“If you do, I quit”: The ending of this Disney film was changed at Sting’s request

Cuzco, the Megalomaniac Emperor is one of those little Disney gems, as comical as ever, that we wouldn’t change a thing about, please. And yet, the film almost had a different ending, which would ultimately detract from the story being told and the message it is trying to convey.

Remember, in the 2001 film, Cuzco is a young narcissistic Inca emperor, capricious and arrogant, who only thinks of himself and has nothing to do with the world around him. His goal: to build an extravagant summer residence on a beautiful hill in his empire, even if he has to destroy a small village and the homes of his subjects to do so.

Warning, spoilers! The rest of this article covers the ending of “Cuzco, Emperor of Megalomania” (2001).

In the film, Cuzco, unfortunately transformed into a llama by his Machiavellian mentor Izma, who seeks to seize power, embarks on a path to redemption by having to join forces, despite himself, with one of the Pachas of the village he has been plotting to kill. to destroy for his personal gain, to regain his human form.

Thus, at the end of the film, Cuzco grows up and changes his mind: he finishes a simple house on the neighboring hill for his new friend Pasha, and everything ends well: they live happily ever after – without destruction. A precious tropical forest and its inhabitants. Because yes, in the original ending, Cuzco was still building his palace: he spared Pacha’s village, but destroyed much of nature in return…

Sting, to save the environment

Moreover, the production of the cartoon was quite stormy: inspired by the novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, the film, then called kingdom of the sunAlso had to take Pocahontas and have a serious and heroic tone. And perhaps this is what attracted the singer Sting, who was supposed to sign on for the soundtrack.

But changes to the script, with the departure of Roger Allers (co-director of The Lion King), left Mark Dindall alone at the helm, who decided to turn the film into the madcap comedy we loved, but with an ending that had nothing to do with environmentalism. Sting categorically refused, the legendary singer is very involved in this field.

“I wrote them a letter and said, “If you do this, I’m resigning because it’s the complete opposite of what I’m fighting for. I’ve spent 20 years trying to protect the rights of indigenous people, and you’re raising them up to build a theme park. I will not be a party to this’“, he said Sting via NME.

Therefore, they presented an ultimatum: it was Sting Or this ending he didn’t like. Disney made the decision to take the talent of the singer and the power of his soundtrack and change the ending to give us what we know.

After all, the sight of Cuzco and Pacha enjoying the summer on their hills – without destroying villages and forests – remains forever in our memories. Thank you Sting !

Cuzco, the Megalomaniac Emperor can be found streaming again on Disney+.