The Road to El Dorado

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We're the greatest! We... we won! Hurrah for us! Right?

A traditionally-animated film by DreamWorks. The Road to El Dorado follows the adventures of Spaniards Tulio and Miguel as they try to con and cheat their way to fame and fortune. A game of chance earns them a Treasure Map which seems to point the way to El Dorado: the lost "City of Gold."

The two (mis)adventurers stow away by accident on Cortez's (yes, that Cortez) flagship, and their escape strands them in the New World with only Cortez's horse and the treasure map for company. Seeking enough gold to "buy Spain", they set off into the jungles of Central America, where they'll find something worth much more than treasure.

The film was a pretty big flop, but it shouldn't have been; it's ridiculously fun to watch, especially so if you understand the idea behind the film. According to the producers, after seeing so many animated features whose heroes were upstaged by more memorable sidekicks, they decided to just cut out the typical "hero" characters and center the film on Those Two Guys in the first place. Essentially, the end result is a cartoon version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. With the plot of The Man Who Would Be King. With songs by Elton John.

As might be expected from the title and the two con-artists traveling plotline, the film is heavily influenced by the Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour series of Road To ... films of the 1940s.

Tropes used in The Road to El Dorado include:

• Achilles in His Tent: Miguel, after a fight with Tulio, decides to stay in El Dorado while Tulio and Chel sail back to Spain. When he sees that they're about to be crushed by a giant pillar, he rushes back to save them.
• Adipose Rex: Chief Tannabok who is obese but still fit enough to walk to the top of the temple, while Miguel, Tulio and Altivo are all left breathless.
• All Animals Are Dogs: Altivo. Somewhat lampshaded by Tulio.

Tulio: [after Altivo fetches keys for an apple] For Pete's sake, Miguel! He's a ruthless warhorse, not a poodle!

Air Quotes: Used by Tzekel-Kan when he sicks the jaguar statue on Miguel and Tulio, sarcastically emphasizing "divinity" towards them.

"Now everyone will know the truth of your 'divinity'!"

• Anti-Hero: Miguel and Tulio probably both count as Type II.
• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Of all kinds. Particularly of note are the animals seen within El Dorado, including gigantic catfish and tall, but friendly, flightless birds. Truth in Television for a tropical rain forest environment!
• Anachronism Stew: The story is supposed to begin in 1519, which makes several bits of costume and equipment inappropriate:
  • Fashion in general is way too ahead of its time. For example, ruff collars and trunk hose for men didn't catch on until a couple decades later.
  • The main characters make mention of the peseta as a currency. The peseta wasn't introduced until 1869, exactly 350 years after the time the movie is set in. (The Spain-Spanish dub corrects this to the period-appropriate maravedí and doblón.)
  • Those ultra thin cup-hilted rapiers used by the guards in Seville didn't exist until the mid 17th century. In the time of Cortez the rapier was still in its embryonic stages, differing hardly at all from the medieval knightly sword apart from the ricasso and some extra bars on the hilt.
  • The morion helmets worn by Cortez and his conquistadors were a fashion of the second half of the 16th century and the early 17th. Cortez' troops probably wore sallets, kettle hats, and burgonets.
  • Cortez stated that once they touch land, Tulio and Miguel would be sent to Cuba to work as slaves on sugar cane fields. The cultivation of sugar cane in Cuba began in the 18th century. In the 16th century, the name of Cuba was "Isla Juana".
  • Altivo's apple can be seeing bouncing off a telescope on Cortez's ship. The telescope was not invented until the early 1600s in the Netherlands.
  • Tzekel-Kan's use of Air Quotes at one point, which are a relatively modern thing that certainly wasn't in use in any Mayan society, much less in the 1500s. Their hieroglyphic writing system didn't even have anything resembling quotation marks.
  • The various characters using "Okay," which wasn't a slang term until the mid-1800s.
• And the Adventure Continues: After sealing off the entrance to El Dorado so Cortez can't get to it, Miguel, Tulio and Chel ride off into the sunset in search of their next adventure.
• Artistic License – History: Let's be serious. Excluding the presence of fairies and talking worms, this resembles Cortez's campaign as much as The Magic Voyage resembles Columbus' first travel. Though, of course, that's not the point.
• Bad Boss: Tzekel-Kan, who kicks his loyal acolyte into the magic pool as part of the Human Sacrifice needed to bring the jaguar statue to life. He could've gotten anyone else but chose to just immediately resort to killing his only truly loyal follower.
• Bag of Kidnapping: How Tzekel-Kan and his Guards capture him and ready to sacrifice in a whirlpool of death. Note: This bag is tied by rope with flowers out on it.
• Bare Your Midriff: Chel. Justified since it's local attire.
• Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: Chel, Tulio, and Miguel respectively, though only Chel is female.
• Big Bad Ensemble: Tzekel-Kan and Hernan Cortez until the former meets the latter and becomes subservient to him.
• Big Fun: Chief Tannabok is significantly fatter than anyone else in the city, and he's also far kinder than Tzekel-Kan.
• Big Damn Heroes: When it seems like Tulio and Chel's ship won't make it past the falling pillar, Miguel rides Altivo towards the ship to give him the impulse he needs to jump and pull the sail down so the ship can go faster and avoid certain death.
• Big Word Shout: Tulio yells "STOP!" apparently stopping a volcano from erupting
• Blood Magic: Tzekel-Kan seems to power his magic with human sacrifice.
• Brief Accent Imitation: Tulio briefly imitates Miguel's British accent at the end.

