The Emperor's New School (2006–2008) User Reviews

Not so bad!

[wisherc13 · 6/10 · 22 April 2008]

So I don't understand why everyone seems to be complaining about this show on here... I've only been watching it a short time, and it's pretty different from the movie, but it IS good for laughs and usually fairly entertaining.

No, it's not the top show on television, but it does its job (make you giggle- and occasionally chortle- as long as you don't take it too seriously), and does it well! The plot lines are generally entertaining, the characters always amusing, and the experience of watching the show is generally pleasurable.

Great for younger kids, and even some older folks who are still young at heart :)

Hmmm?

[furienna · 8/10 · 22 September 2006]

While I understood, that this show is too weird to please everybody, I don't get where all these bad reviews come from, and I'm most surprised over the bad reviews, that it has gotten from fans of the movies. I liked it and got hooked on it since the first episode I watched. It's a little messed up though, that Kuzco was put into school. And it seems to be High School rather than College. But I guess he's only eighteen, right, so it's not like he's too old to get educated? And haven't the royals always had to get the best education avaible to them? So the "Kuzco has to graduate, or he won't become emperor" thing doesn't sound too weird for me. And I guess his education was neglected before, so that's why he has to be educated now.

Not as good as the film, but a worthy series still

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 5 September 2010]

Right, first things first, The Emperor's New School is not the best show on Disney, neither is it the worst. And is it as good as the film The Emperor's New Groove? No it isn't. But to be fair I wasn't expecting it to be, as the film was one of Disney's funniest, original and heartfelt films and by far and away one of the better post-Renaissance Disney movies. That said, this is a worthy and somewhat interesting series.

True, some of the story lines are on the repetitive and shallow side, and Kuzco can be a while to get used to at first as he is much more arrogant and self-centred(he can be rather dumb on occasions too) than he is in the movie to the point he is irritating, plus some of the episodes are a tad rushed. However, I loved the concept, it wasn't COMPLETELY original but it was an interesting concept at that.

The animation is beautiful, smooth, colourful and crisp as I like it, especially in the backgrounds. The characters can occasionally I agree be sugarcoated, but they are mostly sharp. The music is funky and memorable, while the writing is funny. Yes some of the jokes are taken from the original movie, but the delivery is fresh making it funny. And the voice acting is great. Patrick Warburton does a great job reprising his role as the clumsy but very likable Kronk, but the real kudos goes to Eartha Kitt who plays the villainess Yzma to hilarious perfection.

In conclusion, not brilliant but I like it- it is fun and interesting. Conversely if you want something more original and, dare I say it, funnier see the movie. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Surprisingly Good Disney Channel Series

[phil2005 · 3 February 2006]

At first, I wasn't sure how good this show was going to be. I mean, the previews made it look pretty lame. But to my surprise, when I watched the first episode, I found myself laughing several times. JP Manoux does a good job filling in as the voice of Kuzco for David Spade in my opinion. Pacha's voice needs help, but it's still passable. The new character, Malina, fits in without a flaw. And of course, Yzma and Kronk are back to try to make sure Kuzco fails, and they provide tons of laughs throughout each episode. They do re-use some of the jokes and lines from the movie in the first episode, but they don't much in the other episodes. I recommend that everyone at least check out one episode. I don't think you will be sorry. I'm not.

Rare well made spin off

[policy134 · 7/10 · 14 March 2009]

Spin-offs, for somebody who don't know, are not usually successful because most of the original characters are absent.

Here they are and you couldn't ask for a better ensemble in what is essentially a silly little cartoon, not meant to do anything but entertain.

J. P. Manoux, replacing David Spade, does an admirable job of retaining Kuzco's ego and yet not seem as annoying as Spade's character (a character Spade has done for decades and gets on one's nerves after a while). He has a softer voice but it fits somehow.

Eartha Kitt, reprising her part as Yzma, is brilliant. She hasn't really been given much accolades since her turn as Batwoman centuries ago, except maybe for her vile part in Boomerang. It's funny how much the character looks like her, though.

