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She is a megalomaniacal and evil old woman who wants to usurp the throne by murdering her foster son and archenemy Emperor Kuzco as revenge for him firing her as his advisor due to his pettiness. She also has a strong, but rather dimwitted sidekick named Kronk.
In all appearances until her death in 2008, she was voiced by the late Eartha Kitt, who also played Vexus in My Life as a Teenage Robot, Agatha K. Plummer in Harriet the Spy, and Catwoman in the 1966 Batman television series episode "Dressed to Kill". While as a cat, she was voiced by the original film's director Mark Dindal, who also voiced Max in Cats Don't Dance, another film directed by Dindal.
Since 2012, she is currently voiced by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph.
In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Paris' Max Live! Gettin' Goofy With It (which is part of the 2018 Disney FanDaze), she was voiced by Candi Milo.
Personality[]
Yzma is seen to be malicious, unpleasant, but comically eccentric, she is also a send-up of other Disney villainesses like Ursula and Queen Grimhilde who yearn to be young and beautiful again. But unlike them, Yzma's vanity and old age are played for laughs rather than scares, often calling herself beautiful or desirable even though all of the other characters in the series consider her appearance revolting and unattractive, an example being Emperor Kuzco zooming in on all her "worst" features in his inner monologue when firing her as his power-hungry advisor.
She is also a complicated and impenetrable thinker; one example was her original plan to kill Emperor Kuzco (which was to turn Kuzco into a flea, put him into a box, put that box into another box, mail it to herself, and when it arrived, she will in her own words "SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER!!!"). However, after accidentally knocking over a poison vile, which destroys a plant, a plan to simply poison the emperor occurs to her.
Yzma is described by multiple people to be "scary beyond all reason". Yzma is also shown to be quite intellectual and knowledgeable in chemistry. However, despite her intellectualism, she can also be somewhat unqualified and incompetent with it, as she accidentally uses an extract of a llama on Kuzco, thinking that it was poison due to mislabeling (that was Kronk's doing, Although according to him, it's because she doesn't organize her potions very well).
She doesn't like gravy, or at least foods with too much of it, as she complains about such dishes when she and Kronk are at a restaurant; she also doesn't like Kronk's spinach puffs.
She is also passionate about theater, music and fashion, considering herself a great singer (although she is not very well liked by the peop le of the kingdom).
Biography[]
The Emperor's New Groove[]
Yzma was originally Emperor Kuzco's royal adviser after having raised said emperor through childhood. However, Kuzco did not like the fact that she apparently did most of the governing behind his back, so he decides to fire her. Yzma furiously planned to dispose of the young emperor and rule the empire in his place by poisoning him on the eve of his 18th birthday. This backfires when Kronk accidentally mixes up vials in between the poison and a potion that turns the drinker into a llama, resulting in Kuzco becoming such an animal.
After Kronk incapacitates Kuzco, Yzma orders Kronk to take him out of the city and dispose of him. The next day, after being informed of Kuzco's "death", Yzma arranges a (very half-heartedly) funeral for him and quickly concludes it by replacing Kuzco's image with her own and establishing herself as the new ruler of the empire. When Kronk lets it slip that he let Kuzco live and get carted away by a local peasant, Yzma and Kronk set out to silence Kuzco for good before word can get out that he is still alive.
She follows Kuzco into the jungle and finally catches up with him in her lab. She attempts to kill him and his ally Pacha, but her plan backfires again when she accidentally drinks one of her potions, transforming her into a harmless kitten. At first, she gains the upper hand and grabs the human potion before Pacha and Kuzco could grab it, only for it to be knocked out of her hands into Pacha's when Kronk opened his trapped door and crushed her and Kuzco is able to drink the potion and return to his human form. In the end, she is placed in Kronk's Junior Chipmunks class.
