The Emperor’s New Groove is ironically hailed as an underrated Disney movie nowadays, with a resonant story and stellar humor — albeit with some jokes that are shockingly dark, in retrospect. The unique animated movie that is only sort of a musical follows spoiled Emperor Kuzco (David Spade), who is turned into a llama by his vengeful former advisor Yzma (Eartha Kitt), and finds himself dependent on a peasant who has no reason to want to help him to survive the treacherous jungle. This is also one of John Goodman’s best Disney movies, as the frequent studio collaborator voices Pacha.

Kuzco and Pacha’s relationship is one to remember, as it painstakingly shows how Kuzco grows as a person through seeing how Pacha acts compᴀssionately, despite how little Kuzco has cared about the people under his rule. However, undeniably what has made this movie such a popular cult classic is the comedy. From bizarre one-liners to blunt fourth-wall breaks, The Emperor’s New Groove is a truly wild ride with a sᴀssy personality. However, one theory points out that a particular comedic moment is potentially downright terrifying.

An Animal That Dies In The Emperor’s New Groove May Have Been A Person

Wait, Why Can That Fly Speak?

The crux of this movie’s conflict and comedy is Yzma’s collection of potions that can turn people into various animals. Thus, we get all of Kuzco’s unfortunate llama misadventures, Yzma’s even more chaotic presence as a kitten, and iconic lines like: “I’ve been turned into a cow. Can I go home?” However, things start out with Kuzco accidentally ending up in the back of Pacha’s cart, and Pacha making it home before he even realizes that Kuzco is there. Refusing to bargain with Pacha for guidance, Kuzco decides he can walk home through the jungle by himself.

Almost immediately, he realizes this was a mistake, as he is chilled by the various creepy-crawly sounds. He is also disturbed watching a fly get eaten by a spider. What’s noteworthy for the theory is that the fly is heard repeatedly saying “help me” as the spider draws closer. Via Seventeen, one viewer once theorized that this fly was also a person turned into an animal/insect, and we watch him get eaten alive in this supposedly light-hearted Disney movie. It’s supposed to be humorous because of how in over his head Kuzco is, but the fly certainly didn’t feel that way.

This theory makes a harrowing amount of sense. Namely, because the only animals we see speak in The Emperor’s New Groove are those we know are people who have been transformed: Kuzco, Yzma, and the guards. We see quite a few other, “regular” animals, including llamas, panthers, and squirrels, who only make animal noises. Becoming an animal also doesn’t grant one the ability to understand all the fauna, as Kuzco still struggles to communicate with the squirrel, and what he says to the llamas and panthers seems to mean nothing to them.

Many Disney Movies Appear Much Darker Upon Close Examination

We’ve Gotten Very Good At Ignoring Disney’s Darker Tropes

Disney is no stranger to making jokes for adults that will go over most kids’ heads, so they can usually get away with it. Additionally, many of the overarching plots have much darker undertones that don’t fully sink in with most audiences when the story is being told through the lens of another fantastical Disney movie. Essentially every Disney protagonist has lost a parent, but the studio has long succeeded in marketing itself as the happy-go-lucky fantasy brand, so we usually don’t register the implications of such plot points.

Disney villains’ most evil plans include Gothel kidnapping and gaslighting Rapunzel into being her willingly imprisoned source of immortality; Scar murdering a family member; Frollo abusing and lusting after Esmerelda, and so on. Disney movies tell some pretty dark stories, which is part of what helps them endure, as we are forced to contemplate the deeper themes beyond the typically tragic tropes. The Emperor’s New Groove‘s spider/fly scene doesn’t really do this when the story is about Kuzco’s redemption, but it at least gives him a sense of how lucky he was as a human.

Source: Seventeen