole dang thing from memory which is a blessing and a curse.
And Pacha’s family!!! I love every second we spend with them. I love his wife’s growl, her need to clean to calm down, and her biting sarcasm. And his kids are spot on as loving kids, who still argue and compete with each other but that family unit is tight!
OMG, the wife! You get a completely different perspective when you've been that pregnant, lol! I totally understand the need to go clean something (can you say nesting?) and the fact that Yzma dropped the cup for her to try to figure out how to pick up... That's just cruel!
Yes, lines from this movie in everyday life. When the cat is playing and suddenly stops when my husband walks in the room: “you threw off the emperors groove!” LOL
It's what my husband and I do all the time, quoting it back and forth. "But... I am a cow now?" "You're allowed to go." "I can not hear yooouuu... I still can not hear yooouuu..." (Roughly translated, I watched it in German)
My daughter was with a narcissist for a number of years and finally broke up with him a couple of months before their wedding date. They got back together maybe a year later and the guy REALLY DID CHANGE. I'm still surprised that he actually changed since I've been around a lot of those who promise they've changed but haven't at all.
as a voice actor. thank you for saying it!!!!!!!!!!! so many times i have had people say "its easy to just talk into a microphone" it is so much more and more difficult than that
OMG! This is my favorite movie! SO underrated. In college, my best friend and I bonded over many things Disney, specifically The Emperor's New Groove. When I was having trouble understanding Id, Ego, and Superego for my psychology exam, she helped me by using the example of Kronk talking to his Shoulder Angel and his Shoulder Devil. We watch this movie every time we reunite and get together. 😊 So happy that Cinema Therapy is covering this one! My best friend and I are also big fans of Cinema Therapy! Fun Fact: The guy that Kuzco throws out the window is the original voice actor for Piglet in Winnie the Pooh!!!!! :D
I believe both my parents have NPD, and because of this, because I stood up for myself to how they treated me, we have no contact. And I have been doubting if this was the right decision on my part ever since, and these thoughts and memories of when they were actually decent parents keeps popping into my head. But Jonah saying that you have to set healthy boundaries with narcissists and then leave the ball in their court has truly given me some peace.
As someone who also has two NPD parents, and no contact with one of them- don’t doubt yourself. The gaslighting and the cycle of forgiveness and love-bombing makes it really easy to forget and give them the benefit of the doubt. Stick to your boundaries. Trust me, I had to start writing down things my parents said so I could read it later and remind myself of the truth, bc the memory loss from the gaslighting, and actual brain trauma was so bad.
Glad to see someone else acknowledge the "one last jab on the crappy bridge" bit. I point that out every time I watch it with someone else for the first time... This is what narcissism does to you.
Definitely an underrated Disney film with the best characters, especially the villain, and a good lesson. One you can quote from beginning to end because it’s so iconic 😊
6:09 fun fact: this is just David Spade. this movie was put on such a time crunch (about a year and a half) that the team totally brushed over writing a script. the first time a physical script for The Emperor's New Groove was made was two weeks after the movie was shown in theaters because Disney records archive demanded it. truly incredible.
Thank you for making this video. I did almost shear a tear in the end. The Emperor's New Groove was my childhood and it taught me about true empathy and selflessness. People keep arguing about how Kuzco is unlikable and a horrible character, but throughout the film, not only you see that his selfishness has a charm which backfires on him, but deep down he has a layered soft spot that is explored and discovered masterfully during the movie.
My favorite serious line from this movie is when Pacha says, "One day, you'll wake up all alone and you'll have no one to blame but yourself." That hit hard as a kid and it hits harder as an adult who has seen people grow apart due to selfishness.
Eartha Kitt as Yzma is absolutely delectable. For those of you who don’t recognize the name, she sang Santa Baby and played Cat Woman in the 1960s live action Batman show. She was such an icon and her voice was so distinctive and unique. She truly had one of the most memorable voices I’ve ever heard. Sadly, she passed away in 2008 at 81, but she lived such a long and amazing life and will always be an icon to me.
I think they depicted how the narcissist is able to entrap the victim who has high moral standards. Which makes that whole back stab and betrayal hurt so much worse and the narcissist making a joke out of it
what I always loved about this story is that the main character isn't perfect, he's kind of an anti-hero. He undergoes a transformation, but not immediately, it is not easy (he still falls and gets up) and because he finally met good role models. He probably grew up raised by Izma (one evil creates another), and in addition, no one had ever set boundaries for him and showed him how he should/shouldn't behave. This may be a "wink" to those parents who allow their children to do absolutely everything, even rule at home. The theme of the return journey to the palace where Kuzco spent his whole life, isolated from the real world and the problems of everyday life of his subjects (Kuzco lives without worries), gives him the opportunity to get to know and understand them, and at the same time take a journey inside himself. Moreover, the creators' approach is refreshing - that the main character has flaws that he has to work on, unlike Disney princesses who are always good, honest, wise and brave, and have to defeat "others" and solve the problems of "external" causes. It is much more difficult to face yourself and solve internal conflicts. In addition, great humor that will appeal to both young and old (Izma reveals her leg), fast-paced action, important values and a lot of warmth. And Kuzco's style is simply iconic - boom babe!
And it can change someone or can make them think I am not a Narcissist but just yesterday I was not fair to a very good friend. He could have reacted angry but he chose to be calm and simply explained his point of view while being kind and seeing my feelings at this moment. I was going from "How dare he to think X and say abc!" to "Oh... Well...time to discuss this with empathy for each other instead of raging" quiet quickly.
I love the idea that Pacha learns to set more firm boundaries. I feel like the real life version is that Kuzco offers Pacha a "home" under his summer palace where Pacha can be his servant. And Pacha lives in constant fear of losing what little he has left to be able to protect those he loves. It's hard to set boundaries with people you're afraid of... There is no genuine connection or joy without boundaries and safety.
18:02 I love this point. It's a joke in all but it's also so true! Alot of people truly need to lose everything before they realize they need to change. once they see that their actions aren't working, then they'll have the capacity to grow and change into a better person tomorrow. It wasn't until he turned into a lama and lost everyone who cared for him that he truly started his changes within himself.
I think a key part is that Kuzco is SEVENTEEN (turning 18). He is, by all accounts of current standards, still a child. That’s what also makes his antics hilarious because it’s believable that a 17-year-old raised as an emperor and surrounded by “Yes men” would ABSOLUTELY see himself as the smartest person in the room. Pacha is fundamentally just a dad dealing with another stubborn-ass kid. 😂😂😂
Yeah, being a teenager really helps
Okay yeah that actually makes a lot more sense now. 😂
Oh wow I actually didn't know that he was a teenager
@dylanweathers9727
I think only main leads in Disney movies (WDAS not Pixar) older than teens are animal leads (Robin Hood, Basil the great mouse detective, Bernard and Bianca, Judy etc) and Wreck-It Ralp. And Elsa is 21 in first Frozen so but older and then in sequel she and Anna have aged 3 years I believe?
He is 17 going on 18 wa-ait, a ye-ear or two…
My two thoughts:
1. Yzma said at one point that she practically raised Kuzko, and she behaves every bit like he did, so he most likely learned his manners and entitled attitude from her.
2. You can see Kuzko’s change of attitude even earlier when he and Patcha goes to Patcha’s house and he asks if it’s safe to leave Patcha’s wife and kids with Yzma and Kronk. He goes from not caring that a whole village becomes homeless to worrying about other people’s well-being even when he himself isn’t in danger.