Tulio: You had to be all 'Oh, look at me, look at me, I'm a god.'

• Buffy-Speak: Miguel, when trying to explain why the boat is unacceptable.

Miguel: I have been around boats, believe me. And that, um... pointy tall... the-the-the long up and- up and down thing... Chief: The mast?

• • Also when trying to get Altivo to find them a pry-bar.

Miguel: All you have to do is find a pry-bar! A long piece of iron with a hooky-thing at the end!

• Call Back: Miguel and Tulio appearing to fight each other to get out of trouble. Works on Spanish soldiers AND crazy Aztec priests.
• Comically Missing the Point: Cortez goes into a detailed explanation of exactly how Miguel and Tulio will be punished, culminating in their being sold into slavery when they arrive in Cuba. Miguel's response?

Miguel: All right! Cuba!

• Cheaters Never Prosper: Both inverted and played straight. Miguel and Tulio do get into serious trouble for using loaded dice, but, on the other hand, if they hadn't cheated they wouldn't have gotten to El Dorado in the first place. Later on, cheating at the ball game saved their bacon. Then again, it only delayed things since it directly led to the Big Bad coming after them.
• The Chew Toy: Tulio, though mostly during the "Trail We Blaze" sequence.
• Con Man: Both of the protagonists.
• Conspicuous CGI: I hear CGI Gold is the best kind of gold.
  • Justified Trope: They wrote special animation software to make the gold look "gold" rather than merely "yellow".
• Contrived Coincidence: The guy the duo gambles against happens to have a map to El Dorado just as the Spanish Fleet is leaving for South America, the duo happen to wash up right on its shores after days adrift at sea, and a volcanic eruption happens (and cancels itself) just as the duo are asked for proof of their divinity.
• Convection, Schmonvection Slightly averted as when Tulio and Miguel are escaping the stone jaguar by a lava pool, they're shown sweating.
• Cue the Rain: When Miguel and Tulio are adrift at sea with no food or water.
• Deadpan Snarker: Tulio, Miguel, and Chel. Well, it is a film about the sidekicks instead of the heroes...
• Death Glare:
  • Tulio gives several of these to Miguel for digging themselves deeper into trouble.
  • Miguel himself gives a truly awesome one after his Shut UP, Hannibal speech.
  • Cortez, too, is good at these.
• Disney Acid Sequence: The "It's Tough to be a god" party sequence. Also a Mushroom Samba and Drunken Montage.
  • To be fair, it doesn't really get that acidy until near the end, where it's implied that they'd had a LOT to drink and smoke, and the wine/alcohol they'd been drinking was probably fairly strong, given that Tulio looks gobsmacked when he first takes a drink and Miguel spits it out.
• Disneyesque  Sort of. While the animation is clearly as fluid and well-drawn as Disney films, it does break the mold of the Disney School of Mime and Acting with some of the more unique facial expressions, and follows DreamWorks in-house angular character design style. The much more adult-oriented humor is also very anti-Disney.
• Disney Villain Death: Averted. See "Karmic Death" below.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Cortez plans to have Miguel and Tulio flogged and sold into slavery, all for accidentally stowing away on his ship.
• Does Not Like Shoes: Chel goes barefoot throughout the film.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?:
  • The scene where Tzekel-Kan completes the potion that summons the huge jaguar stone-beast-thing. Orgasm much?
  • Speaking of orgasm face, Tulio really gets into that massage he's gives Chel.
• Double Edged Answer: Tulio and Miguel manage to sneak off Cortez's ship with enough food to get back to Spain, with the unexpected event of Altivo jumping off the ship in chase of an apple. After saving themselves, the horse, and the boat, Altivo eats all of their food within seconds.