And Patrick Warburton. There is no way that he can't be funny, except when he was thoroughly wasted in Men in Black 2. I have been a fan of his since Seinfeld but unlike that character, he plays a genuine likable guy who is sucked into doing not so nice things.

The animation is really beautiful as all Disney usually is but sometimes the character design is a little too sugarcoated. Oh, well. Two out of three ain't bad.

Pretty solid, not as good as movie but still worthy for a watch!

[potatoperson-59692 · 7/10 · 19 March 2022]

I'd give this a 7.5/10. Okay. The first few episodes (like 1-3) do re-use jokes, and are probably the worst out of the series, however, I'd say after the 3rd episodes it got pretty good. The jokes from season 1-2 are actually pretty smart! Sure, there's a few hit and misses but overall it's actually really funny.

One problem I do have sometimes the jokes can be TOO on the nose, but it doesn't happen all the time.

The characters stay pretty consistent to their personalities (though with Kuzco, he does miss that dry delivery and sarcasm, but he still has it a little, here and there.) I find Yzma and Kronks dynamic pretty funny. Definitely one of the best parts off the series, it's just so good. They both stay pretty consistent to their characters.

I like Malina, I find her generally likeable. She downsized Kuzco pretty well, making him a more likeable character facing consequences. Also playing as a foil to him as a character, which I like. (She COULD have been based off of Mata, actually,)

The animation is not as good as the movie, however, it still has its charm. It works for the humour they go with. They do sprinkle hints of fluid smooth animation throughout episodes! The backgrounds get much better in late season 1 to season 2.

Give it a watch!

Good writing and voice acting but ruined by low budget animation

[petronius79 · 6/10 · 25 January 2024]

In one episode they make even a self-parody when Kuzco mentions that this is the first time they use that sort of special effects.

I could not believe the dip in production quality in animation and backgrounds after Lilo and Stitch TV series. That series had wonderful animation and beautiful water color backgrounds.

But here animation and design feel like low budget and unworthy of a Disney series based on a traditionally animated movie. Series does not even try to keep the quality of the movie or its video sequel. Unfortunately this also influences the writing and humour in some episodes as the characters are far too static and bland looking.

It was the last Disney series aired on ABC channel so this probably also played a role.

Also it feels like a worse version of Hercules the animated series that also takes place in school settings but difference there is that there are far more characters and villains and they are much better and memorable overall and with higher production values too.

Here only Kuzco, Kronk and Yzma stand out.

While it was not the first series to try and distance itself from the traditional design as 101 Dalmatians in 1997 did it first. But difference was that the animation there was leaps and bounds better compared to New School.

While first season of New School was rather forgettable, the moment Tony Craig returned as a director in season 2, the episodes got much better despite the low budget design and animation that would be more fit for other Disney series, not the supposed flagship ones.

I really liked the humour and dialogues in this series. They even make a reference to the Benny Hill Show (without the spicy moments of course, but still quite daring). And to my liking, this must be the only animated series where chinchillas are featured in so many episodes in one way or another.

But having grown with the classic Disney TV series, this would be hard to recommend for a rewatch. It clearly targets the audiences that grew and liked series with less detailed animation and backgrounds. But if Disney stopped producing such series like Lilo and Stitch and starts following other studio's cheaper trends, it is a sad thing to see.

Great show, if you try.

[brandyxwhiskers · 10/10 · 10 June 2008]

Original Movie lovers can actually love this show, if they just stop complaining all the time.

The Emperor's New School brings up some old jokes from the movie, like pulling the lever to Yzma's lab and Kuzco pausing the episode. But since it's a kids show, it's just classic and is in their right places. Even though the style is much more simple, the animation and characters keeps their personalities very well and it surprised me, actually. Eartha Kitt makes excellent voice acting for Yzma and J.P Manoux does a wonderful job for Kuzco's voice instead of David Spade, who played Kuzco in the movie. Great plots, hilarious moments and Kuzco's amazing looks makes this show worth watching. (Just stop complaining about everything!)

Emperor's New School

[kerri-84 · 2/10 · 8 July 2007]

First when does this storyline take place? It has to take place after the first movie because Kuzco knows Pacha and Chicha has her third child but it can't take place after the second movie because doesn't Kronk get a girlfriend or wife or something? You never see her in the show.