That second point is a great catch! I didn't pick that up during a rewatch recently. Funny how one line of dialogue can give you such insight into a character.
I wonder if part of that significant shift in attitude was because he learned Yzma had tried to murder him. He recognizes Yzma as a genuine threat and has an easier time empathizing with potential victims of Yzma because he was one.
@@isabelmcgaugh711 That could be.
Pacha’s wife & kids knew how to deal with Yzma. Lol
YES!! People miss that little bit of characterization from that line and it's so validating to see someone else point it out. If Yzma's the only "parent" in his life then not only does it make EVEN MORE SENSE that he acts the way he does, but it means that Yzma ALSO created her own monster and I just LOVE that.
Yzma and Kronk really stole the show, and were the most memorable Disney Villains. Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton clearly had a blast voicing them.
You should listen to Yzma’s cut song “Snuff out the Light.” It’s a bop.
@@excaliburknives3572the AUDACITY to cut an Earth Kitt bop! 😮
Let's be honest. EVERY character stole the show. 😂 I don't think I know of another movie where almost every single line is quotable. Even the no-name guard is quotable, lol! "I'm sorry, but you threw off the Emperor's groove."
And it's a damn shame that Eartha Kitt's villain song "Snuff out the Light" was cut from the production. TBH, that movie went through such production hell, we're lucky to have it
@@Aeras89*gets tossed out a window* "SORRYYYYY"
One of my favorite things that only goes somewhat explored in the film is how Yzma "practically raised" Kuzco, and Kuzco basically grew to take on many of her character traits, but Kuzco never realizes that the traits in Yzma that bother him are traits he also possesses, nor does Yzma ever notice that she basically taught Kuzco to be the kind of person who would throw her aside as he did. Neither ever look internally, and it takes a third person coming in to finally get Kuzco to self-examine.
zzz
SUCH a good observation! The movie seems to know this, as Yzma and Kuzco are shown to be so similar when they're correcting their orders to Kronk in the diner scene.
"Yeah... You'd think he'd turn out better" -Kronk
Exactly this 😂
Now that you say that, Kronk is kind of a mirror to Pacha in a way? Being the Really Big Sweet Guy who has the potential to enact change in their scrawny egotist, but Kronk never truly challenge Yzma like Pacha challenges Kuzko
I always liked that Kuzco isn’t portrayed as stupid, he’s cleary intelligent. He’s just immature & impulsive
Unlike his TV counterpart who is more of an idiot as well as impulsive, and that is the worst combination to have in people.
Well, he's like 18. Who wasn't the smartest and baddes mofo when they were 18?.
As a teenager, it would he out of character if he didn't lack common sense
Yeah, maybe not stupid, but more ignorant. Because while some may say that it is pretty stupid that he never figures out that it was Yzma, it’s literally established that she raised him. So to him, “her whole world revolves around him”, something that he responds to with most of the people at the palace. Why would the people that take care of him, want to cause harm to him, even after he treats them like garbage?
It makes it all the more heavy, when it’s later to revealed him that it was Yzma, and when her and Kronk leave to go find/kill him, Kronk responds with, “Well, you got a point. Nobody really seems to care that he's gone, do they?”.
@@osmanyousif7849 Yeah exactly
This channel has been paramount for my ongoing emotional maturity arc.
Good luck on your journey sir o7
Hope you get better bud!
Same here and I wish you good luck on that journey friendo
I love ur videos so much btw. Also I’m hoping to buy hoard the hams for next time I go on vacation =)
Love your vids dude!
And same thing with me! This plus Lessons in Anime (I think it’s called) are two channels I watch semi-regularly! (Also Psych 2 Go as well)
From one animator-who-is-working-on-emotional-maturity to another…I salute you!
o7
The more I watch Cinema Therapy, the more I keep thinking to myself, “Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”
Right?!
love what you did there lmao
...Because you're increasingly realising how fucked up your coping mechanisms are, and that you badly need therapy?
@@tbotalpha8133 … okay, it doesn’t sound as funny when you say it out loud, but yeah.
That, but also because I’ve gotten some real good advice from this channel. Some real “eureka” moments!
What j want to know is empathy something you can learn? Is it something that can only exist when the person without empathy suffers?
I loved that there was no unnecessary romance subplot, but it was more about found family, and Kuzco learning to be a better person, thanks to Pacha and his patience.
What do you mean? Kuzco was totally in love with himself. 😜
and his kick-ass wife and their delightfully weird children
Especially from the get go when he’s like “yikes.. yikes.. yikes.. and let me guess.. You have a great personality..?
i think thats because hes not inherently a narcissist, just a spoiled brat who never had proper parenting or was dissaplined.
until he goes on the adventure ect
@@shevahauser1780 A narcissist is still a narcissist regardless of why they turned out that way.
as a Peruvian, i absolutely adore Emperors New Groove. The patterns in their clothing, and even the setting itself is accurate to ancient Peru. Also Kusco's name is a huge reference in itself.
For real! The gorgeous illustrated landscapes and backdrops of the palace and the kingdom and even the canals that were in the city. (Prior to the scene with the Chimp and the bug lol)
ok
ama suwa, ama llulla, ama qilla
@@HectorGonzales-o1ncan't deny tho, that tiny canal to that mega-sized waterfall is pretty freaking funny
@@typo1345 comedic gold of course! 🤣
As you get older you realize just how alone Kusco really is. Even since birth he has servants catering to him. No mom or dad in the beginning with him as a baby. He has everything handed to him and given to him. You can tell the contrast from Pacha that he had to work for everything he has. It takes work to love others, but you have to work harder to be selfish.
Yzma mentions that she "practically raised him" which, even if she's exaggerating, is a pretty horrifying implication. Your "mom" cares so little about you, she'll kill you without a second thought when you insult her.
@@j-starchaser I just think there's definitely a lot more depth than people are looking at from the surface level for a comedy drama
@@FATE522 oh yeah, absolutely! When you rewatch these movies as an adult, it just hits kinda different.. I've had almost the same realization recently when I rewatched the first Cars movie. It's about a kid who gets infinite attention, but it's all superficial, nobody actually cares about him. And the story is about him learning what the difference is when he meets people who treat him like a person.
Yeah, and props to the movie’s writers; they manage to illustrate this point in one of the VERY FIRST SCENES of the movie. Baby Kuzco is playing with a toy and it breaks. Baby Kuzco starts to cry. On cue, several faceless servants hand him exact replicas of the same toy. When I was little, I thought it was just a funny cutaway gag. But now as an adult I find it almost tragic. No one comforts him. No one reassures him. No one tries to teach him how to self-soothe. Just, “quick, get him another toy so he’ll stop crying.” From the very beginning, Kuzco was given everything he wanted- but he never got what he needed.
Yeah, and props to the movie’s writers; they manage to illustrate this point in one of the VERY FIRST SCENES of the movie. Baby Kuzco is playing with a toy and it breaks. Baby Kuzco starts to cry. On cue, several faceless servants hand him exact replicas of the same toy. When I was little, I thought it was just a funny cutaway gag. But now as an adult I find it almost tragic. No one comforts him. No one reassures him. No one tries to teach him how to self-soothe. Just, “quick, get him another toy so he’ll stop crying.” From the very beginning, Kuzco was given everything he wanted- but he never got what he needed.