Kronk's New Groove[]
Yzma has a smaller role in the film (due to Kronk's shoulder angel and shoulder devil being the main antagonists) in which after returning to a human form (except a cat tail), Yzma finds Kronk and tells him that she is no longer evil and involves him in a plan to sell youth potion to the old people. Unbeknownst to Kronk or the old people, the "youth potion" is simply addictive snake oil. As soon as Kronk figures this out, he and Rudy inform everyone as they are about to elect Yzma emperor. The old folks chase Yzma and corner her on a bridge above a river full of alligators. However, Yzma drinks a potion to transform into a cute bunny rabbit, so that no one will want to attack her. However, she is then caught and taken away by a condor.
At the end of the film, Yzma is shown to be taken to the bird's nest, where two eggs hatch and the chicks lunge to attack her before the credits roll.
The Emperor's New School[]
In this TV spinoff, Yzma (having survived her encounter with various hawk chicks and regained her human form) once again plots to take the throne from Kuzco. The show's premise is that Kuzco must attend school and pass all of his classes in order to remain Emperor. If he fails even one class, he will be unable to retake the throne. In order to make Kuzco fail, Yzma poses as Principal Amzy, the principal of Kuzco Academy. With the assistance of Kronk, she comes up with various schemes (most involve potions that transform Kuzco into an animal, similar to the film) in order to make Kuzco fail one of his classes. Due to her normally just trying to make him fail, Yzma is less homicidal in this show usually and has even teamed up with Kuzco and saved him before. Several episodes reveal members of Yzma's family, including her mother Amza who (according to Yzma) nags her incessantly, forcing Yzma to carry out her plots. Yzma also apparently has siblings, as she has two nephews named Zim and Zam.
Once Kuzco became emperor again in the series' finale "Graduation Groove", Yzma was demoted to Kronk's secretary by Kuzco's order.
House of Mouse[]
Yzma makes a cameo appearance in the episode "Pluto vs. Figaro". She also makes a possible cameo appearance in Mickey's House of Villains, but she does not take part in the takeover.
Powers and abilities[]
Yzma imagining Kuzco in a box and her crushing him with a hammer
As for skills, she has great knowledge in both magic and science, having a secret laboratory with several trapdoors placed in different places in the kingdom, she is known for her potions which transform whoever drinks them into animals (normally these potions are used against Kuzco).
She also tends to be very imaginative/creative and convoluted with her plans (although only in her mind, since she later ends up using a simpler plan).
She is a skilled master of disguise, as she posed as a school principal, calling herself "Amzy" (which is literally Yzma backwards, always fooling Kronk with that) to control Kuzco's school and try to make sure Kuzco doesn't pass his subjects.
Thanks to her cover as principal, she gained the trust of the school's teachers (like Mr. Moleguaco or Mr. Purutu) and seems to do a decent job as principal, but even so, she can't expel Kuzco until he fails his subjects or has committed a crime at school.
Although her strength as such is not her strong suit, she is able to use a large mallet (with which she imagines crushing her enemies) and she also has the help of her assistant Kronk (although he can be quite good and sensitive, but Yzma always has a way of commanding him).
Aside from Kronk, had the Imperial Guard under his control in the first film when she controlled Kuzco's empire.
Also, as from with Kronk's New Groove and The Emperor's New School, she has been seen quite agile at times, moving from one place to another doing pirouettes (she normally does this when she goes to the secret laboratory).
~ when Yzma comes up with a plan that is too convoluted
“
Yzma: It is no concern of mine whether your family has... what was that, again? Peasant: Um, food? Yzma: Hah! You really should've thought of that before you became peasants! We're through here. Take him away! NEXT! Peasant: But, I- (Gets to be taken away by some of the Incan Palace Guards.) Oh, okay.
„
~ Yzma talking to a peasant during her introduction.
“
Why do we even have that lever?
„
~ Yzma after Kronk pulled the wrong lever.
