Zootopia - not just another 'cute' Disney movie.
Zootopia seemed like just another adorable Disney movie with fluffy animals and witty humor, but as you experience this film you realize it is so perfectly relevant for what is going on today in our society.
Zootopia stars Judy our leading lady, she is a bunny from a small town that dreams of being the first ever bunny cop in the big city. She is told she shouldn't dream so big by her parents, her peers and just about everyone in this animal world. Her place is to be a farmer or to do a job that is something safe as she is a woman and a small prey woman at that. In true Disney fashion she never gives up and becomes a police officer for the huge city of Zootopia.
The city is supposed to be forward thinking, where all animals are equal and can be anything they want. Predators and Prey get along in harmony and everything is supposed perfect in this modern society, but of course it is not. Judy encounters a scam artist fox named Nick and their relationship is tested throughout the movie.
There is a consistent social battle mainly between the Predator species and Prey species. Everything from the prey looking at all predators as if they are something to be feared without reason, to the predators looking at the prey as weak and too small to take care of serious tasks.
The film focuses around these themes and well, lets just say it, its about racism and sexism. Judy is referred to as "cute" and sweetheart" in the film by male characters, which of course makes her angry. And all of the animals in this film judge one another based on their species. Judy is consistently put down as a tiny bunny, and Nick struggles to prove that he is more that just a sneaky fox.
With everything going on in the news about racial profiling and terrorism this film perfectly explains to children how judging and even fearing someone based on their looks, is WRONG. After watching this film my 10 year old son and I had a long conversation about "why did they treat Judy like that" and "Why does Judy treat Nick that way" and the conversation we were really having was about people, about how every species (race) should be treated with respect and never judged based on where they come from or how they look.
Disney does a fantastic job of making us think, warming our hearts and making us laugh through this film. Take your kids, your nephews and nieces, your grand-kids and yourself to this film, and have a conversation after. Imagine what society would be like if we didn't fear one another or judge one another. Disney, you did it again, bravo.
