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- “And let's not forget Yzma's right-hand man. Every decade or so, she gets a new one. This year's model is called Kronk.”
- ―Kuzco introducing Kronk to the audience
Kronk is Yzma's hapless henchman and the secondary antagonist of the 2000 Disney animated feature film The Emperor's New Groove. He also serves as the protagonist of 2005's Kronk's New Groove.
Background
Despite working for Yzma as her helper, Kronk's actually a very nice person and isn't evil. Kronk has a short-tempered father named Papi, as revealed in Kronk's own film Kronk's New Groove (where he's the protagonist). His companion is a squirrel named Bucky, who can't stand Yzma nor Kuzco.
Personality
Kronk starts as Yzma's loyal assistant, helping her where she's too old to do things herself. Kuzco and Yzma early on discuss awkwardly how he's a young, handsome man in his mid-to-late twenties. Despite working for Yzma, Kronk's not evil, in fact he has an angel and devil who appear on his shoulders as his subconscious whenever Kronk faces a moral dilemma. They're smaller versions of Kronk dressed in an angel and devil costume respectively and usually bicker and mock one another. Despite not being too bright, Kronk's the one who points out the flaws in Yzma's plans and how ridiculous and irrelevant they can be.
Kronk's also shown to be Jewish. In Kronk's New Groove, he fantasizes about marrying Ms. Birdwell in a Jewish ceremony, complete with him, stepping on a glass.
Abilities
Kronk's revealed to be a great chef, who can make such things, as spinach puffs and fondue. He also has a secret recipe for foie gras. Kronk knows a variety of recipes, as revealed in the first film when he takes over for the chef when the chef quits his job after being criticized by Kuzco.
Kronk's capable of incredible superhuman athletics, such as running from a school to his house and back in mere seconds, and running up a mountain (while having a seat tied to his body with Yzma riding atop). Through the series, it's learned that Kronk comes from a family of athletic health and fitness advocates. It was revealed in The Emperor's New School episode "Oops, All Doodles" that Kronk has a talent for drawing, he also knows how to speak and understand "Squirrelese".
Appearances
The Emperor's New Groove
Kronk with Bucky.
Kronk's a hulking man who loves to cook and also has the ability to communicate with animals. Despite being Yzma's sidekick he's not evil at all, as near the end of the movie, when Yzma tossed Kronk a dagger so he could finish off Kuzco and Pacha, his devil appears on his shoulder but his angel's late appearing. While trying to bring the angel on his shoulder on what's happening, to confusion of onlookers, Yzma interrupts him and starts belittling him. To add insult to injury, she revealed that she hated his spinach puffs. Kronk then began to break down in tears. His devil side was all for attacking Yzma, his angel assured him that "from above, the wicked shall receive their just reward." Kronk looked up and spotted a chandelier conveniently placed above Yzma. He proceeded to cut the rope holding it up, causing the chandelier to land on top of her, but Yzma survives because she's so thin it passed through her. Yzma then drops him in a trap door, but he later emerges alive and well when he opened a portal hole while finding his way out, accidentally crushing Yzma whom turns into a cat before she could take the antidote to turn herself back to human. At the end of the film he recruits her to be a part of his squirrel scouts.
Kronk's New Groove
Kronk and Birdwell in Kronk's New Groove.
In the sequel, Emperor Kuzco narrates the story about Kronk, now chef and Head Delivery Boy of Mudka's Meat Hut, fretting over the upcoming visit of his father. Kronk's father always disapproved of young Kronk's culinary interests, and wished that Kronk instead would settle down with a wife and a large house on a hill.
In a flashback, Kronk tells the story of how he almost had both of these. As unwitting accomplice to Yzma's plan to sell snake oil as a youth potion, he makes enough money to buy the old folks' home from the old folks and put his large new home there; but then when he realizes they've sold everything they own in return for something which doesn't work, he gives his home back to them.
