“The Emperor’s New Groove,” A Movie that Teaches Ethics

*Authors are Ann Anosike and Katie Schultz

The movie, The Emperor’s New Groove, is an enchanting tale that follows the story of an initially selfish, egotistic, and vain young emperor, Kuzco, who is consumed by his own wishes and desires. But then, this friendless, self-absorbed man undergoes a life changing journey after a jealous rival turns him into a llama. As a llama, Kuzco is forced to rely on the help of a generous, caring, village leader, Pacha, in order to return safely to his empire and to turn back into a human.

Things are more complicated. Kuzco had previously wronged Pacha by taking his land (more below). Even as a llama he is initially demanding and unconcerned with Pacha’s feelings, Kuzco lies to the kind Pacha in order to manipulate him into helping him return home safely. Nevertheless, as the two unlikely companions cooperate to achieve a shared goal, a friendship forms and Pacha teaches the emperor the value of relationships and what it means to care for others. In sum, the story shows how love can melt a frozen heart.

We examined the ethics portrayed in the movie according to four components: ethical sensitivity, ethical judgment, ethical motivation/focus, and ethical action. While some of the characters, namely Pacha, are perpetual exemplars of ethical behaviors, others, like Kuzco, undergo a gradual evolution to learn ethical values. At the beginning of the tale, Kuzco is especially insensitive to ethical issues. For example, he is unable to analyze the impact of his actions on others or to consider alternative courses of actions beside those which benefit himself (evident by his desire to build a summer home on top of the house of villagers’ homes). Clearly, he is incapable of judging which actions are the most moral (ethical judgment) due to his disregard for other people’s feelings. Instead, his own self-interest motivates him.

In contrast, Pacha exemplifies ethical sensitivity. Despite the fact that Kuzco wishes to destroy his home, when Kuzco is in need of Pacha’s help Pacha readily complies. He recognizes that, without his assistance, the llama/emperor would likely die in the forest. Pacha puts aside his own needs for the sake of the correct action (demonstrating both sensitivity and judgment). Pacha champions ethical focus because he prioritizes Kuzco’s life and safe return over the benefit he would receive if the emperor never returned. Notably, not only does Pacha demonstrate ethical behaviors, but he also models them to Kuzco who eventually learns them himself. Through the mentorship of Pacha, Kuzco begins to develop these skills and apply them. The wise and compassionate village leader teaches the young emperor to learn how to take notice of others’ distress (sensitivity), how to judge the best course of action (ethical judgment) and how to focus and carry out the action (focus and implementation).

Ethical growth. While Kuzco’s moral development becomes gradually evident over the course of the movie, his transformation is obvious when faced with a very difficult decision; does he grab the potion to transform him back into the human, or save Pacha’s from falling to his death. At the beginning of the story, it is obvious that the selfish Kuzco would have prioritized his own needs over the life of Pacha; however, by the end of the movie, Kuzco has been shown true affection and friendship. When confronted with this decision, Kuzco identifies the dilemma (sensitivity), chooses to save his friend over retuning to his human form (judgment), and jumps to save Pacha and prioritizes this decision while his salvation falls out of his grasp (focus and judgment).

These ethical components do not develop spontaneously, but require various factors in order to come about. Importantly, Kuzco is presented with multiple opportunities to improve his moral behavior.

Ethical sensitivity is increased by spending time identifying ethical problems and understanding all of the components. On the journey form Pacha’s hill back to the palace, the two companions encounter multiple scenarios that were novel for the young emperor; essentially, he learns what it means to cooperate with others to ensure survival with the guidance of a knowledgeable expert.
Kuzco’s ethical reasoning is augmented through a wide number of experiences. For instance, the whole journey represents one large cognitive conflict for the emperor; bit-by-bit he began to realize that his own interests should not be prioritized over those of others. Additionally, seeing the world from another perspective (Pacha’s) and spending so much time getting to know another person outside of his immediate circle, allowed him to open his mind to how his actions would affect the feeling and well being of others.

Virtues and vices in the movie. The movie’s themes are reflected in the multitude of virtues and vices presented in the story. In the young, ignorant emperor there is selfishness, vanity, untrustworthiness, anger and arrogance. He reacts heatedly when things do not go away, puts himself on a pedestal, and manipulates other for his own needs. He also lacks empathy and ability to relate to others, evident by his hatred of being touched. The situation is not hopeless, because with the mentorship of Pacha, he learns kindness, friendship, forgiveness and compassion. At the end, he apologizes to those he has wronged and becomes a more ethically perceptive person, demonstrated by his decision not to build his summer retreat on Pacha’s home and later sharing it with the community. Pacha is the virtuous figure, demonstrating cooperation with his enemy, courage in the face of danger, unlimited love and kindness to his family, and honesty even when dealing with a dishonest companion.

This is not to say that Pacha is the perfect virtuous exemplar; he too has his vices. At times, Pacha acts out in anger due to Kuzco’s selfish and untrustworthy nature. Nevertheless, the wise and compassionate mentor self calms and puts the situation in perspective to return to his moral obligation. It can be assumed that the initial differences between these two characters stem from their filial relationships as well as early development. Pacha has lived in the same house as multiple generations f his family has; his house holds markings of families past and he is in touch with who he is and where he came from. Kuzco, on the other hand has no direct familial contact or warm relationships. Finally, the villain of the story, Yyzma, is an obvious representation of how vices can destroy a person. This merciless, hateful woman demonstrated unkindness and cruelty and a selfishness disposition. In the end, however, she is permanently transformed into a cat, a possible metaphor for her lost humanity due to her incessant cruelty.

The movie emphasizes the overall message of self-improvement. Two themes stood out for us:

(1) Love can melt a frozen heart. No one is a lost cause! An initially difficult person to deal with may just be misunderstood due to the life they have led and the difficulties they have encountered. As shown briefly in the beginning of the movie, the emperor did not grow up with adequate companionship care or responsive parenting. The cruel, cold-hearted Yyzma seems to have been the closest thing he has to a caregiver, explaining how he lacks empathy and compassion. Narvaez (2014, chapter 4) says that “babies discover relationship and meaning in collaborative communication from the first day of life. The child is born expecting a conversational partner.” It appears that Kuzco received none of these benefits as a child, explaining his initial lack of “face-to-face compassionate morality” and his poor emotional intelligence and stress regulation.

(2) Relationships help one learn sensitivity and compassion. The movie emphasizes how getting to know someone on a deeper level can change one’s perceptions about life and their own values. Pacha is a wonderful mentor because he possesses the skills and capacities that Kuzco needs to develop moral virtues. Pacha himself is a father, the village leader, and a moral, kind person. He is patient in his interactions with the insolent emperor, allowing Kuzco to develop his “best self” through modeling and teaching. The relationship seen in the movie is both caring and supportive, and thus it thrives. According to Narvaez (2014, chapter 11), self-authorship and work with mentors are the two principal ways in which people can “reconnect with one’s beingness in the world.”

*Ann Anosike and Katie Schultz are undergraduates in the class of 2016 at the University of Notre Dame

Reference

Narvaez, D., (2014.) Neurobiology and the development of human morality: Evolution, culture, and wisdom. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.