Also, why is Kuzco going to school? The whole plot of the show is that Kuzco is going to school so that he can be emperor. But wasn't he emperor before this? And who's emperor while he learning to be emperor? Shouldn't that be Yzma? Or was Yzma fired in this time line already? And if that true why is waiting for him to fail to become empresses? Plus, you know in the first movie he said he was trained from birth to be an emperor by private tutors. So he should kinda know what he's doing.

Kronk. Why is Kronk a student? He's around 25 they stated that in the first movie. He's an adult going to high school. Does everyone think he's a moron? I really like Kronk but I think because of his age and because everyone know that he is working for Yzma he should have been a teacher. Being a Home Ec teacher would be right up his alley.

Malina, is very unlikable. She suppose to be Kuzco's love interest/moral compass. But a lot of time, she comes off bossy and know it all. She commonly says thinks I like "I should be proud because I am pretty and smart".

She has ESP when it comes to Kuzco and knows whenever he's in trouble, when he's cheating, or even when he sings the Hot Hot Hottie song in his head even though she does cheer leading, school newspaper and keeps straight A+ in all of her classes.

She seems more interested in using her prettiness to get Kuzco to do the right thing and do well in school then dating him. In fact, she seems more motherly to Kuzco then a love interest.

Yzma. As I bought up before Yzma is trying to get Kuzco to fail so she become empresses. Not sure how that's suppose to work with being fired and all. Yzma seems to be reliving the first movie in every episode. In almost every show that she appears in she turns Kuzco into an animal in hopes of having him fail a class. (There are only 3 times that I can think of that that didn't happen.) The jokes about Yzma being old aren't as clever in the show as they were the movie. And classic jokes about Yzma are used to death in the show (like the "Pull the level, Krunk!", roller-coaster, and the lab).

Also, some other points that don't make sense in this series. The fact that whenever Kuzco is assigned something everyone acts like this assignment will make him pass or fail the class but he seems to pass every assignment given to him. So why does one assignment matter so much?

Seriously, who is ruling the kingdom while this is going on? Do they have a consul or a steward? You never see anyone ruling the kingdom unless Kuzco has weaseled his powers back or Yzma is empresses.

Why is Kuzco going to a normal peasant school? Shouldn't he learning about how to lead a country, what to do in case of war or something that will be useful to him in the future? I could see taking some normal classes on like farming (so he would know how to prepare the country for a famine or something like that) but knot tying? How is that helpful?

Now I know that someone is going to say "But it not suppose to make sense; it's suppose to be funny." Then they should have more funny things in there. All the funny things about the show have been done already in the movie. Also, if they notice some of these huge plot holes why don't they poke fun at them like in the movie? (For example, when Yzma and Kronk get to the secret lab before Kuzco and Pacha and Yzma and Kronk can't explain how they got their first.)

There are some good points, it is nice to see some of the characters from the first movie in the series like Bucky and monkey with the bug. Pacha and his family are still very good characters with a good down earth feel. I feel that this series would be amusing for younger children.

In conclusion, the series is not as good as the movie that it based on but it may good for younger children.

Give it a chance! It's not the original, but what is?

[n1l2jee3 · 10/10 · 13 September 2007]

I've never been compelled to write a review about anything, but seeing such bad reviews about such an innovative show made me say something. First, people just have to get over the fact that the voices are different. Once you watch an episode, it never really comes to mind ever again. The humor is original and while, yes, some jokes do carry over from the movie, they are delivered fresh. Some of it is even reminiscent of Shrek--self-referential humor. A lot of these jokes seem aimed at teens or original fans of the movie as much as tweens and younger. Patrick Warburton and Eartha Kitt are both hilarious as they reprise their roles as Kronk and Yzma and their Annie Award nominations were well-warranted.

This show takes some time to love, to really get in "the groove" of things, so to speak. If you ignore the horrible theme song (which really shouldn't warrant that much in the way of how you judge a show since it's only 30 seconds of the overall product), this show is laugh-out-loud hilarity and doesn't lose any of the Emperor's New Groove spirit.

