The Analysis in the Movie The Emperor’s New Groove

NASIONALISME.NET, JAKARTA — In the movie The Emperor’s New Groove, the main character’s personalities are changed through the conflict he experiences. The movie is directed by Mark Dindal (2000), with a character named Kuzco, an emperor, as the main character. Kuzco is portrayed as an emperor who is arrogant, self-centered, and does not care about others around him. Kuzco treats the people around him arbitrarily. One of his attitudes is that he wants to build Kuzcotopia, a summer vacation spot as his birthday present in Pacha’s village, precisely in his house. Although Pacha rejected the plan, Kuzco still wanted to build it and did not care about Pacha’s approval.

With his power as a partial emperor, Kuzco was selfish and abused his power against everyone, especially Pacha.

Kuzco: At my birthday celebration tomorrow, I give the word, and your town will be destroyed to make way for this

Kuzco: So if I you, I’d pick up some change of address forms on the way home

Pacha: But… But… Um, where will we live

Kuzco: Hm, don’t know, don’t care how’s that.

(Dindal, 2000, 00:09:32-00:10:12)

Figure 1

Kuzco as a Selfish Emperor

The conversation reveals Kuzco’s selfish abuse of power as he destroys Pacha’s village without regard for the residents, especially Pacha. Kuzco’s sarcastic and indifferent response to Pacha’s concerns shows how disconnected he is from reality and how arrogant he is as a ruler. The medium two-shot framing that places Kuzco and Pacha in one frame emphasizes their emotional contrast (Figure 1). Kuzco’s cheerful and contented facial expression contrasts with Pacha’s shocked and helpless expression, which reinforces the visual power imbalance. The bright red and gold colors of Kuzco’s clothing symbolize wealth and dominance, while Pacha’s green and brown colors reflect his humility and simplicity. The deep red color of the background not only emphasizes the atmosphere of oppression but also builds a sense of impending doom, in line with Kuzco’s decision to sacrifice the lives of others for his pleasure.

Kuzco’s selfish nature caused many people to get hurt, including the Emperor’s advisor named Yzma, whom he fired. Not accepting that, Yzma finally trapped Kuzco and turned him into a llama. After turning into a llama, Pacha accidentally carried Kuzco away. At the beginning of his transformation into a llama, Kuzco was still bad and arrogant towards Pacha.

Pacha: Wait, wait-how can you be this way? All you care about is building your summer home and filling it with stuff for you!

Kuzco: Uh, yeah, doing me. Everyone else in the kingdom gets it. You’re the only one that doesn’t seem to be with the program, Pacha.

(Dindal, 2000, 00:32:15- 00:32:51)

Figure 2

Kuzco’s Selfishness Confronted

The conversation reveals Kuzco’s egocentric worldview as he dismisses Pacha’s concern with a self-centered response. The medium two-shot with deep focus framing captures both Kuzco in the foreground and Pacha in the background clearly, emphasizing the emotional and physical distance between them (Figure 2). Kuzco’s smug and indifferent facial expression reinforces his arrogance, while Pacha’s tense and frustrated stance shows his moral opposition. The contrasting positions in the frame Kuzco facing away and Pacha confronting him-visually represent their ideological clash. The dim, bluish tones of the forest setting enhance the mood of isolation and conflict, underscoring Kuzco’s disconnection from the community and the natural world around him.

As Kuzco tries to return to his human form, Kuzco experiences an important transformation from an arrogant to one who can empathise and appreciate others. Kuzco said, “Hey, Pacha, listen. When I said to you back at the dinner, that I didn’t really…” (Mark Dindal, director, 00:56:49-00:56:55). Although hesitant and awkward, Kuzco’s statement implies a sincere apology, showing his regret for his actions.

Figure 3

Kuzco’s Emotional Shift Begins

Eye-level medium shot in this scene highlights Kuzco and Pacha during their reunion by capturing their body language and emotional expressions. The dominant colour of green emphasises nature and calmness.

After he returned to his human form, Kuzco treated others very differently. Kuzco became less arrogant, more friendly, and behaved well with others, including the people he had mistreated in the past.

Figure 4

Kuzco Learns to Show Kindness

In this scene, Kuzco is seen holding an old man’s shoulder in a warmer and friendlier manner. Smiling and tilting his head casually, he says, “Okay buddy, be careful… He’s a good guy” (Dindal, 2000, 01:10:17-01:10:21), showing his friendliness. This gesture is a far cry from the arrogant attitude he showed at the beginning of the movie now he shows sincerity and empathy, although still in his typical relaxed style. The image’s composition uses a medium two-shot from the side that frames the two characters with the interior elements of the palace, such as the red curtain and the gold wall in the background, to emphasize the friendly gesture. The red and gold colors are still striking, but now function not as symbols of Kuzco’s power but as a neutral backdrop that contrasts with the intimacy of this moment. The open curtains signify Kuzco’s growing openness of heart.

In conclusion, “The Emperor’s New Groove” reflects Kuzco’s significant transformation from a selfish emperor focused solely on himself to a more empathetic and considerate individual. The “new groove” refers not only to Kuzco’s physical change but also to his new, more positive way of living and represents the major shift in his character.

References

• Dindal, M. (Director). (2000). The Emperor’s New Groove [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures.

• Isniati. (2006). Power abuse in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield: A Marxist approach [Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta]. UMS Eprints. http://eprints.ums.ac.id/5599/

Writer: Neni Nuraeni

Editor: Erna Fitri, Tim NASIONALISME.net