I love that while Pacha already has two small children of his own, he and Kuzco develop this kind of father-and-son dynamic over the course of the film. Pacha is basically babysitting a spoiled brat for the first half. But Pacha also recognizes Kuzco as a grown adult, is aware of his background, and lets him figure things out and marinate in his own individual thoughts, thereby challenging Kuzco's mindset of how he was raised and what he was taught. Pacha is seriously the best animated dad ever, and I like to believe Kuzco feels fortunate to have a kind father figure in his life, seeing that his parents were not at all present let alone mentioned. It warms my heart that he was welcomed by Pacha's whole family at the end, not as their prince but as part of them.
John Goodman has played 2 fantastic father-figures in Disney movies so far (Pacha in the Emperor's New Groove and Sully in Monsters, Inc.) so it's definitely a talent of his.
Agree with everything you said about Pacha. Kuzco's parents would have to both be dead for him to be the emperor, especially with him still being a teenager.
Frrr
"by extension every child is a narcissist"
important to mention, Kuzco turns 18 over the course of the movie. he is a teenage boy. pretty standard prince teenage boy behavior.
THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS MOVIE!!!
Huh I didn’t know that! Interesting!
Kuzco's arc is probably the best arc I've ever seen. Everything about it feels real, and by the end, it feels earned. And the fact it's an arc in a comedy? I'll never get over it
The best? I dunno, Zuko is right there
@@DustLion bad bot
You're gonna get a ton of comments about Zuko. And rightfully so.
@@destroyerofnirn3537 Zuko's story is not a comedy
@@vailingbow1068well they did say “probably”😂 maybe they meant in a movie, specifically a comedy movie.
Zuko has the best TV show arc hands down
5:51 This moment, as short and brief as it is, is actually chilling. Pacha, a llama farmer and peasant, just told Kuzco, the *emporer,* that he "Can't" do something. The shock on Kuzco's face that some nobody would *dare* say "No" to him is great, then he goes on the quietest monologue: "When I give the word, you and your little town thingy will be... Bye-Bye." Then it swerves immediately into a chipper, "Bye-Bye!" I want David Spade to play this kind of villain, because shockingly, this was probably the best performance I've ever seen him do.
I agree that it is a memorable performance by Spade. I have a similar impression of Woody Allen in the animated film Antz. I'm normally not a big Allen fan, but I feel his voice performance as mild mannered hero "Z" is a great performance and my personal favorite of his work.
I FEEL like he brought his JOE DIRT preformance to this but reversed it. Joe dirt was a kid who had nothing BUT was super optimistic. NO matter what went wrong and EVERYTHING DID IN HIS LIFE! He never felt depressed- save till the end and that was very short
Kuzco is the MIRROR. he has everything and is still pessimistic like he thinks unless things go perfect for him. its all gone wrong and horrible.
the two feel almost LIKE brothers prince and pauper style.
"Wait, you can't--"
"Fym I can't?"
@@yourcollegedebt8384 Yeah, basically! Kuzco basically says he can do whatever TF he wants, and... he's not wrong. He's the emporer, who's going to argue with him? If it weren't for Yzma's assassination plot and his character development, Kuzco would absolutely be the villain in this story.
About what Alan said about the similarities between narcisism and adiction: interestingly in German, you can describe someone who is narcisistic or self centered as "selbstsüchtig", which translates to self-addicted
I just love the German language. They have a word for everything. 😂
@@courtesylaugh528 German is like Legos. Grammatically, you can combine any words you want into one, it just has to make (some) logical sense
@@eliasbischoff176 That legitimately is what I love about german. There are a few odd words that dont quite translate the intent or connotation even if they do translate literally across to english words, but overall as a lover of word play, its a freaking awesome aspect for a language to have. For instance that word in German for, if I recall correctly, "insurance for a work vehicle" that is like 22 letters, and twice as many syllables somehow, long. Its literally, effectively, "Craft motor vehicle insurance" with the spaces removed. And I love it.
I do something similar with the parts of words in the sense of the latin-y grecko-y etc-y bits (for example if something is used as a hyperbole, I may refer to it as being used 'hyperboleically' (hy-per-bo-leh-ic-ally), and it would drive my ex up the walls. Thats the kind of fun you can have mixing and matching parts of words when we accept languages are always evolving, dictionaries are retrospective accountings of a lexicon and not a set in stone rule book for speech, when we gain a feel for the intent of the different parts of a word (the whole past present possessive active first/second/third party retrospective etc thing), and just generally have fun communicating. Of course, it helps when people are more interested in the idea, thought, and intent one is attempting to convey (or not in the case of hiding intentions) versus simply how it is being conveyed (which that alone if more people would better themselves on the world would be a much more inviting place overall. Communication gatekeeping is just another form of petty tyranny...IMHO).
Also, I am totally going to use "selbstsüchtig" in daily life now! ......probably to describe myself......but recognizing that its a thing is ...a... step, right? Thats a good thing, right? ....Right?! 😅
@@TankR Nutzkraftfahrzeugversichering?
@@eliasbischoff176 Exactly!
Well, mostly. I apparently got it a little mixed up with "Kraftfahrzeugversicherung" which I thought had something to do with company owned work vehicles (probably from 'kraft' and coming across these when I just started getting into German, back in the long ago. The previous word is "motor vehicle insurance" in general. The one Elias posted is literally "commercial vehicle insurance", for the non-germanically enthused out there), and "Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung" (motor vehicle liability insurance)....it has been a while since I happened across them....
But yeah! Totally! They're literally just the words for the things without spaces! And that will never not be awesome. At least to me....
More fun long ass compound German words for the uninitiated:
Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän
Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit
Arbeiterunfallverischerungsgesetz
Bezirksschornsteinfegermeister
And the longest word in common usage (according to this list I found), at 63 letters.....
Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz
That last one is super important for public health....look it up non-German speakers, I dare you....
Anyhoo, German is a funny old language, und ich liebe seine macken.
I love how Kuzco changes through the movie but at his core remains the same person, or at least pretending to be. He doesn't go around like the Grinch who Stole Christmas giving all the gifts back, he just claims Patcha lied to him so he'll build his summer home on a nicer hill. I love that.
I like to think by the end of the film he hasn't completely changed, he still has work to do but has achieved the first step of realising this atleast.
His journey to emotional maturity was short but so believable
Yup, he has learned that he can get what he wants without hurting others, so thats a good baby step
In the Emperor’s New School, he often reverts back to his narcissistic characterization but get better (almost once an episode).
I also see it as the closest thing he can to apologizing. Considering he couldn’t even get the words out to Pacha before.
I think another reason that Kuzco works so well, is that he constantly reapes what he sows. Like how in that bridge scene he immediately falls down afterwards.
A lot of the reason why people don't like similar characters is because they don't have any consequences for their actions. So the movie constantly doing that to Kuzco but still not being overly cruel to him work.
A lot of media does a shit job of dishing out punishment for characters. Either they do nothing or turn them into a squidward.
@@omegahaxors9-11A lot of writers tend to have a soft spot for their “asshole,” characters and therefore have a hard time dishing out harsh consequences to them.
It’s like a parent excusing their child’s bad behavior and being soft on punishment or not even punishing them at all.
My friends and I had the same conclusion on why somd perv Oldman in anime works but others not.
Some get instant karma, other never pay for it.
I think the only other character I've seen where they almost instantly get punished for their actions is Eddy from Ed Edd and Eddy. His scams fail almost all the time and he does get comuppance for being greedy, though the other two Eds are dragged into his punishments as well.
Boring
On that last bit on apology, Kuzco apologized genuinely to the old man he threw out the window, someone he didn’t grow with on his journey and then did that playful apology with Pacha
True! I almost forgot about that! 😊
Oh that's true!