Old Jokes, New School

[shagangmaneandelfinacup1 · 5/10 · 26 January 2007]

After reading several reviews, both good and bad, but mostly bad, about this show, they all brought up four things: Kuzco's and Pacha's voices sound different, most of the jokes are basically rips from the movie, The Emperor's New Groove, the plot of the episodes are almost repeats of each other, and the theme song is terrible. I noticed the latter pair of these, and confirmed that as The Emperor's New School's biggest flaws.

In case you hadn't seen the show yet, here's the basic plot: in order to become Emperor (in what I'm guessing looks like ancient Mayan territory), Kuzco must go to Kuzco Academy and pass all the class assignments. But the one obstacle in his way is, if you've seen the movie that started it all, Yzma, disguising as the principal of the school, but still with the lovable oaf that is Kronk. In each episode, Yzma tries to make Kuzco fail, many times by transforming him into animals, Kuzco attempts to, fails, succeeds, and learns a lesson from the assignment given, Malina (New School-exclusive character) makes the most sense out of the trio (her, Kronk, and, of course, Kuzco); in the meantime, the jokes of wrong levers, bug and monkey, squirrel talking, shoulder devils and angels, and Yzma/Amzy ensue. Also, Kuzco acts more spoiled and a lot dumber in the series than in the movies.

And just to talk about the theme song. At first, I thought the same exact thing as everyone else. But once I saw a few more episodes, the song got stuck in my head sometimes, though not in the best way. Unfortunately, because of it, the show loses an extra point from the grade I originally intended to give it.

But despite the repetition of jokes, they're not ALL quite the same. Some of the best original humor, while still with that Emperor-esquire flavor, happen during the credits, though the series didn't start the trend until slightly later episodes (about half a month to two months after the first airing). Also, I didn't find the voice acting as bad as most of the reviewers here said; in fact, I didn't even notice.

Still, even with some of the good points, there's still enough bad ones to weigh it down quite a bit. But I enjoyed the two movies enough to at least watch it on an occasional basis. This show's more likely to hit big fans rather than everyone.

My original rating: 7/10 My new (and final) rating: 5/10

One of the most successful spin-offs I've ever seen

[OleFr-Skj · 9/10 · 19 April 2013]

The Emperor's New School was a hit in my house when it first came out back in 06, everyone loved it. It's by far one of the best shows I remember.

The best part is that, even when watching it again now, I can still totally enjoy it.

What a lot of people seem to miss is that, while Kuzco is admittedly arrogant and egotistical, he is never actually rewarded for this behavior. A perfect example would be in the episode "The bride of Kuzco", where Kuzco almost blows off Malina to get married to a princess, which would instantly make him emperor. By the end, however, Kuzco wises up and apologizes, and finally gets to go on a sort-of-date with Malina.

The show's main focus, however, is comedy. It's very much the same style of humor as the movie, only expanded and refined. A lot of the more famous parts of the movie are expanded into running gags, like the trap lever at the entrance to the secret lab, the roller-coaster, Kuzco pausing the episode, Kuzco being turned into an animal etc. etc.

All that is good stuff, it's not just repeating the same jokes, it's making new material within the same parameters.

The show also has a few other gags that fit in greatly, like how Yzma's "clever" disguise as school principal Amzy always gets Kronk fooled; every time he needs to have it spelled out for him, which allows for great amounts of hilarity.

The show is also fairly self-referential and doesn't steer clear of making fun of itself: there's one episode that starts brilliantly with Kronk and Yzma doing their normal routine, only for Kronk to have a strong sense of Deja Vü. Haven't they done this before? He proceeds to pull the wrong lever, repeatedly, after which this conversation takes place:

Yzma: The other lever

Kronk: Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, it's always the other lever. What are the odds?

I find myself laughing out loud multiple times while watching The Emperor's New School. Much like its "spiritual" Disney Channel predecessor Dave the Barbarian, the show rarely takes itself seriously, and mostly just delivers crazy off-the-wall randomness that's well paced and well acted to boot.

