Emperor's New Groove Review- by Michael Carlisle

Title: The Emperor's New Groove

Year: 2000
Country: US
Language: English

Boom, baby! The Emperor’s New Groove may have come out after I hit the double digits, in my change from childhood to tweenhood, but that does not mean this underrated Disney gem did not have a profound effect on me. Testify! My brothers and sisters, I present to you one of the best  Disney films of this millennia! Boo-yeah!  I promise that you will be engrossed in this epic journey about a snooty Emporer named Kuzco (David Spade), his aging Arch nemesis Yzma (Eartha Kitt) and the happy peasant Pacha (John Goodman ). This not just an animated film, it’s an animated adventure through the soul.

“Animated?” you say with your nose in the air, “Aren’t those films for children?” Neh! Throughout history there have been plenty of animated films that tugged at your heartstrings and stirred your soul. The Lion King was Disney’s take of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet, Bambi had you crying within the first 10 minutes as you see a poor deer becoming an Orphan, Aladdin taught us that love conquers all if you have a magical genie by your side. Animation is as much a child’s love, as it is an adults. The subject matter in these animated film which are often associated with children are often too deep and meaningful for them. Such is the case for The Emperor’s New Groove.

Emperor Kuzco plays a tyrannical, egotistical smart-ass who rules over a small kingdom in a temperate area of the world, probably South America. In one of his ego-maniacal fits he decides to fire an aging bitter ,old, power hungry woman named Eyzma who then has fantasies of great revenge against her former employer. She has a dim-witted sidekick named Kronk who would rather work on his cooking skills than do great villainy.

In his tyranny Emperor Kuzco decides to build a summer resort called “Kuzcotopia” on top of a high hill, the problem? People live on this high hill. When the people, particularly the villager known as Pacha, decide to protest against the building of his resort, because they will be essentially homeless if this place gets built, he orders a banishment on them. Eyzma eventually gets her revenge plan in order, however she mistakes the “death” potion for the “llama” potion. Therefore llama Kuzco decides to hide in the jungle, fearing for his life, until Pacha rescues him and decides to help him. Interesting that unlike most Disney films, the main character is a jerk who we initially don’t care for, and the sidekick eventually saves the main character from a life of loneliness and misery.

The Emperor’s New Groove is a very good study about the stages of Grief. When Kuzco is turned into a llama, therefore losing his palace, his money, his body and every right as a human being,  he feels great loss. Initially he constantly cries in the jungle and begins the Kohbler-Ross model regarding the stages of grief.  First denial, then anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. Kuzco hates his llama body, initially he feels that it’s a dream, this can’t be happening, he’s the emperor! He feels that there is no hope in getting out of this body and he refuses to adapt. Eventually he becomes accepting of the fact that he’s now a llama and the only way he can possibly become a human again is by using his llama body to help himself and his newfound comrade Pacha, get through the treacherous obstacles of the jungle.

This film should appeal to all religious people as it follows the Golden Rule to a tee, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Pacha has no reason to help the egotistical Emperor Kuzco become free from his llama body, in-fact if Pacha left Kuzco to die in the jungle all his problems would be solved. He would no longer have to worry about being homeless because of the upcoming demolition of his home due to “Kuzcotopia”. Pacha helps the tyrannical emperor because he believes it is the right thing to do. He believes, of all else, in the goodness of mankind. Perhaps this film is supposed to assure us that not all men are evil, not all people think about themselves and that mankind is redeemable. Surely the somewhat sociopathic Kuzco is able to turn a new leaf, what is stopping you?

In conclusion, I feel that The Emporer’s New Groove is a fascinating and funny yet underrated Disney film. It has great heart and generates great hope for the future of mankind. Good can overcome evil and good can overcome tyranny.  Perhaps many can disagree, but I hope you don’t disagree just because you feel this is a “children’s” film. Do not underestimate the power of animation in relation to the soul. 3/5