Kronk, as camp counselor of the Junior Chipmunks at Camp Chippamunka, falls in love with fellow counselor Ms. Birdwell; but The Junior Chipmunks and Birdwell troops get fed up with Kronk and Birdwell's power tripping on them. When one of his Chipmunks pulls a prank to win the camp championships and is caught, Kronk protects the boy at the cost of alienating his love.
Kronk's father, Papi, arrives and confusion ensues as several supportive friends try to pass themselves off to him as Kronk's wife and kids. But in the end, Kronk realizes that his wealth is in his friendships, and this finally wins his father's thumbs up and Miss Birdwell's love.
In the credits we're shown the photos of their honeymoon, including in Paris, Pisa and Venice.
The Emperor's New School
Kronk in The Emperor's New School.
Kronk's once again Yzma's partner and still Kuzco's friend despite carrying out Yzma's constant plans to drug Kuzco with a transformation potion. By the final episode, Kronk is appointed Kuzco's new adviser, while Yzma becomes his helper.
It was shown that despite having some amount of hatred towards her, Kronk values his position as Yzma's lackey in some degree, as seen when she fired him on several occasions. He acts as Kuzco's sidekick, often partaking in his harebrained schemes. When working to destroy Kuzco, Kronk's conscience often gets in the way.
In the show, Kronk works at Mudka's Meat Hut most of the time as well. A running gag in the series involves Kronk forgetting Yzma's actually Principal Amzy in disguise. However, Kronk revealed in the show's finale "Graduation Groove" that he knew about three episodes prior to said episode, and only pretended to forget.
Friendship aside, Kuzco does see Kronk as somewhat of a rival, as Kronk earns a lot of fame and glory with being the school's star athlete and body builder.
Disney Parks
Kronk at Disneyland Paris.
Kronk appeared as a walk-around character when the film was released, though he's rare to encounter now.
Walt Disney World
Kronk also hosts the interactive character paint station in the post-show area of The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Kronk's featured in the Adventureland mission assisting Yzma in her plot to rule Adventureland. Kronk is ordered to implant potions in the village's food to turn everyone into alpacas. Kronk's conscience prevents him from doing it immediately and is attacked by the park guests. Kronk, believing they're after his recipe, retreats from the scene. He's later seen continuing his mission in his own kitchen and encounters the guests once again. He explains that he must follow Yzma's orders, leading to the guests battling him and eventually defeating him.
Disneyland Paris
In 2013, Kronk returned as a meet-and-greet character in Disneyland Paris as part of the Disney Dreamers Everywhere! events. In 2017, Kronk and Yzma appeared during the Halloween Soirée event.
Disney Cruise Line
In Villains Tonight, Kronk's first seen in the "Yzmopolis" segment doing some backup vocals. He's later seen with Iago in a talk show style segment. He's last seen with Yzma and the other villains performing the finale.
Gallery
Trivia
- Kronk's birthday is November 27th.
- Patrick Warburton improvised Kronk humming his theme music.
- Kronk's probably in his late 20s, as revealed in The Emperor's New Groove.
- In the TV series, though thought to be dim-witted by Yzma and Kuzco, Kronk's very smart.
- Kronk's spinach puffs are actually empanadas, a typical dish from Latin America, especially among Latin American natives like Kronk and his friends. While Kronk made chicken and spinach empanadas, empanadas can also be made with a mixture of ham and cheese, but by far the most popular empanadas are the ones with grounded beef. The word "puff" is used in the movie because it's the closest word in the English language to describe an empanada.
- Kronk being a native Latin American supreme chef whose specialty are empanadas makes him similar to La Chacha, a character from the Argentinian comic books "Patoruzu" and "Patoruzito".
- According to the book Disney Villains: The Secret Files, Yzma actually originally hired at least one large, dim-witted young man to serve as her minion (one of which's named Kandu) before hiring Kronk.
- In the movie, it's revealed that Yzma hires a new minion once per decade.
- Unlike his boss Yzma, who has different outfits and her cat form, Kronk keeps his same blue outfit throughout the movie, except during the fake funeral, in which he wears black, during the secret lab scene, in which he wears a lab coat.
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