The Emperor's New School is very underrated, and deserves more appreciation

Terrible mistake on Disney's part

[moosie746 · 1/10 · 30 June 2006]

I think this was a HORRIBLE mistake on Disney's part. First off, Kuzco does NOT need to pass "emperor school" to become emperor! That's never happened before. Secondly, the new voices don't sound like the originals at all. Very poor redo. And while I adored the movie The Emperor's New Groove, the New School is just stupid. Like all the jokes are the same, and many are from the movie. The plot gets redundant, always Yzma (is that how you spell it?) trying to become empress, Kuzco stopping her, etc. Or Kuzco learning to become a better person. I think Kuzco gets annoying with his constant complaints and questions. He is a spoiled brat and it bothers me. I do not think this is worth five minutes of your time, much less a half hour.

The people who don't like it just don't get it.

[yamipegasus · 10/10 · 27 June 2008]

In some ways, The Emperor's New School is nothing like the movie it was based on. In other ways, it's almost identical. This seems to irritate some of the people who reviewed it. The thing is, this show isn't supposed to be as serious as the movie. In creating it, it's apparent that Disney's goal was nothing more than a bit of zany fun. To that extent, it succeeds.

The cast is excellent. JP Manoux may not sound a whole lot like David Spade, but he perfectly captures what they've done to the character. The rest of the cast is all either original characters, from the movie, or fairly good impersonations, so no problem there.

I'll be the first to admit that this show isn't for everybody. It's for people who can tell the difference between a running gag and simple repetition, and really appreciate that difference. It's for people who don't mind that it really doesn't take itself seriously, because at least it's INTENTIONALLY silly, as opposed to other things which try to be serious and come across as campy due to incompetent writing or acting. It's for people who like a break from the traditional protagonist: a character who isn't the smartest, the most likable, the best looking, or even really sympathetic, but you like him anyway.

All in all, this is a great show. If you don't like it, you simply don't understand it.

why?

[khecht2 · 1/10 · 4 June 2006]

I cannot believe this show was okay-ed. First off J.P. Manoux does a horrible job filling in for David Spade and Pacha's voice is too deep compared to John Goodman's. The theme song is so annoying and the plots of the episodes are so stupid!!! The only good thing about this show is that Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton remain as the voices of Yzma and Kronk. This show is a waste of money and a waste of your time. Half of the episodes are copied of the movie. In my opinion The Emperor's New Groove was one of the best children's movies in years, but they complety ruined by making Kronk's New Groove and this show. You should watch such shows as Spongebob, Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phantom, or Kim Possible but not this show.

Cute kids show

[kittenpower · 10/10 · 8 March 2008]

It's not as good as the movie, that said it's a cute kids show. Okay so the Emperor has back slide and become a selfish spoiled brat once more, accept it and enjoy the cartoon as something entertaining. It has plenty of jokes for the parents and still holds the attention of children. Also it boasts two of the original voice actors from the movie. Earth Kitt who has been in numerous films but I'm sure many people know as Catwoman. And Patrick Walburton (sorry if I misspelled) who also has appeared in many films and TV series but is most widely recognized as The Tick. It's really a rare and wonderful combination. If for no other reason I highly recommend comic book fans watch at least one episode just to enjoy the dynamic duo. To sum up, entertaining children's show, with plenty of inside jokes for the grown-ups to laugh along with. If your looking for educational value this isn't your show. If your just looking for something funny this is a great Saturday morning pick!

Rehash'd!

[bradme · 2/10 · 21 May 2006]

All this show is, is the same plot. Kuszko (spelling?) is in danger of failing school, he needs to pass to become emperor. He needs to learn something, which he thinks is stupid, he then uses it/ learns more about it and realizes it's not so stupid. Eezma, posing as the principal, tries to transform Kuszko into some animal to stop him. Every episode.

Jokes from the movie are copied (Eezma's incredibly complicated plans, Kuszko breaking the 4th wall constantly, squirrels.) They should try hiring some writers.

2/10

ADORE THIS!

[AnnaPagrati · 10/10 · 9 April 2022]

Oh my God, I don't ever have the words to describe how many memories this show brings back, the most nostalgic show ever, honestly, definitely a 10/10!

One of the worst things Disney could have done.

