Yzma

DisneyChar
name = Yzma
caption = Yzma and Kronk
first appearance ="The Emperor's New Groove" (2000)
created by = Mark Dindal
voiced by = Eartha Kitt
aliases = Principal Amzy
relatives = Azma - Mother, Zim and Zam - Great Nephews, Alma - 16-year old daughter, Yuma - 12-year old son, Ozma - 8-year old daughter
friends = Kronk (original)
rivals = Kuzco, Pacha, Kronk (sequels)

Yzma ("ēz-mā") is the primary antagonist in Disney's "The Emperor's New Groove", which was released in 2000. Her role is continued into the direct-to-video sequel, "Kronk's New Groove" and the spin-off television series "The Emperor's New School". In all of her appearances, she is voiced by Eartha Kitt.

Character

Yzma's character in the series is seen to be malicious, but comically eccentric, often calling herself beautiful even though all other characters in the series consider her appearance revolting. In the commentary on the "Emperor's New Groove", the film producers stated that she is a complicated thinker; an example given with her original plan to kill Emperor Kuzco. Her original plan involved her turning him into a flea, and then mailing him to herself only to smash him with a hammer.

Like all characters in the "Emperor's New Groove", Yzma's appearance was stated by the filmmakers to resemble her voice actress. Even though Yzma's character was described to be "scary beyond all reason", in one scene in the movie she is seen without her eyelashes and jewelry on, and the filmmakers were afraid that her voice actress Eartha Kitt would be offended that Yzma was so ugly, but were relieved when she laughed hysterically at the character's appearance in that scene. Yzma's color theme was stated to be purple, being that purple is a color often associated with villians. Her character is also surrounded with animals like snakes and cats, which are considered to be signs of evil in numerous religions throughout the world.

Yzma is seen to have some knowledge in chemistry, as she accidentally uses extract from llama on Kuzco, thinking that it was poison. Kronk in the first film states that she should re-label her potions, because everything she makes in her "secret lab" has the exact same pinkish color. It is suggested that Yzma can use magic, however, this is never shown.

Reception

Eartha Kitt commented that she "adored" Yzma, because "she goes after what she wants". Indeed, Yzma is a ruthless and heartless villain, but is also an over-the-top, flamboyant diva. She has the cunning wit to conjur up evil schemes.

Role in the Story

Originally serving as the Emperor Kuzco's advisor, she is later fired after meddling in his affairs and attempting to act as Empress in his absence. Enraged at her banishment, Yzma conspires with her dim-witted assistant Kronk to dispose of Kuzco. The two head to the "secret lab" -- which apparently everybody already knows about -- to concoct a plan to kill Kuzco. Her original idea was to transform Kuzco into "A flea, a harmless little flea. And then, I'll put that flea in a box, then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself. And when it arrives,*maniacal laugh* I'll smash it with a hammer!" But after thinking it over, she decides to save on postage and simply poison him. The concept of her formulating a nonsensical plan before settling on an easier-to-pull-off idea (always a potion) would later be used as a running gag on the series.

Like most Disney super villains (i.e. Jafar, Scar, Judge Claude Frollo), she comes up with grandiose plans and schemes with a set objective in mind but fails to pay attention to the minor details of it. More often than not it causes the scheme to backfire on her. For example in the episode "Officer Kronk", she, as Principal Amzy, makes Kronk the campus police chief in order to trap Kuzco into indiscretions that would get him expelled. She fails to take into account Kuzco's deviousness and Kronk's dimwittedness. As a result she ends up in the school jail with everyone else.

In "The Emperor's New School" episode, Monster Masquerade, Yzma takes a cobra form similar to Jafar's from the Classic Disney film "Aladdin". Yzma possesses many of Kuzco's more negative traits including impatience, selfishness and vanity.