It was a part of his friendship with Pacha showing through.
How you treat your friends vs. how you treat random people
I love the scene where Kuzco talks to his voice over.
"They saw the whole thing, they know what happened."
The first time he openly admits he did this to himself. And knowing it's so obvious that even his bias storytelling can't fool the viewer.
I mean, I’m pretty sure nobody fell for it before in the beginning.
“I was the world’s nicest guy and they ruined my life for no reason.”
I’m pretty sure some people in the audience would be, “Hmm…. You sure about that?”. But yeah, for the most part, if you’re a kid, you may have missed that.
I think another key thing about Kuzco saving Pacha, is that it's not just that he does something selfless to save someone else or help someone else, it's that he does so, and actually feels GOOD about it.
Because it's him, whether he realizes it or not, enjoying the feeling of being a good person, as shown when he does one of his victory dances after saving him.
Another aspect is that it was an innate reaction. Sure he COULD have let him fall. But in that moment, it was a "I have to engage in this event in order to secure a positive outcome" Pacha being an aspect of said event, arguably Kuzco and Pacha against the mountain, when Pacha was in a danger scenario, and that little bit of ones brain filters out everything else other than "they're close enough, I can grab them", that is what fires. Grabbing Pacha. Not 'someone should help that filthy villager' as having to physically interact with them is beyond his comprehension. He is fully aware and accepting (on an interior base instinct level) touchy happens. He just doesnt like it, probably instilled in his mind much later in life. But it does happen. However, reaching out and physically interacting with someone or something is not abhorrent to him, its still in his deep deep deep down wiring regardless of later opinions formed through the experiences and conceptualizations of the world around him. Yes, he has servants to do things for him. But hes the damn emperor! He will touch whatever he pleases! Doesnt like the curtain, pull this cord. Kissy stamp the babies. And this is my changing hut in Kuzco-topia. And here is...OH SHI...the mountain is crumbling! [YOINK] Yeah! Suck it, gravity! ......I mean....no one is that hear......uh......hmm..........
The little dance after is still his narcissisms, he is the hero, A number 1 emperor protecting the people of his kingdom ("now worship your awesome protector!"). But the instinctual action when all time to think is gone, was to grab someone falling to their death. Narcissist or not, thats not a bad trait to have.
And that is how Narcissists, and other people who struggle with empathy, learn to treat people well. They may never actually feel empathy for other people, but they can still really enjoy the feeling of being praised/admired for doing good towards other people.
CinemaTherapy talks a lot about this in their Loki episode, another great breakdown of a Narcissistic character that grows over time.
One youtuber pointed out that one thing that makes this movie so loved is that it excels in "nonsense humor". Which, as these guys point out, isn't pop culture jokes or political humor. It's timeless, and in this movie, endlessly hilarious. It was underappreciated when it was first released, but I'm glad it has the love it deserves now
I absolutely love Kronk, Yzma's henchman. Honestly, Kronk is the only character I remember from this movie--he was so damn memorable. His little tent that he slept in, the fact that he's an accomplished chef, the fact that he can speak Squirrel, the fact that he's so good-hearted and goofy that he doesn't quite understand that he works for the true baddie. He's marvelous. Truly the original "Himbo" of Disney movies, other than Hercules, that is...
I honestly kept thinking kronk and Pacha were the same person, it been so long 😂
@@sarahsbakingcreations Pacha was so boring and one-dimensional a character that I forgot he was there halfway through the movie. And that happened during my original viewing of this film. LOL.
@@pdruiz2005 Fun Fact: Pacha was original suppose to be played by Own Wilson, but when Kindom of the Sun died and it became New Groove. The writes decided that Pacha should be the opposite of Kuzko, which also meant getting rid of Wilson.
@@pdruiz2005 Pacha is but a simple common man. Why are you so angry?
@@REDEEMERWOLF Angry? There was no anger in my response. If anything, I was bored. LOL.
I remember when therapy first started to have an actual effect on me, and I began setting healthy boundaries.. It took mere days for my abusive family to accuse me of being a narcissist, simply because I stopped entertaining their abuse and stood up to them.
I hope I can be as strong as you
@@redpeterpanda Sorry for the spoiler but you can be, and will! Xp
A therapist once told me that the people around you often resist it when you start to change because they know and are comfortable with the you that was. They resent the change, often because they can no longer control you, and do everything they can to make you go back to the old you. Congratulations on your growth!
ok
They get so mad when their doormat picks themselves up
My dad would say “I don’t make deals with peasants!” whenever we would try and weasel our way out of responsibilities 😂 this whole movie is so quotable
There is some great humor and the character development and writing is fantastic.
👍
Nice
👍
Bien
Nice
The humor in the emperors groove is just amazing, its childish and theres nothing wrong with that😽
I never felt the humour was childish. I would call it silly, but silly doesn't always have to mean childish
Ironically, childish humor never gets old. I'd say that's why dad jokes are funny even as they deal a little psychic damage.
For the last time, we did not order a giant trampoline!
@@tvrkm6897 that's why silly, childish and innocent humor is the kind of humor that I like. I'm really not into "adult" or "crude" humor. I'd say the only childish humor that doesn't make me laugh is like fart stuff and the like. Emperor's New Groove is the best kind of humor to me.
"How did you get here?" - (Pulls out a map showing the impossible way to the lab) "Erm... how DID we get here, Kronk?"
My mom died this summer and when I was in highschool she was extremely verbally and emotionally abusive as well as neglectful. She was very narcissitic and frequently put herself before me. I always said "My mom loves me, she just loves herself more." So after I turned 18 I moved in with my dad fulltime and distanced myself from her. I told her that I wanted her to be in my life, but if she was going to treat me poorly, then she'd have to be kept at a distance, which is exactly what I did. The past two or three years before her death she completely turned around. She was visiting me frequently, being extremely kind, and extremely loving towards me. A lot of people can't quite understand how I can forgive and still love her after everything she did when she never apologized. But it was never about the apology, it was about the change. I'm proud to say that she was my mother now, a feeling that I didn't have when I was a teenager. I miss her a lot, and it's really hard for people who haven't witnessed her change to understand why I'm grieving her so hard. But it's because of the potential she had, and the way things were going, I could see us getting to a genuine healthy place. But, sadly, because she's passed, what we had is all that we'll ever get. It's never too late to change, unless you're burried in the ground.
I like to believe in an afterlife in which you continue on the trajectory you chose in life, and that those who chose to rise and continuously seek the good will continue onward and upward into the stars of existence. I like to believe that we'll all meet again and can choose to keep moving forward with those we love. I hope you find her on the other side and get to take your time making new memories to fill in for every lost moment. It sounds to me like she'll be there to meet you when you finish the journey, lessons, and quests of life.
This is a beautiful comment and thread. Thank you for sharing ❤
Sorry for your loss. And the years you two have lost.
At least you got to witness a change. That's more than some people ever get.
I'd say her changed behavior was the apology, and it means more than words. Beautiful story, thanks for sharing!
Kuzco is a great example of how you can grow up in a very spoiled family and grow to be Narcissistic (and maybe even the opposite type of family), but how a new perspective, can change your entire life sometimes.
@@DustLion good observation. That could also be the case
Unfortunately, narcissists can't be cured. Or very very rarely so.
