Typhoon Lagoon transformed into Kuzcotopia for one night only | Report & review
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park became Kuzcotopia from “The Emperor’s New Groove” during an after-hours event part of Destination D23 2025.
Emperor Kuzco’s dream of building Kuzcotopia, a tropical tribute to himself, came true on Aug. 30, 2025. That’s the night Typhoon Lagoon at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla., hosted D23 Kuzcotopia Night, a one-night-only, after-hours event.
D23 Kuzcotopia Night was exclusive to attendees of Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney, a weekend-long convention. Kuzcotopia admission was included with the weekend for all Destination D23 guests. Destination D23 itself was sold out, and therefore so was Kuzcotopia Night.
Characters at Kuzcotopia Night
Among the night’s programming was ultra-rare appearances by characters from “The Emperor’s New Groove”: Yzma, Kronk, and, of course, Kuzco himself. They all took turns dancing on an elevated platform at a DJ dance party. They did not pose for traditional meet & greet photos with guests.
Roaming the park were five new, original characters created just for Kuzcotopia Night:
- Mikos, a Squirrel Cadet
- Cory, Kronk’s mentee (who hasn’t learned about personal space yet)
- Parisia, reporter at the Kuzco Gazette
- Yzma’s makeup artist
- Yzma’s wardrobe designer
Additionally, Captain Mary Oceaneer, an original character from Typhoon Lagoon lore and the main character of the park’s Miss Adventure Falls attraction (as well as a member of S.E.A., Disney’s interconnected story universe), was available for meet & greets near Crush ‘n’ Gusher.
Photos by Blake Taylor
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald were onhand for meet & greets while dressed in beach gear. Guests waited in one line and met all four characters individually.
There were also photo ops without characters throughout the park.
Exotic Bird Bingo
Guests at Kuzcotopia Night could pick up an Exotic Bird Bingo card and be on the lookout for bird markers scattered throughout the park. The DJ at the dance party congratulated each guest who completed Exotic Bird Bingo by name on mic.
Food
Attendees enjoyed complimentary ice cream, popcorn, and soft drinks.
Themed food and beverages were available for purchase, including:
- Kuzco’s Royal Rice Bowl – “Peruvian-style Aji de Gallina served over rice: tender shredded chicken in a creamy, rich sauce made with yellow aji peppers, Parmesan, sofrito, and spices, finished with olives and hardboiled egg.”
- Kronk Burger – “Peruvian-inspired burger featuring ground beef seasoned with garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, and Aji Amarillo paste. Served with fresh lettuce and tomato, topped generously with queso fresco and avocado slices, and drizzled with vibrant Aji Verde sauce. Garnished with two crispy spinach triangle puffs.”
- Pacha’s Garden Flatbread – “A crispy, golden flatbread pizza layered with melted mozzarella and sharp Parmesan cheeses. Topped generously with tender, garlicky sautéed spinach and artichoke hearts.”
- Yzma’s Pisco Sour LLamanade – “A classic Pisco Sour elevated with a touch of edible luster dust.”
Review of Kuzcotopia Night at Typhoon Lagoon
Kuzcotopia Night at Typhoon Lagoon was one of the best evenings I’ve ever experienced in a theme park. I don’t say that lightly; the event just worked for me. I attribute my enjoyment of the event to three factors:
1.) Characters
I love “The Emperor’s New Groove,” and I liked getting to see the characters up close without having to wait in a long line. I understand why some guests may prefer a traditional photo op, but I didn’t mind the dance party setup.
These characters are a big deal for Walt Disney World. Kuzco, Yzma, and Kronk are semi-common at Disneyland Paris, but haven’t appeared stateside in recent memory. It may have been since the early 2000s that these characters appeared at Walt Disney World. Guests were thrilled to finally see them in person during Kuzcotopia Night.
The new, original characters were also a fun surprise and a home run. I liked hearing each of them talk about their lore within the universe of “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Again, this was a one-night-only event, and Disney created five new characters for it.
2.) Easy to attend; no complicated procedures
Kuzcotopia Night was included with weekend admission for all Destination D23 attendees. While the process of acquiring tickets for the weekend itself may have been another matter, the ease to attend a private, park-wide party of this nature without having to jump through extra hoops is a nice plus. (As full disclosure, I attended Destination D23 as an invited media guest on behalf of Attractions Magazine.)
On the night of the event, waits were low for Typhoon Lagoon’s slides and nothing else was required to simply enjoy the attractions and amenities of the park and the party. (In this sense, I mean there was nothing like an extra step of joining a virtual queue or acquiring a Lightning Lane for anything.)
3.) My first time at Typhoon Lagoon
Admittedly, Kuzcotopia Night was my first visit to Typhoon Lagoon, and the thrill of visiting a Disney park for the first time is always special.
Things I missed
The event was only three hours, so I didn’t get to see everything, but even while taking my time I still felt like I had a full night.
I didn’t purchase any of the special food, so I can’t speak to its quality.
Prior to the event, Disney said guests would receive a gift. I either missed the gift pick-up station, or perhaps the clear, water-protective phone bags everyone received on the way in qualified as the gift. Glancing at the event map (below), maybe the gift was a charm from Havainas.
Event map
Here was the map for Kuzcotopia Night:
In the 2000 Disney animated movie “The Emperor’s New Groove,” Emperor Kuzco plans to bulldoze the humble home of a man named Pacha and his family. In its place, Kuzco wants to build Kuzcotopia, “my birthday gift to me,” as he calls it. In the end, he eventually changes his mind. Now, though, if only for one evening, Kuzco’s dream will come true.
‘Emperor’s New Groove’ panel at Destination D23
Earlier that same day prior to Kuzcotopia Night, Destination D23 programming had included a panel celebrating “The Emperor’s New Groove” with producer Don Hahn and actor Patrick Warburton (pictured below), who voiced Kronk in the film.
Hahn shared early concept art for different character designs of Kronk and Yzma.
The panel included a screening of the dinner scene from the movie in its entirety. It was a treat to watch the sequence with a room of 4,000 people laughing at the scene’s superb comedy.
Attractions Magazine is attending all of Destination D23 2025, and we look forward to bringing you coverage of all the special goings-on and major announcements. Check out our coverage of all the theme park news revealed at Destination D23 and our report from “A Goofy Movie” Throwback Premiere.
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