Tulio: Did any of the provisions make it? Miguel: (Looks and sees Altivo eating) Well, yes and no...

• Ear Worm: The opening theme. It even appears to be one in-universe, since Chel hums it casually while blackmailing Tulio and Miguel.
• Easter Egg: When Tzekel-Kan is flicking through his codex, one of the pictures is a boy fishing from a moon.
• Eternal English: Played completely straight. Everybody - even the people of El Dorado - speaks English (though, being generous, it could be eternal Spanish).
  • Gets confusing when Chel needs to translate certain words for Tulio and Miguel, like the word for "spirit world".
• Everyone Has Standards: Sure, Miguel and Tulio had no qualms about conning the natives out of their gold, but leaving them to die at the hands of Tzekel-Kan and Cortez - all bets are off.
• Eye Scream: When Miguel, Tulio, and Altivo are cornered by the giant stone jaguar on a cliff, Altivo turns around and kicks the jaguar in one of its gem eyes, which affects Tzekel-Kan.
• Face Palm: Chel makes one when Miguel and Tulio agree to send the gold to Xibalba.
• Fan Service: Equal opportunity fanservice, no less. In addition to Chel's many lovely assets, there are plenty of scenes that show off the very nice bodies of the protagonists, including a changing scene bordering on Male Frontal Nudity.
  • They even lampshade it, with Tulio asking Chel (who is watching them change) "Do you mind?" She responds "No", and bites her lip. There's more than one gif that has superimposed the Tumblr logo over her face.
• Faux Affably Evil: Tzekel-Kan, even after he discovers Miguel and Tulio aren't gods, maintains a veneer of civility.
• Feud Episode: Tulio and Miguel nearly split up over Tulio's relationship with Chel.
• Flynning: Justified when Tulio and Miguel do it deliberately during a (mostly) slice and dice rapier swordfight with each other, then reveal it's all an act to avoid being arrested.

Tulio: Ladies and gentlemen, we've decided it's a draw! Miguel: Thank you all for coming! You've been great, see you soon! Tulio: Adios!

• From Bad to Worse: Lampshaded when the two of them (and the horse) are stranded on the rowboat in the Atlantic:

Miguel: Look on the positive side. At least things can't get—  Massive thunderstorm starts  Tulio: Excuse me. Were you going to say "worse"?  Miguel: Absolutely not. I've revised that whole thing.  Scene ends with a pan out showing sharks approaching.

• The Fundamentalist: Tzekel-Kan's aim is to execute as many of those in El Dorado that he sees as wretched in the form of human sacrifice to appease the gods.
• Funny Background Event: Miguel playing his mandolin during the gambling scenes.
  • Hee hee
  • When they first enter the city, Altivo mouths "El Dorado!" along with Tulio and Miguel.
• Getting Crap Past the Radar: When Chel seduces Tulio.

Chel: (alarmed) The High Priest?! What's he going to think when if he finds one of the gods like this with me?! Tulio: (dazed) Uh... lucky god?

• • "HOLY... SHIP!"
  • SO MANY lines and moments - but when Tulio starts talking about "Ascending Horizontally," even Miguel gets in on the joke.
  • There's a surprisingly easy-to-miss one right at the beginning: During the opening song, a pair of armadillos meet, sniff each other's noses, and disappear into a bush. The bush shakes around a bit and a moment later the two armadillos pop out again... followed by a bunch of babies.
• God Guise: The basis of most of the plot. C'mon, it's a Mayincatec classic.
• God Test: The Doradans challenge the explorers to a ballgame... two gods against 15 mortals.
• Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen: By monkeys! With Fleas!
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Miguel fits almost every aspect of the male version.
• Hammerspace
  • Lampshaded with Chel, with perhaps a bit of Victoria's Secret Compartment.

Tulio: How did you get those? Miguel: Where was she keeping them?