Some of it has been linked to genetics. It is a lot of nurture than nature, granted. Part of your mental state though is dictated by your genetics. @@DustLion
Really want a villain therapy with yzma, she is so fun in the movie but she seemed to more layers to her originally
Fun fact if you ask yourself if you could be a narcissist, you probably aren't
I love that Pacha became a father figure for Kuzco in the film, something the 18 year old emperor obviously needed in his life. I also love that it's very evident that Yzma raised Kuzco since they like the same things and have alot of the same habits.
Regarding what he said to Pacha at the end, Kuzco also made a genuine apology to the Old Man he threw out at the beginning (fun fact: the guy that got thrown out was the original voice of Piglet). Great unsung thing about Kuzcotopia: Pacha mentions that his village grows most of the grain the palace is using. In destroying Pacha's village, Kuzco is foolishly cutting off his own food supply to feed his ego instead. It's a great early indication of how self-destructive Kuzco's behavior is. And yes, it's true that Sting forced Disney to change the ending. In the original ending, Kuzco would end up destroying a rainforest to build his summer house, which he didn't like because of his activism for fighting for the indigenous of the Amazon. He saw it as "you’re just marching over them to build a theme park".
I always saw a different angle in that Kuzco had no family. In all the images of his youth, no family at all is shown. It was always servants, there was no warmth or connections there, no one to teach him anything other than 'you are the ruler, you have all the power, what you say goes no matter what' and Pacha is the father figure that turns him this all-powerful ruler into an actual mature human being over time. the end scenes of him with Pacha and his family swimming it just feels so much like an adopted child who has finally been made to realize his adopted parents do love him and do care about what type of person he is that is the real telling point.
Fan fact - Kuzko in Polish sounds almost like "kózka" (pronounce koo-zka), which means little goat. As a child I always wondered whether Kuzko was a llama or a goat 🤣
Plus the goat's stubborn nature suited Kuzko perfectly.
He’s actually named after a city in Peru
Llamas are very stubborn too! I can tell, I've been around a fair amount of llamas *and* goats 😂
@@matityaloran9157 Actually, the city's name derives from a Quechuan word that means "the centre of the world/universe"... so it's a particularly appropriate name for this character.
@@chiarardn2401 True.
As opposed to Kuzka’s Mother, Кузькина Мать. That’s something else.
24:14 I think what's even MORE awesome than Kuzco arguing with himself/his own narration is the fact that llama Kuzko we see here is changed from the narrating one we heard from the beginning, and yet this voice in his head is one he's heard all his life and is now feeling guilty about what he was like.
#4thwallbreaks
True, it's like a moment of self-reflection where you can step outside of your core beliefs and what you've heard being echoed your entire life. That's very insightful!
A few months ago, I watched this and Nimona back-to-back. It hit me like a truck when I realized that i just happened to watch the only two films in the world where a main character transforms into a pink whale and crashes through a floor to escape some guards that are chasing them.
It's so specific that I'm pretty sure the Nimona scene was a reference to Emperor's New Groove.
If I had a nickel for every time a main character turned into a pink whale and crashed through a floor to escape some guards, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Yooooooooooooo😂😊
Yeees, but it didn't end so well for the missile/whale in hitch-hikers' guide!!
@@AshlynRose0210you beat me to it
I always interpreted a great amount of loneliness in kuzco too, like when he says "it's my bday gift to me" I always felt a bit sad for him in that moment, like he must have absolutely nobody. Like on top of the NPD, he also just doesn't have a genuine Person he can turn to or hang out with, he's only surrounded by fearful servants. So when pacha shows up and not only sees through him immediately, but also sticks with him despite everything, it gives kuzco something he's never had before, someone being Real around him without any alternate agenda, who also doesn't quit on him. To me that's what plants the first nuggets of empathetic change in kuzco.
Im Peruvian and this was a love letter for us it had so many iconic moments and its one of the films that does not depict us as savages or impoverished but sees our nature and high points of history while adding a heartfelt message. It brings tears of joy especially after the things we as a people have been through as of late.
One of my favorite memories at a comic convention was seeing two Hispanic women - one tall and thin, one stout - dressed as Kuzco and Pacha.
As the child of a narcissist, can confirm. You HAVE to draw hard boundaries and be ready, willing and able to enforce them at all times. And if you can't... ✂️ It does no one any good to let someone walk all over you. Not you, not them, not anyone else around you.
it's so hard when you can't cut lines with that person, when you're stuck with them and just have to deal with it
@@Player_Raccoon I feel you. Did 21 years with my mom before I was finally in a position where I could get out. Just keep looking for escape paths, enforce what boundaries you can and hang in there.
I feel you dude, I deal with people in my personal life while not narcissists can’t be hypocritical with her behavior, very controlling, and do not deal well with criticism even if it’s constructive to them, you’re right there are times we have to try to set boundaries and make things clear if they can except then ✂️ ties.
Sometimes you realize that they will destroy you if you don't get some distance. It sometimes comes down to you or them
it’s how my parents are, i have started drawing hard boundaries in our relationship.
The part about how Kuzco's upbringing contributed to his narcissism is actually touched upon in the movie in a really clever way!
*Yzma:* "Why, I practically raised him!"
*Kronk:* "Yeah, you think he would've turned out better."
*Yzma:* "Yeah, go figure."
Kuzco's a narcissist in large part because Yzma's a narcissist, and he emulates a lot of her behaviors. The difference is, he's only 18 so he has time to learn and change and grow as a person, whereas Yzma's well into adulthood and so stays the same.
Well and I would add that Yzma being well into adulthood isn't really a problem if she wanted to change. It's HARD to change your personality when you're older, but then it's ALWAYS hard. The problem with her isn't that she CAN'T change because of her age - it's the she doesn't WANT to.
But I do think you made a really good point
@@daniellemusella1594 I don't see how your original interpretation differs from the new one
Weeeeeeeeeell into adulthood lol
Additionally, in the cut song 'Snuff out the Light', she refers to Kuzco as a "little ray(s) of sunshine" that robbed her of her youth. She straight up resented having to play mother to Kuzco
Similar concept with Beast and Gaston. Beast was cursed at like 11 as the math says so as a child he needs to learn the lesson and before 21, the age of adulthood especially when he's in a position of power and responsibility. Meanwhile Gaston has been bolstered for a while and is well into like mid-late 20s or so so he's a grown man still acting like that stereotypical high school jock jerk.
My ex used to come out of the shower every day with an "epiphany" that all of her problems were caused by other people. She also called herself "the only empathetic person".
It's hard for people to be accountable if they can't self reflect without the starting point being "given I did nothing wrong, where do these problems come from"
I had a friend like this. We told her we didn't like how she was acting towards us, and I told her multiple times that she should self reflect on her actions, why she is feeling certain emotions , etc. and every time she would blame someone else. It is exhausting
Wow. I have an ex who regularly had “epiphanies” too. They were usually the same one/s he’d had about 3-5 years earlier, but never integrated, and forgot about. :( Glad that person is an ex for you now!
Sounds kinda like my ex. He hasn't changed. 🤦♀🤷♀
My brother and I state it as, "I just had an apostrophe!"