“
How shall I do it? Oh, I know. I’ll turn him in into a flee. A harmless little flee. And then I’ll put that flea in a box, and then put that box inside another box, and then mail it to myself. And when it arrives (laughs) I’LL SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER!! It’s brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT I tell you! Genius, I say! (She knocks over a bottle of poison that kills a plant.) Or, to save on postage, I’ll just poison him with this!
„
~ Yzma planning on eliminating Kuzco for her to take his position as the new imperial ruler.
“
Yzma: Take it, Kronk. Oh, feel the power. Kronk: Oh, I can feel it. Yzma: Our moment approaches! (Laughs) It’s DINNER TIME!
Yzma: So is everything ready for tonight? Kronk: Oh yeah, I thought we’d start off with soup and a light salad and see how we feel after that. Yzma: Not the dinner. The you know. Kronk: Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison specially designed to kill Kuzco. Kuzco’s poison. That poison? Yzma: Yes, that poison. Kronk: Gotcha covered. Yzma: Excellent. A few drops in his drink, then I’ll purpose a toast, and he will be dead before dessert! Kronk: Which is a real shame, because it’s gonna be delicious.
„
~ Yzma planning to poison Kuzco’s wine to kill him.
“
What?! A llama? He's supposed to be DEAD!
„
~ Yzma frustrated that Kuzco didn't die because Kronk got the wrong vile.
“
Yzma: Kronk! Why did I think you could do this? This one simple thing. It’s like I’m talking to a monkey! Angel Kronk: Woah now. Yzma: A really, really, big, stupid monkey named KRONK! Devil Kronk: Ouch. Yzma: And do you want to know something else? I’ve never like your spinach puffs! (All gasp) NEVER!
„
~ Yzma berating Kronk and revealing she never liked his spinach puffs.
“
Pacha: Over here! It has to be one of these! Lions... tigers... bears... Yzma: Oh my, looking for this?
„
~ Yzma's and Pacha's Wizard of Oz reference, as she reveals the human potion for Kuzco.noicon
Trivia[]
When The Emperor's New Groove was under the working title Kingdom of the Sun, Yzma, while still the main antagonist, would have been taken a lot more seriously as she was written as a necromancer attempting to summon Supei, the Incan god of darkness, to block out the sun and plunge the world into eternal night. When the project was scrapped and rewritten into the final project, elements of it, including Yzma, were recycled for The Emperor's New Groove. Among the things that were scrapped was her villain song "Snuff out the Light". Despite this, the song can still be heard in the final film's soundtrack and is also available on the Disney-released album "Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs."
Yzma would also have been accompanied by four minions: Mick, Bowie, and Lemmy, who were depicted as three undead mummies, and Huaca, who was a talking tailsman who would've started out as a hero before turning evil and siding with Yzma after getting fed up with the emperor's abusive behavior. Mick, Bowie, and Lemmy were all written out of the film entirely, but Huaca does make an Easter Egg appearance as a table statue holding the candles while Yzma and Kronk have dinner with Kuzco.
She is ranked #14 in the Top 30 Disney Villains.
While in The Emperor's New Groove it is implied that the effects of Yzma's potions last forever (since Kuzco and Pacha's goal is to go to Yzma's laboratory to find a potion that will return Kuzco to normal), in The Emperor's New School it is made clear to us that these potions do not last forever and that their effects may only last a few minutes or up to about 12 hours.
Yzma has the nasty habit of never labeling her potions properly, leaving Kronk to test said potions and label them himself.
Apparently, both Kronks new groove and The Emperor's new school follow two alternate lines from the first movie, so Yzma has two endings, one where she dies being eaten by vultures (Kronk's new groove) and in another she becomes Kronk's secretary (The Emperor's new school).
In the Yzma Bot episode of the series, you can see that Mr. Moleguaco is in love with her role as director Amzy, but in another episode where Yzma is sleeping she seems to have a romantic dream with Mr. Purutu
Although in the first movie she seems to be a better empress than Kuzco, in the episode "Yzmapolis" she shows herself to be an equal or worse empress than Kuzco, enslaving the people and adding everything to her image and likeness.