• • Played straight when Tzekel-Kan stows his codex under his tunic.
• Hard Head: In attempting to figure out an escape plan, Tulio bangs his head on a wooden plank so often over a period of (we assume) months it leaves a worn, rounded dent in the shape of his forehead.
• Hartman Hips: Chel.
• Head Desk: Tulio is banging his head against a wall to try to figure out a way to escape from Cortez's ship. He appears to get an idea... but just resumes banging.
• Heterosexual Life Partners: Miguel and Tulio.
  • Historical Villain Upgrade: Cortés did not sail to the New World for gold and glory in Real Life. He was sent to trade with the natives. But he overruled his orders for gold and glory, even defeating a Spanish army sent to arrest him in the process. He took Spanish prisoners in that battle, but the idea of enslaving a fellow Christian or Spaniard would have horrified him. He was also a charming diplomat who forged real alliances with some native groups, while in the film he is a humorless hardass who uses the one native who submits to him as a tool to destroy and kill all the others, and betrays him the minute he doesn't get his way.

• • Horse of a Different Color: While the main characters do have an actual horse, the people of El Dorado appear to have domesticated gigantic sea turtles that they ride on in the aqueducts through the city.
• Human Sacrifice: Threatened often, performed only once. "It just needs a little more... body.." Doubles as a Kick the Dog moment.
• I Choose to Stay: Subverted. Miguel loves the city, but decides to stay only because he got into a fight with Tulio, who wants to go back to Spain. Eventually, to save Tulio and Chel's lives, he's forced to leave anyway.
• Idiot Hair: Both Miguel and Tulio have it, though less pronounced.
• Ignored Enemy: Used twice.
  • Ignored Enemy: Tulio and Miguel ignore the imposing city guard in favour of challenging each other to a duel... which leads them onto a rooftop and freedom. Later in the film they get into a rather nastier slapfight, to their delight of their ignored opponent Tzekel-Kan and his fifty-foot animated stone jaguar.
• I'm Okay: Used when a guard encounters the Jaguars foot. Then he gets stomped:

Guard: I'm still okay!

• Incoming Ham: "BEHOLD! As the prophesies foretold! The time! Of judgement! IS NOW!!!"
• Intellectual Animal: Altivo.
• In the Local Tongue: Provides the page quote.

Tulio: Apparently, El Dorado is native for great...big...ROCK!!!

• It Got Worse: Lampshaded when the two of them (and the horse) are stranded on the rowboat in the Atlantic:

Miguel: Look on the positive side. At least things can't get-- Massive thunderstorm starts Tulio: Excuse me. Were you going to say "worse"? Miguel: Absolutely not. I've revised that whole thing. Scene ends with a pan out showing sharks approaching.

• It Has Been an Honor: Tulio and Miguel in the rowboat, where they think that they will soon die.

Tulio: If it's any consolation, Miguel... you... made my life... an adventure! (sobs) Miguel: And if it's any consolation, Tulio... you... made my life... rich! Altivo: (rolls eyes)

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Both protagonists. Though Tulio is more of a jerk than Miguel, they both end up saving the city from Cortez and Tzekel-Kan.
• Just a Stupid Accent: Everyone speaks English, period. The Spaniards sound like native-born Americans/Brits, most everyone else speaks with a Central American accent, and Tzekel-Kan has a dialect all his own.
• Karma Houdini: Hernan Cortez. A foregone conclusion, sadly.
• Karmic Death: Averted. It looks like Tzekel-Kan suffers a Disney Villain Death at one point, but it turns out he survived. Only to suffer a Fate Worse Than Death at the end, if Spanish slavery is anything to go by
  • Or a swift one by smallpox.
• Keet: Miguel is toeing the line here.
• Kick the Dog: Tzekel-Kan sacrifices his loyal but not-too-bright right hand man to fuel a spell.
• Knight of Cerebus: While Tzekel-Khan gets some humorous moments, every time Cortez appears, all the humor is drained out.
  • Well, almost every time.

Miguel: All right! Cuba!

• • Knight Templar: Tzekel-Kan wants to purge the city of, what he believes, the wicked and unrighteous citizens of El Dorado.
• Large Ham: Tzekel-Kan: "BEHOLD! As the prophecies foretold! The TIME of JUDGMENT is NOW!"
  • "MIGHTY AND POWERFUL GODS!"
  • (Sniffs potion) "AAAHHH!"
  • Miguel and Tulio as well, not that surprising since the former is voiced by a Shakespearean actor and the latter's voiced by the guy who was the lead in the 1983 version of The Pirates of Penzance.

