What do you get when you have a narcissistic boy King, a murder scheming and throne hungry chief advisor, her bumbling assistant and a honest peasant trying to save his village from being turned into an amusement park for a birthday present? You get the animation featured in this today’s TYMNHS blog post 😅
If you still haven’t seen it, Disney’s Emperor’s New Groove is a comedic gem. It is rare to come across an animated film or any film for that matter, where you are invested in each of the characters. Our protagonist (or perhaps the antagonist) Kuzco is a spoiled teenage king who uses his soldiers to throw old men out the window if they mess with his groove or get in his way.
What do you get when you have unlimited power and wealth and no one to stop you? You have ultimate boredom…which Kuzco tries to solve by giving himself a waterpark as a birthday present. Problem is that the hill where he wants the waterpark is where a peasant Pacha lives with his family in his ancestral home.
The story would have ended right there with Kuzco getting what he wants, if he hadn’t created animosity with his chief adviser Izma and fired her…for being ancient? (And for acting suspicious and sitting on his throne). Since he is to turn Eighteen, Kuzco will not need Izma anymore despite her years (and years and years) of service.
Izma takes it relatively well but inwardly plots to poison Kuzco. She would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for her assistant Kronk. Kronk is another one of those side characters in the film that sometime overshadow the main ones. His lines are pure comedy as are his internal monologues with his shoulder Angel and Demon.
Instead of poisoning Kuzco (and giving the best lines about the “poison to kill Kuzco”), Kronk uses the potion that turns our boy king into a ….llama.
Much hilarity and confusion ensues when Kronk tries to hide llama Kuzco and pretend to Izma that he was really dead. Izma ascends the throne while Pacha finds a disoriented Llama Kuzco. He makes a deal to help him (trusting him to do the right thing) turn back to his former human self if he promises not to destroy his village. Everyone has their own agenda, especially Kuzco.
There are moments which lead to friendship between Pacha and Kuzco, and some time to spend in the village that Pacha loves so much. Kuzco faces a change of heart and gains what he needed, a friend and a family.
For Kuzco, the lesson he learns is that you are not a king but getting everything that you want but rather you become a king when you start to listen to your people.
I hope that you liked today’s blog post and discovered something new today. What is your favorite part in the movie? Be sure to comment, I would love to hear from you.
Aisha's Writing Corner 