My ex was like that, too. He always had big ideas and as we'd be in the middle of the last great idea of his, he'd switch it up and all of it was a waste of our time. Many times he'd say, "I'm smarter than God..." or "If I were God, I'd do a _much_ better job." 🤦🏻♀️
All his problems were always someone else's fault, so he never changed~ only got worse. Talk about giving your power away! 😮
Emperor's New Groove was groundbreaking for a "mainstream" animated movie to be meta and 4th wall breaking. And it does an amazing job of mixing in traditional comedy beats - the diner and family home. *chef's kiss* And it not only does one goody buddy journey, it does 2 - Kuzco and Pacha and Yzma and Kronk. It was so ahead of it's time
Kuzco’s happy ending doesn’t come from how he defeats some great evil or fulfills some grand dream/destiny; it’s simply that he becomes a kinder, more well-adjusted person in his own way. His opening theme music touts how “this perfect world will spin - about his every little whim”, but in reality he’s the only one in the movie whose character really changes from the influence and actions of others. The whole movie’s known for its wall-to-wall hilarity, and for good reason, but I think this bit of character detail elevates it to be more clever and subtle than people give it credit for. Not to mention, the Perfect World song changes by ending with "A perfect world begins and ends with us!"
The Emperor's New Groove facts: Yzma was voiced by Eartha Kitt. Besides voicing Yzma, she's famous for singing Santa Baby which was originally released in 1953, participated in a lot of activism like advocating against the Vietnam War, and she starred as Catwoman in the third season of the Adam West Batman series! This movie isn't where Kuzco's story ends as there is a TV series that follows its events called The Emperor's New School. The plot of the series is that Kuzco has to graduate from an academy and ace a test to remain emperor, and Yzma tries to stop him from passing his courses as she is principal. Kronk also gets a sequel movie called Kronk's New Groove where Kronk tries to win his father's approval.
“Yes all children are narcissists” I’m freaking dead 😂.
So basically, narcissists are people who never grew up. Note taken. lol
I think what sells Kuzco's evolution as a character is the way the story really beats him up and how all of it is a consequence of his actions and in the end it makes him see exactly how his actions have come back to him. Because he is an absolute monster early on and that's usually a killer for a character.
@cheezemonkeyeater One of my favorite moments in the whole movie is right after Kuzco finally understands that his former top advisor, who'd been his nanny for most of his life before that, hated him enough to try to kill him. He eventually got within sight of the palace, but, though he was almost home, his heartbreak made him turn around. He suddenly didn't feel worthy of it anymore, because he realized that no one in there would ever be as true to him, as Pacha had been. The scene ties into Tom Jones's reprisal of his song from the beginning of the film: "But if you ain't got friends, then nothing's worth the fuss." (11/7/2023)
8:35
"We have exaggerated super villains in real life"
Yeah, the number of news stories where someone behaves so cartoonishly villainous is insane
As a psychologist, I regularly say “no touchy” as both a boundaries example (with trainees) and as consent example (with clients). You said “there is no growth without humility” and I say “people do not change until discomfort is high enough” and in NPD the ego tends to shield or deflects the “maybe it’s me” of discomfort and so the motive to change is rarely there.
I regularly quote "Cheese me no likey" when I'm talking about my sensory issues and the textures in food, I feel like it's more bearable for people to deal with me that way lmao.
David Spade is awesome in this, but the warmth in John Goodman’s voice as Pacha is also perfect! Not to mention Izma and Kronk.
in Kuzco's defense on being a narcist, the incan emperor historically was treated as a god, even after death. When the Spanish conquistadors took over, the current emperor was already dead and the guards were defending the corpse to their own demise, so it was the culture that made him a narcist too. (at least according to one world civ's college history teacher). I love this movie though. "oh right the poison, the poison for kuzco, kuzco's poison..."
Yeah, that would probably turn most people into egomaniacs.
@user-gs1lb4gt8h go see a therapist in real life instead of making these anti feminist comments everywhere possible, its much healthier for you
@@DustLionjesse what the fuck are you talking about
Man do you really need to bring up that mysoginistic shit in a comment section about a kids movie, in response to a comment about how the ancient people treated their monarchs? You really need some help.
I adore the bromance between Pacha and Kuzco and how it eventually becomes a buddy comedy. I also appreciate that Pacha isn't just a bland perfect "oh isn't everything wonderful" goody two shoes character, he has some limits and self respect and he'll only tolerate so much of Kuzco overstepping those limits before he puts his foot down.
One of my favorite stories about this movie is how they brought in Sting to work on the music for the movie, and they asked him to perform the opening Kuzco song, and he's like, this song is supposed to be a jam, i don't think we should have a 50 year old Sting trying to belt this song. So they went and got 60 year old Tom Jones and he just crushed it.
Literally just went to wikipedi as to read more about the production and laughed at that part!
@@capuchinosofia4771for more - look up the film Sweatbox if you can find it
I think change on this scale is all about pain tolerance. You don't necessarily need to hit rock bottom, but you do need to get to the point where the pain of things staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.
I agree. Pain, whether it be physical or emotional, is one of the most common motivators of change.
It was also good that it was Pacha that stood up to Kuzco and set boundaries. Pacha had already displayed real kindness and humanity in the face of Kuzco's cruelty so it's more impactful because he is clearly a good man. When a good person like that washes their hands of you I'm sure it would be enough to make anyone stop and think... especially after everything you've watched them continue to go through but still display decency.
I would have loved to hear you talk more about Kronk and Yzma - they are SUCH great characters in this movie. I understand focusing on the narcissism of Kuzco though, but man Kronk and Yzma are some of my favs - especially Kronk. He's the worst henchman because he's such a kind soul really, just a bit (a ton) naive.
That will probably be a villains therapy episode.
Kronk is what kids now a days call 'himbo'.
@@BrokensoulRider he's the most adorkable villain I have ever seen 😂
I remember in a BTS, Eartha Kit had a fun time with voicing the character. She loved the part when Yzma wakes up with the cucumbers when she was doing facial.
I'd kinda like to see them doing an episode on the sequel movie, Kronk's New Groove, and the TV show The Emperor's New School
I was excited to watch this movie because Im from Bolivia and having a Disney movie that was placed in the Andes was very exciting for me. The fact the Emperor is a Llama was hilarious to see and some of the cultural references about the jungle, waterfalls and environment made me happy. In Bolivia people keep herding llamas and we even have a dance for llama herders called Llamerada
That is so cool, thank you for sharing that!
That’s awesome! I’m from Ecuador and I also loved to see Andean culture portrayed in a Disney movie! Plus, love the animation style, voice acting, and humor
My aunt is from Bolivia :)
I am from Bolivia!!! Yes! I always saw llama herders walking their llama and/or alpacas through the road in front of my house ❤❤❤
So happy for this one!!! This has been my favorite Disney movie from my entire childhood!
Somehow the humor never gets old either.
yo, mine too!!
@@Dannymon Go watch the movie NOW XD
Best. Movie. Ever.
The story behind how this movie was made is absolutely BANANAS. Apparently it was so cobbled together that the final script wasn't completed until AFTER the film was in theaters.
I was never a narcissist, but I did have a big ego. Rock bottom for me was my first love dumping me and my friends telling me I deserved it. That was the wakeup call I needed. Before that, I thought things were great but really I was getting close to alienating a bunch of people. Nowadays I've learned and grown and my life is genuinely great. It's a hard thing to admit, but I celebrate that that's my story because it got me where I wanted to be, just made sure I deserved it first.
I love the line about all kids are narcissists, even if it was just in jest, cuz the birthday Kuzco is looking forward to is his 18th birthday. He is still a teenager. His pre-frontal cortex isn't fully developed yet. Combine that with how his was raised, no wonder he is the way he is.