• • Last-Second Word Swap:

Tulio: "...free from any tempta— uh, distractions..."

• • • Latin Land: The legend of El Dorado does not come from Central America; just ask a Colombian.
• Lean and Mean: Tzekel-Kan.is skinny and enjoys human sacrifice and BLOOD, in contrast to his counterpart, the large, fat and benevolent Chief Tannabok.
  • Left the Background Music On: Miguel provides his own soundtrack at numerous points in the film.
• Lighter and Fluffier: The plot of the movie is based on Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King," which was made into a live action movie with Sean Connery and Michael Caine. The original story and the live adaptation are significantly darker.
• Little Miss Con Artist: Chel's a sexier than usual version of this trope.
• Living Statue: Using powerful magic, Tzkel-Kan brings to life a giant jaguar statue and controls it as a Marionette Master.
• Loads and Loads of Roles: This films gives you your money's worth of Jim Cummings.
• Loud Gulp: When Miguel and Tulio have to play a ball game they've never played before against fifteen of the best players in the city, and are expected to win since they are gods.
• Lovable Rogue: Migel, Tulio, and Chel.
• Marked Change: Tzekel-Kan gains Tron Lines on his body when he takes control of the stone jaguar.
  • Match Cut: Numerous, usually involving something symbolic matched instantly with real version.
• Mayincatec: The native culture is sort of a blend of all the typical Hollywood Aztec/Mayan/Incan traits.
• Meaningful Echo: "To err is human, to forgive Divine." First used as a means of appeasing Tzekel-Kan when they dismiss his "tribute". Later, said back to Miguel by the Chief all but saying out loud he knows Miguel isn't a god but doesn't care.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Altivo is Spanish for "arrogant".
  • And Miguel means "one who is like God".
  • Tulio means "That who leads".
  • Cortez is Cortés in Spanish, which means "polite".
    • Mega Neko: When Tzekel-Kan discovers Miguel and Tulio aren't gods, he decides to eliminate them and purge El Dorado himself by animating a massive jaguar statue.
    • Mighty Whitey: Averted. From climbing temple stairs to the local sports, Miguel and Tulio are comically out of the natives' league. They can only get anywhere through cheating and duplicity.
      • Ms. Fanservice: Chel. She wear a very skimpy outfit, has huge hips (as demonstrated in a ball-game scene) and openly seduces one of the male protagonists.
• My Grandma Can Do Better Than You Variant:

Miguel: You fight like my sister! Tulio: I fought your sister; that's a compliment!

• • Naked People Are Funny: Tulio and Miguel, naturally, in the scene where the monkeys steal their clothes. Also in the scene where they're changing and Chel is pretending not to peek.
• Non-Human Sidekick: Altivo the warhorse, and the armadillo to a lesser extent.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Mentioned by Miguel when he thinks he and Tulio are going to die.

Miguel: Tulio, I just want you to know, I'm sorry about that girl in Barcelona.

• • Possibly, Chel's reasons for leaving El Dorado, which are never clarified, but her facial expression is more than a little suspicious in that instance.

Chel: You've got your reasons...and I've got mine.

• • • In the junior novelization and storybooks, Tzekel-Kan was about to sacrifice her before the chief stopped him. This scene was the original opening to the movie before it was cut.
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent: For a Spaniard, Miguel sounds awfully... British. And, come to that, Tulio sounds awfully... American.
• Not in the Face: Tulio while Flynning.

Tulio: (whispers) Not the face, not the face...

• The Not-Secret: The Chief knew that Tulio and Miguel weren't gods.
• Not-So-Great Escape: Takes on a pronounced zig zag through the beginning of the film: Miguel and Tulio avoid arrest through impressive Flynning only to fall into a bull pen. They make a dramatic exit with the bull mowing down some of their pursuers, jumping off of a high wall into open barrels full of water to elude the others. They pull the lids over themselves, only to be hoisted aboard a ship bound for the New World and have a large, heavy chest piled on top to keep them from getting out. At sea, the chest is removed, and they emerge dramatically in full view of the crew, promptly locked in irons for an involuntary audience with Cortez. They are thrown in the brig as stowaways and presumably flogged, eventually sneaking out in the dead of night with the help of Altivo's fetching skills. After another dramatic escape when Altivo jumps overboard, all three wind up at sea in a rowboat, dying of starvation and thirst. Fortunately, they miraculously beach themselves a stone's throw away from a landmark in their map to El Dorado.
• Nubile Savage: Chel.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Around the middle of the movie Chief Tannabok hints that he already suspected that Miguel and Tulio weren't gods. He probably chooses not to divulge this because the "gods"' presence weakened the high priest's power and put a stop to human sacrificing, which he was clearly against. The fact they were pretty fun anyway probably helped.
• Ocean Madness: Referenced after Miguel, Tulio, and their horse Al Tivo have been floating for God-knows how long and then suddenly wash ashore:

Miguel: And it is! It really is the map to El Dorado! *he pants with excitement* Tulio: ...you drank the seawater, didn't you?

• Ominous Latin Chanting: Well, ominous chanting, anyway...
  • Palm Bloodletting: Tzekel-Khan does this and smears the blood on a carving of the gods to emphasize his realization that Miguel and Tulio are only mortal, because "Gods don't bleed."
• Perma Stubble: Tulio.
• Planning with Props: When Tulio tries to formulate a plan for their boat of gold and the pillars that lead to El Dorado, he uses a stack of earrings to represent the pillars and a pendant for the boat. The armadillo spills water over the whole scene, inspiring Tulio to decide to crash the boat into the pillars
• Plot Hole: Why does this guy who Tulio and Miguel con have a map to El Dorado and not care about it? Does he not believe in it? If he DOES believe in it, why would he lay it as a wager for a lousy dice game and not just go find the golden city himself? And if he DOESN’T believe in it, then why does he have it in the first place? Did he just find it at a 16th century flea market and decided to keep it in case he needs to re-earn his gambled income?
  • Though those are sailors - a few appearing to be the men on Cortez's crew - so it may have just been a spare map for that trip.
• Pop Star Composer: Elton John co-wrote and performed all the songs for the movie.
  • Plot-Irrelevant Villain: While Cortez is indirectly responsible for Miguel and Tulio winding up at El Dorado, he vanishes from the film after the opening and only shows up again very late in the film, with Tzekel-Kan taking over as the main villain for the bulk of the film.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Tulio gets to do four of these:

"Apparently, El Dorado is native for... "Great. Big. ROCK!!!" (echoes) "Get. On. The horse." "WHAT. Do you THINK. You're DOING?!?" "...On the one hand - Gold! On the other hand (points at mural of an execution) - Painful. Agonizing. FAILURE."

• Puppy Dog Eyes: Miguel uses this on Tulio, who calls it "The Face", to gamble for the map.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Chief Tannabok, who loves his people in spite of the high minister's bloodthirsty religious fervor and accepts Miguel and Tulio even after he figures out on his own that they aren't gods.
• Record Needle Scratch:

Tulio: We just have to lie low. Miguel: (beautiful music swells) But Tulio, this place is amazing! I mean I wonder what's- Tulio: NO! (needle scratch) Don't even move!!!

• Recycled in Space. The Man Who Would Be King. In cartoon form. In South America. With musical numbers.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Miguel and Tulio as well as Tzekel-kan and Chief Tannabok.
• The Renaissance Age of Animation
  • Revealing Injury: Miguel receiving a cut during the ball game is what tips Tzekel-Kan off to their masquerade, as gods don't bleed.
• Riding Into the Sunset: The movie ends this way, or rather Chel rides off, with Miguel and Tulio running to catch up after they fall off Altivo.
• Rock Bottom:

Miguel: Tulio, look on the bright side! At least things can't get any- (Cue pouring rain and thunder) Tulio: Excuse me, were you going to say WORSE? Miguel: Nnnno...no. Tulio: You're sure? Miguel: Absolutely not, I've revised that whole thing. Tulio: We're at least in a rowboat. Miguel: We're in a rowboat, exactly. (Cue Everything's Even Worse with Sharks)

• • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Chief Tannabok is shown to be thoroughly involved in keeping his city in order, from going out of his way to making the "Gods" happy to singlehandedly keeping the pillars from falling over too early at the end.

• Scenery Porn: What'd you expect from the City of Gold? Also present everywhere during the "Trail We Blaze" sequence.
• Screams Like a Little Girl: Miguel and Tulio. But, of course, you'd probably react the same way to a giant green stone jaguar breaking out of a temple. But less so when it's Chel.