Yzma's transformation into a cat is a possible tribute to her late voice actor Eartha Kitt back when she played Catwoman in the 1960s Batman series. Coincidentally her young alter ego's voice-actress Grey Delisle also voiced Catwoman in several medias.
In the Descendants universe, Yzma has two children named Yzla and Zevon with the latter somehow being more deranged and evil than Yzma herself.
It is claimed that Yzma's main color is purple because it is a color that represents madness. True to life, purple is considered to be a less likable color in some cultures. An example of this would be that purple is seen as the color of death in Japan.
Purple is also a color intermediate between red and blue.
Coincidentally, the color itself is associated with the sin of pride, as well, befitting her narcissistic personality, which was further heightened when she became an empress herself (since purple is a noted color for royalty).
Yzma largely serves as a dark parallel to Emperor Kuzco. They are both destined to become imperial rulers of the Kuzconian Empire for their selfish benefits. However, after realizing that Yzma planned to kill him, Kuzco finally realized what a selfish jerk he is and decided to change his ways. On the other hand, Yzma failed to learn the error of her ways and let her egotism, anger, and jealousy be her downfall, as her selfish and obsessed behavior leading her to get transformed into a cat and forced to be a squirrel scout. Thus, Yzma serves as an example of what Kuzco would have become if he had allowed his selfishness to consume him nor didn't have Pacha guide him into a better path.
This parallel is evident when Yzma says she practically raised him. However, because of that matter, she also serves as a dark counterpart to Pacha, as both were the ones who guide Kuzco into different paths, with their differences that Pacha is kind, honest and caring towards Kuzco who taught him to be considerate to others and be less selfish, ultimately succeeding in make him remorseful over his actions whereas Yzma is greedy, selfish and ambitious to the point of turning Kuzco into a selfish tyrant since childhood and would do anything to kill him in order to take over his throne. Meaning that Pacha would've ended up like him if he hadn't got Kuzco on the right path.
Her voice actress has known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of the French popular song "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby".
Because of her overall madness as an aspiring, but also corrupt imperial ruler, she has exemplify each of the seven deadly sins:
Pride: She often belittles others, including both Kuzco and Kronk, thinking that she's more praiseworthy than them. She also thinks she's an unfathomably lovely woman despite all evidence to the contrary.
Wrath: She's very much prone into lashing out her anger towards anyone, even if it's for no reason at all.
Envy: A contributing factor to her planned usurpation against Kuzco, as she's jealous of his status as an emperor.
Sloth: Even after she became an empress, she's not really doing her job quite well. She also makes Kronk carry her like a toddler.
Greed: She only wants to become the new empress just for the power that comes with it as shown with her cartoonish callousness towards defenseless peasants.
Gluttony (indirectly): Once she became an empress herself, she starts to garner more power uncontrollably. Ironically, she's never too immersed in Kronk's amazing cuisine at any time, with her sheer lack of interest in food presumably accounting for her being underweight.
Lust: She spends the entire movie lusting for more and more power.
Yzma's color theme was stated to be a black and purple aesthetic, being that purple and black are colors often associated with evil. Purple is also the color of royalty, showing Yzma's ambition to be an oppressive empress. Additionally, purple carries connotations of madness, added to that, she is also an egomaniac, adding her face to doors, ornaments and other things, alluding to her insane lust for power. Her character is also surrounded by animals like snakes and cats, which are considered to be signs of evil in numerous religions throughout the world.
Yzma is the only Disney Animated Canon main antagonist from the 2000s to be biologically female, as DOR-15 from Meet the Robinsons is a robot. In addition to that, she is the only one of them to be voiced by a female, as DOR-15 herself was voiced by Ethan Sandler.
Villains
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