THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE and Self Love vs. Narcissism

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. 😂😂😂

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.

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.

I always liked that Kuzco isn’t portrayed as stupid, he’s cleary intelligent. He’s just immature & impulsive

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.

The more I watch Cinema Therapy, the more I keep thinking to myself, “Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”

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.

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 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.

This channel has been paramount for my ongoing emotional maturity arc.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

There is some great humor and the character development and writing is fantastic.

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.

"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!!!

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.

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.