Tulio: Miguel and Tulio! Miguel: Tulio and Miguel! Both: Mighty and Powerful Gods! Chel: Hello! Both: *squeal*

• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Both Tulio and Miguel prove to care more for people than cold metal. Even if they scammed the whole city with their God Guise, leaving it for Cortez to plunder is beyond them.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Chief Tannabok eventually hints that he figured out Miguel and Tulio aren't gods.
• Shout-Out: The fighting bull that chased Miguel and Tulio looks a lot like the bull that would occasionally pester Bugs Bunny.

• Sinister Minister: Tzekel-Kan is an evil priest. He's also, to a certain extent, The Grand Vizier. Though the chief is not the typical Horrible Judge of Character who lets the Grand Vizier get away with everything; he clearly distrusts and dislikes Tzekel-Kan, and is glad when the gods start speaking for themselves.
• Silent Snarker: Chel at times. Also Altivo the eye-rolling horse.
• The Smart Guy: Tulio.
• Soft Water: Quite a few scenes, including the scene where Miguel and Tulio get onto the ship.
  • Spexico: The aesthetics of El Dorado and its inhabitants are a mixture of different prehispanic cultures of Central America, in order to avoid connecting El Dorado to any particular geographical place. The buildings and temples are a composition of the Mixteco city of Mitla, in modern Oaxaca, Mexico, and the Mayan city of the Palanque. The features of the locals are distinctly Mayan, as well the murals and the Xibalba tradition. The weapons, attires and human sacrifices customs are mostly of Aztec origin. Curiously, even though the inspiration comes from Central and Southern Mexico, the most widely accepted location for the real El Dorado legend was the Amazonian rain forest.
• Spiritual Successor: The film is seen by many fans as a Spiritual Successor to the old Hope and Crosby "Road To ..." movies.
  • To The Lion King, at least production-wise. Producer Jeff Katzenberg recruited Elton John to write the songs because they had enjoyed each other's company while making that film.

• • Stout Strength: Tannabok, easily the fattest person in El Dorado, manages to single-handedly slow the topple of a massive stone pillar by pulling on all the guy ropes at once.
• Stripperiffic: Chel.doesn't wear much, though it's downplayed.
• Spicy Latina: Chel. Well she is voiced by Rosie Perez.
• Tempting Fate: When Tulio and Miguel are stuck on the rowboat with no food.

Miguel: "Look on the bright side, at least things can't ge-" (immediate thunderstorm) Tulio: (angry) "Tell me, were you going to say 'worse?'" Miguel: "Er... no" They argue as the camera pulls out to show at least a half dozen sharks following their boat.

• Thwarted Escape: After their impressive display of Flynning to avoid being arrested, Miguel and Tulio drop behind a stone wall, only to find they have fallen into the pen of a huge bull that doesn't seem too happy to see them.
• Threat Backfire:

Miguel: That's right, do not question us! Or we shall have to unleash our awesome and terrible power, and you don't want that! Tzekel-Kan: Well yes! We do! Miguel: ...You do?...

• Threesome Subtext: Both Tulio and Miguel are incredibly attracted to Chel and Chel herself shows about equal attraction to the both of them, and let's not forget that the main drama of the show comes from Tulio and Miguel's relationship problems.

• Treasure Map: The map won by Miguel and Tulio.
• Trickster: Chel though Miguel and Tulio are not exactly lacking in this department either.
  • Tron Lines: Tzekel-Kan's ritual causes glowing blue-green markings to cover his own body and the jaguar statue.
  • Truth in Television: There actually was a real event in the 15th century where a Spanish army (led by Hernan Cortès) attempted to invade the Aztecs only to be warmly greeted with gifts and gold in the belief that they were gods, though the veracity of the God Guise story has been contested by other scholars.
    • The rapier really was a civilian weapon due to being cheap to make, easy to use, and less lethal than many other weapons.
• Vagabond Buddies: Miguel and Tulio. Unsurprising, since it's styled after the Trope Codifier.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Tulio and Miguel are Type 2.
• Wanted Poster: Miguel and Tulio are first introduced by one to establish that they are criminals.
  • Wham Line: "Gods don't bleed."
• You Fight Like a Cow:

Miguel: You fight like my sister! Tulio: Ah ha! I've fought your sister! That's a compliment!

• • Also a case of Getting Crap Past the Radar in the German dub:

Miguel: You fight like my sister! Tulio: Ah ha! I've fought your sister, but with my best sword!