One of the subtle aspects of this movie that I love and that I think a lot of people don't notice is the arc Kuzco goes through to learn about his own efficacy. At the beginning, literally EVERYTHING is made easy for him. We see he does kinda still take care of "responsibilities" like launching a ship, "kissing"babies, etc. However are the tasks are brought to him and made incredibly easy. The wine bottle is on a rope to just swing at the ship right next to him. The kissing babies is just done with a stamp. And you can expect EVERYTHING in his life is like that.
Through the movie, we see him grow to learn that he is much more capable than he knows. He snatched Pacha from falling off a cliff and he was rightfully super proud of himself. He was panicking while they were trapped between the cliffs, but eventually linked arms with Pacha to help get himself free.
He learned he could be self-reliant and that is a POWERFUL thing.
This movie is so perfect in every single way.
This is a really good point! I mean, look at the way he eats in the opening sequence-people are feeding him like a baby! It's no wonder he feels good when he starts getting used to being able to do things for himself!
There is a difference between not having empathy and just never having learned it. With the later there is a chance to learn. With the former there isn't, or at least its much, much harder.
21:52 That "projecting" felt oddly powerful, like before I've never thought it that way but now with his comment made me remember when a streamer (girl) that I follow has been asked many times how she handles so well criticism and bad comments (even her friends always talk about this like wanting to be like her) and her answer was "I just think how horrible her life or day had to be for them to be saying such hurtful things, and it makes her feel bad for them and wish them to heal one day", 'cause to her it's a way to show up how hurt you are and ngl it's so true, we even have a way to call it in Méxcio at least (lo que te choca, te checa) and I've seen it and experienced it, the more hurt you are, the more you want to hurt others, the more selfish you are, the more you think others are the same
A great lesson to keep in mind, it makes things look different, I guess 😅
You mentioned David Spade's voice is one that delivers this totally pompous and obnoxious attitude, but also makes you want more... another rare gem who can pull that off is in this movie, too! Wendie Malick, who also co-starred with David Spade in Just Shoot Me, played Poncha's wife, and that voice oftentimes exudes the same energy
If you haven't seen Song of the Sea, I HIGHLY recommend watching that. It was one of the most emotionally beautiful and healing movies I've ever seen.
I second this!
YES YES YES!!! Maybe about Ben's grief journey, how it affects his relationship with Saoirse and his hero's journey
That and wolf walkers, which draws on themes of friendship, parenting, and of course looking at the entire background of colonialism through the Irish perspective
YES YES YES I’m dying for them to cover that one!!
So much yes to Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers!
Months ago, I left a two-year cycle of abuse from a narcissistic partner. It was horrendous, very few genuinely happy memories.
My mom and sister are both narcissistic and the rest of the family barring one brother have the "well, you know how they are" mentality. Last year I cut them all out over them defending my sister physically threatening my wife and it was the best decision I could have made for mine and my wife's mental health. It's been hard, with lots of attempts manipulation to get me back under their control.
@@scipocelah6677 You did the right thing. No one should have to put up with something horrible like that. I hope your brother is perhaps still someone safe to be around, but if not, that's not on you & you're not losing anything, but rather, you're gaining something, and that something is freedom & peace.
Been there. Years later, it gives me the icks every time I remember that phase of my life. I lost myself to someone else’s image, and it is painful to remember myself in that situation. But I promise, it only gets better.
One of the big things about having a Narcissist in your life is when you've gotten to the point that, while you know they can change, while you hope they DO change, you realize it's time to let go of the need to be there when/if they do.
It's hard to let go, especially when it's someone you've known for a very long time, especially when it's someone you love and you want that connection, but if they can't respect your boundaries, unfortunately you gotta let go for your sake and for the sake of anyone in your care.
The addiction and narcissism parallel is interesting. Narcissism often relies on "supply" (people to manipulate/talk down to) the same way an addict relies on a drug.
There is no growth without humility.
There is no change without accountability.
Speaking of Disney’s experimental era, I’d love to see you guys do an assessment of Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
I feel that movie tells a great story about rising to leadership.
Didn't they already cover this one? Maybe with in an other theme?
@@lamelu6013I believe they covered said theme with the Moana episode from a while ago; I do feel that there’s still something to be said on how Milo grows from a place of intellectual passion and curiosity, and how that leads him to subvert the exploitative mercenary leadership of the expedition team
I love the symbolism that Kuzco essentially confront himself. That is something that not only NPD peeps gotta do but all of us at one point. The same as been caring and loving with ourselves.
As someone who has two NPD parents, and I live with one of them currently, I can tell you that while most Narcissists do not change (bc they don’t think they need to), what they are capable of is learning to behave.
Idk if this is a bad comparison, but in a way, it is like working with a wild, undomesticated animal. They have a lot about them to be admired, and they can even learn how to behave and treat people well, but at the core, you Cannot forget what they actually are. It’s a very fine line to walk, because placing trust in another person can really change how that person thinks/feels, and sees the world, but so often that sets you up for pain and disappointment, or even harm, depending on the situation.
All I can say is have clear boundaries and be able to protect yourself if you have a Narcissist in your life, and go with God, or any other powerful belief or force you put faith in, because boy you are going to need it.
I appreciate this comment especially with the holidays right around the corner and the possibility of being around the narcissists in my family after avoiding them all year.
I feel you completely :( I'm in basically the same situation + sibling who took after our parents in narcissim so it's NOT a good family life. The moment you let your guard down they'll just start taking advantage, but when you insist on boundaries they whine about "how unfair" you are to them until it's clear I'm refusing to budge, then they pretend to behave for 5min. It's exhausting.
@@themisheika Believe me, I understand. It took a LONG time for my mom to learn that I absolutely was not kidding around when it came to my boundaries. I’m over 30, and our relationship is only now just becoming more stable and a little more healthy.
Hang in there. Do whatever it is you need to do in order to keep yourself safe and emotionally healthy, regardless of what anybody else tells you.
@@anjelica948 are you mirroring my life? Because hot damn that is me, and I'm also just over 30 and only now is our relationship starting to be acceptable to me. It really came down to, my family had to understand that if it was between their behaviour and my mental health, I was going to choose me every time and too bad if that affects our relationship. Somewhat unexpectedly, they wanted to keep our family together so are my boundaries regularly respected? Nope. Do I know that I am a disappointment to them despite having a well functioning career, good friends, and someone in my life that I can safely say I love? Yup. Do I care? A little, but we're acceptable at this point, maybe one day they'll change enough when they see enough positive experiences to realize it's worth it. Or they might not, but I keep them at a certain distance and we co-exist together.
@@anjelica948any tips for npd siblings? Mine has no sympathy for boundaries, at all. The power struggle is so tiring.
Honestly I like the TV series because you get to see him have room to grow and by the last episode I remember being a child who saw it all and thinking "Kuczo is going to be a good emperor".
the line just before the waterfall is one of the greatest lines ever written and it could only be delivered by David Spade. The casting in this movie couldn't be more spot on.
“Someday you’re gonna wind up all alone, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”
I think that’s a saying that everybody needs to live by, if they don’t want to change their bad ways.
I always thought that it was just that he was taught to be a spoiled brat but actually his personality is what he ends with at the end of the journey. I really love the character growth and the self-awareness that comes to his character as he goes through the story
Yzma: Why, I practically raised him.
Kronk: Yeah, you'd think he would've turned out better.
Yzma: Yeah, go figure.
It still comes as a shock to me that Emperor's New Groove is this good. It was once an epic musical, was then forcibly rushed due to a happy meal deal, split into two movies being developed as one movie, completely reworked what basically was a completed film, nearly ruined its message, and in the end, they didn't even have a complete script (they compiled everything they could when asked for one). And yet, by some miracle, it's genuinely Disney's best experimental era film.
