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The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

Description: In this animated comedy from the folks at Disney, the vain and cocky Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) is a very busy man. Besides maintaining his “groove”, and firing his suspicious administrator, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), he’s also planning to build a new waterpark just for himself for his birthday. However, this means destroying one of the villages in his kingdom. Meanwhile, Yzma is hatching a plan to get revenge and usurp the throne. But, in a botched assassination courtesy of Yzma’s right-hand man, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), Kuzco is magically transformed into a llama. Now, Kuzco finds himself the property of Pacha, a lowly llama herder whose home is ground zero for the water park. Upon discovering the llama’s true self, Pacha offers to help resolve the Emperor’s problem and regain his throne, only if he promises to move his water park.
Director: Mark Dindal
Writers: Chris Williams (story by), Mark Dindal (story by)
Stars: David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt

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Trivia

Patrick Warburton improvised when Kronk hummed his own theme song when he was carrying Kuzco (David Spade) in the bag to the waterfall. Disney’s legal department had Warburton sign all rights to the humming composition over to them.

Pacha’s (John Goodman’s) wife, Chicha (Wendie Malick), is pregnant. According to the DVD commentary, this is the first Disney animated feature to show a pregnant woman.

Pacha’s name means “Earth” in the Incan language. This could refer to his round shape, his green poncho, and/or his down-to-earth personality.

Two subtle visual jokes: when Yzma (Eartha Kitt) pours the “drink” into the cactus plant, after Kuzco’s (David Spade’s) neck transforms, the cactus turns into the shape of a llama. When Kronk (Patrick Warburton) is trying to hide in the background with Kuzco in the bag, the scene pulls back to reveal a painting of two figures pointing at Kronk.

In the scene where Kuzco and Pacha are searching through the various potions, Pacha says, “Lions, tigers, bears” then when they come upon the potion for humans, it is missing and Yzma says “oh my.” Together this creates a line from The Wizard of Oz (1939). According to producer Randy Fullmer and director Mark Dindal, they were forced to use this joke, which they detested, by then-head of Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher.

In the scene where Pacha is carrying Kuzco through the jungle, Pacha and Kuzco discuss Kuzco having low blood sugar. This is an in-joke about the fact that David Spade, who plays Kuzco, is hypoglycemic in real life.

Kuzco was named after the ancient capital of the Incas, Cuzco. The city still exists in the Andes mountains in southern Peru, at an elevation of 11,200 feet (3,200 meters).

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