[BigSis22 · 1/10 · 23 March 2006]

This show is not in my opinion, good,Then again I have not enjoyed any cartoon from Disney Channel. Except for "The Proud Family" because that so is about a normal female teen This show is very similar to the way I feel about Lilo and Stich the Series. It was a mistake turning the movie into a cartoon because the movie was excellent, the cartoon is terrible. Disney Channel was doing just fine before adding all these stupid cartoons such as Dave The Barbarian, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, Lilo and Stich the Series, American Dragon Jake long,and where it all started: Kim Possible. The shows would have been better had they come to PlayHouse Disney! As for this particular show Kuzko will never get out of school just as Dave The Barbarian's Parents will never return home, and as Brandy And Mr. Whiskers will never get out of the jungle.

10/10

[arielsiere · 10/10 · 11 March 2022]

Yes Kuzco had his own show in 2006 til 2008 with the characters from the 2000 movie called the emperor's new Groove so awesome and some characters are really smart and excellent.

the emperors new school review

[cuteychick0013 · 10 April 2006]

i thought it was gonna be a cool TV seres because i was a big fan of both the movies made with kuzco but it turns out that they did use a different dude for his voice in stead of David Spade the other dude I'm not sure what his name is but he reminded me of a another character from the original movie Kronks shoulder angel you can totally tell just by listening to him talk the show is kind of funny but not only kuzco but Patchas voice is different as well and the way they draw patcha who is normally played by john Goodman also changed as well and what happened to Birdwell in kronks new groove Kronk got married ,on The Emerors New School no Birdwell its like Kuzco is a small child trying to graduate its almost stupid actually and the theme song is so preppy i guess its not terrible but its not awesome either

Season 1 Good, Season 2 Bad

[chelseajmbelehar · 3/10 · 4 March 2024]

I loved the original movie as kid so i thought I'd like this spin off show. The first season was good. The plots were interesting and funny. The characters all added something to the story line of the episode. It also showed how most of them had faults so it wasn't just flawed Kuzco around perfect people. The way they blended ancient Peru with modern society norms was really well done. The running gag of naming everything after Kusco was an interesting touch and funny most of the time. Though the original voice talents weren't all there, Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton really were able to carry the show in that regard! Honestly I could have watched it strictly for them and it would have been okay by me.

The second season was just bad. Kusco was just annoying. He doesn't develop as character in any episode until the final two episodes! It was a major let down!

Better than the movie. Disney at it's VERY best.

[absolutelylucid · 10/10 · 15 June 2008]

It helps that the characters this show is based on are among the best Disney has ever come up with. The writing is what really makes this show. It's a total classic. Given, you need to appreciate the type of humor to enjoy it, and this is hard to explain. The humor is akin to the old school scenarios of 40's and 50's Disney, with modern spins. It never degrades into fart jokes or anything of that type. It's not adam sandler humor either, though I have enjoyed that. It is the exact same humor of the movie, only expanded upon for the length of time a TV show permits. So if you didn't like it in the movie, you won't like it here, but IMO The emperors new groove was the best thing to come out of Disney since Gargoyles.

A+

A disappointment

[stefanozucchelli · 5/10 · 10 April 2022]

A real disappointment. I think I had too high expectations. There are only a couple of characters that are seriously analyzed and are still superficial while all the others are little more than colored figures in the background. The storylines of the episodes are really trivial and the protagonist is always annoying. At least the film had both originality and good lines on its side. This series lasted two seasons, I wouldn't have made half of it.

How could you, Disney...

[mazzfee · 8/10 · 20 April 2007]

The new voices scare me! Kuzco doesn't have to pass some frickkin' academy to become emperor again! It's the same thing over and over, isn't it? This IS a kids' show, right? Yzma turns Kuzco into something stupid, like an animal. He learns a lesson. EVERYTHING IS THE SAME!!!!! David Spade and John Goodman never returned... *sniffle*! Nothing changes 'cause Disney won't do anything 'bout it. It's probably one of the most retarded shows ever! The first movie was so damn better! Malina's probably the only person I like. Kuzco's such a crybaby! Kronk is retarded! And Yzma's retarded-ER (if that's even a word)! What I meant to say is... How could you, Disney... why?