Another major running gag in the movie and series is the lever to the lab, which she more often than not triggers with her catch phrase "To the secret lab!" What follows is her commanding Kronk to pull the lever, which usually results in him pulling the wrong lever, causing something to happen for comedic effect. For example, in the movie, when this happens, Yzma falls through a trap door and into a moat below, while screaming "Wrong lever!". She returns, detaching a crocodile from her dress, and mutters, "Why do we even "have" that lever?!" (the same thing happens to Kuzco as a llama) Afterwards, Yzma and Kronk (or whoever is pulling off the routine) go through a roller coaster, which in The Emperor's New School also have running gags such as you need a ticket, that deposits them in the secret lab, wearing lab coats. This gag now comes back to the TV series.

Yzma also appears in the direct-to-DVD sequel "Kronk's New Groove". She is also a regular on the spin-off Disney Channel TV series "The Emperor's New School", where she tries to make Kuzco fail his classes. In the series, she is undercover as Principal Amzy. As a running gag, Kronk can never seem to remember that she and Principal Amzy are one and the same, in spite of how obvious it is ("Amzy" is Yzma's name spelled backwards). Yzma also has the unique ability to change into any thing she desire by pulling her oufit as demonstrated in the ENS episode Kuzclone where she turns into things like a clown and a sea monster wearing a top hat playing a tuba.

In the "Emperor's New Groove" soundtrack, Yzma has a song called "Snuff Out The Light", which was cut out from the movie when the plot of her trying to block out the sun was removed from the story.

In "The Emperor's New School", some of Yzma's known relatives appear at times. They (so far) include her twin nephews, Zim and Zam, (voiced by Dylan and Cole Sprouse) who appear in "Chipmunky Business", and her mother Azma, (voiced by Ellen Albertini Dow) who appears in "The Bride of Kuzco" and looks just as ancient looking as Yzma (possibly even more so) and converses by sighs and chuckles.

In one scene in the movie, where Yzma and Kronk are trapped inside a closet, one can see that Yzma's eyes, after she loses her patience, have a spiraling effect. This is perhaps an allusion to Jafar, whose eyes have the same effect when he is triumphant (notably directly following his reprise of Prince Ali).

Potions Yzma has been affected by throughout her life

*Kitten (The Emperor's New Groove, retained the tail in Kronk's New Groove, Mudka's Secret Recipe)
*Rabbit (Kronk's New Groove)
*Llama (Kuzclone, only mentioned)
*Scary beyond all reason (The Mystery of Pichu Macchu, never worked because she was already)
*Kuzcogartener named DaMazy (Kuzcogarten)
*Giant cobra (Monster Masquerade)
*Skunk (Ramon's a Crowd, only mentioned)
*Buzzard (Mudka's Secret Recipe)
*Spider (Mudka's Secret Recipe)
*Kangaroo (Mudka's Secret Recipe)
*Flying Squirrel (Mudka's Secret Recipe)
*Crab (Mudka's Secret Recipe)
*Gorilla (Mudka's Secret Recipe)
*Voice changing spray (sounds like an actor and then Kronk, Emperor's New School Musical)
*Her teenage self (Cool Summer)
*Elephant (Yzma Be Gone)
*Smilodon (Yzma Be Gone)
*Chinese Dragon (Yzma Be Gone)
*Giant worm (Yzma Be Gone)

Trivia

*In the movie it is revealed that Yzma is bald and has no eyelashes. (This can clearly be seen when Kronk barges into her tent, as her hair and eyelashes are hanging on a coat rack and are also absent from her face.) This was also seen in the episode Kronk Moves In and the season finale, Yzmapolis.
*In the movie's end, Yzma is turned into a cat. In "Kronk's New Groove", she is human again, but still has a fluffy gray cat tail. However, the tail is not shown in the series.
* She also has false teeth shown in the pilot episode when they fall out of her mouth.
*Yzma has many similarities to the evil, ancient hag Gagool in King Solomon's Mines. Both are ancient beyond belief, and both work as advisors to their countries kings, though they are really conspiring against them.

References

*Hill, Jim (September 2000). "The Long Story Behind the Emperor's New Groove". "LaughingPlace.com". Retrieved [http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID115140.asp part 1] and [http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID115160.asp part 2] on February 6, 2006.
* " [http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,4120,437902,00.html Light, Danny (Feb. 14, 2001). "Llama drama." "Guardian Unlimited". Retrieved on February 6, 2006.]