I cannot even explain how much I absolutely adore this movie. It's even gotten to the point where I can recite the whole dang thing from memory which is a blessing and a curse.
SAME HAHAHAHA
And Pacha’s family!!! I love every second we spend with them.
I love his wife’s growl, her need to clean to calm down, and her biting sarcasm.
And his kids are spot on as loving kids, who still argue and compete with each other but that family unit is tight!
OMG, the wife! You get a completely different perspective when you've been that pregnant, lol! I totally understand the need to go clean something (can you say nesting?) and the fact that Yzma dropped the cup for her to try to figure out how to pick up... That's just cruel!
Yes, lines from this movie in everyday life. When the cat is playing and suddenly stops when my husband walks in the room: “you threw off the emperors groove!” LOL
I watched this movie so much as a kid I can quote it front to back, and I still think it’s hilarious to watch 😂😂
same here 😂
I can too
Same!!! Lol
It's what my husband and I do all the time, quoting it back and forth.
"But... I am a cow now?" "You're allowed to go."
"I can not hear yooouuu... I still can not hear yooouuu..."
(Roughly translated, I watched it in German)
My daughter was with a narcissist for a number of years and finally broke up with him a couple of months before their wedding date. They got back together maybe a year later and the guy REALLY DID CHANGE. I'm still surprised that he actually changed since I've been around a lot of those who promise they've changed but haven't at all.
This is one of my favorite movies growing up. David spade doesn't get enough credit for how good of an actor he is.
as a voice actor. thank you for saying it!!!!!!!!!!! so many times i have had people say "its easy to just talk into a microphone" it is so much more and more difficult than that
OMG! This is my favorite movie! SO underrated. In college, my best friend and I bonded over many things Disney, specifically The Emperor's New Groove. When I was having trouble understanding Id, Ego, and Superego for my psychology exam, she helped me by using the example of Kronk talking to his Shoulder Angel and his Shoulder Devil. We watch this movie every time we reunite and get together. 😊 So happy that Cinema Therapy is covering this one! My best friend and I are also big fans of Cinema Therapy!
Fun Fact: The guy that Kuzco throws out the window is the original voice actor for Piglet in Winnie the Pooh!!!!!
:D
I just want to voice some appreciation for whoever writes the CC, and for them actually typing out Kuzco's mocking voice in the subtitles.
I believe both my parents have NPD, and because of this, because I stood up for myself to how they treated me, we have no contact. And I have been doubting if this was the right decision on my part ever since, and these thoughts and memories of when they were actually decent parents keeps popping into my head. But Jonah saying that you have to set healthy boundaries with narcissists and then leave the ball in their court has truly given me some peace.
As someone who also has two NPD parents, and no contact with one of them- don’t doubt yourself. The gaslighting and the cycle of forgiveness and love-bombing makes it really easy to forget and give them the benefit of the doubt. Stick to your boundaries.
Trust me, I had to start writing down things my parents said so I could read it later and remind myself of the truth, bc the memory loss from the gaslighting, and actual brain trauma was so bad.
Glad to see someone else acknowledge the "one last jab on the crappy bridge" bit. I point that out every time I watch it with someone else for the first time... This is what narcissism does to you.
Definitely an underrated Disney film with the best characters, especially the villain, and a good lesson. One you can quote from beginning to end because it’s so iconic 😊
I loved this movie so much when I was younger so underrated thank you for covering it!
You’re so welcome!
Emperor's New Groove needs to have MORE popularity, its so hilarious
6:09 fun fact: this is just David Spade. this movie was put on such a time crunch (about a year and a half) that the team totally brushed over writing a script. the first time a physical script for The Emperor's New Groove was made was two weeks after the movie was shown in theaters because Disney records archive demanded it. truly incredible.
God the meta levels of humour is unmatched in this movie. I wish Disney made more movies like this today
Thank you for making this video. I did almost shear a tear in the end.
The Emperor's New Groove was my childhood and it taught me about true empathy and selflessness. People keep arguing about how Kuzco is unlikable and a horrible character, but throughout the film, not only you see that his selfishness has a charm which backfires on him, but deep down he has a layered soft spot that is explored and discovered masterfully during the movie.
I grinned so wide when I saw this! ❤️ This movie was my childhood and to this day, I am still quoting this movie 🤣❤️
We still use "Bad Llama!" for minor infractions.
My favorite serious line from this movie is when Pacha says, "One day, you'll wake up all alone and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."
That hit hard as a kid and it hits harder as an adult who has seen people grow apart due to selfishness.
Eartha Kitt as Yzma is absolutely delectable. For those of you who don’t recognize the name, she sang Santa Baby and played Cat Woman in the 1960s live action Batman show. She was such an icon and her voice was so distinctive and unique. She truly had one of the most memorable voices I’ve ever heard. Sadly, she passed away in 2008 at 81, but she lived such a long and amazing life and will always be an icon to me.
I think they depicted how the narcissist is able to entrap the victim who has high moral standards. Which makes that whole back stab and betrayal hurt so much worse and the narcissist making a joke out of it
what I always loved about this story is that the main character isn't perfect, he's kind of an anti-hero. He undergoes a transformation, but not immediately, it is not easy (he still falls and gets up) and because he finally met good role models. He probably grew up raised by Izma (one evil creates another), and in addition, no one had ever set boundaries for him and showed him how he should/shouldn't behave. This may be a "wink" to those parents who allow their children to do absolutely everything, even rule at home. The theme of the return journey to the palace where Kuzco spent his whole life, isolated from the real world and the problems of everyday life of his subjects (Kuzco lives without worries), gives him the opportunity to get to know and understand them, and at the same time take a journey inside himself. Moreover, the creators' approach is refreshing - that the main character has flaws that he has to work on, unlike Disney princesses who are always good, honest, wise and brave, and have to defeat "others" and solve the problems of "external" causes. It is much more difficult to face yourself and solve internal conflicts. In addition, great humor that will appeal to both young and old (Izma reveals her leg), fast-paced action, important values and a lot of warmth. And Kuzco's style is simply iconic - boom babe!
It is okay to be nice to someone who doesn't deserve it. Even if its the emperor who says they are going to tear down your house.
If not for them, then do it for yourself, so you can at least take pride in your principles.
And it can change someone or can make them think
I am not a Narcissist but just yesterday I was not fair to a very good friend. He could have reacted angry but he chose to be calm and simply explained his point of view while being kind and seeing my feelings at this moment.
I was going from "How dare he to think X and say abc!" to "Oh... Well...time to discuss this with empathy for each other instead of raging" quiet quickly.
I love the idea that Pacha learns to set more firm boundaries. I feel like the real life version is that Kuzco offers Pacha a "home" under his summer palace where Pacha can be his servant. And Pacha lives in constant fear of losing what little he has left to be able to protect those he loves. It's hard to set boundaries with people you're afraid of... There is no genuine connection or joy without boundaries and safety.
18:02 I love this point. It's a joke in all but it's also so true! Alot of people truly need to lose everything before they realize they need to change. once they see that their actions aren't working, then they'll have the capacity to grow and change into a better person tomorrow. It wasn't until he turned into a lama and lost everyone who cared for him that he truly started his changes within himself.
Yes! Time to psychoanalysis my favorite Disney Princess! This is just the pick me up I needed.
They don't psychoanalyze Pa'cha though?
@@J_Halcyonhe's mentally stable.