I tend to overanalyze everything. But there were themes in this movie that were so obvious. I saw them even battling a 17 month old in the aisle. Many could argue that this is just a cartoon. Why would Disney be saying anything, when their goal is to entertain? I think Disney is a lot of things. I am appalled at their soaring Disneyland prices. They don't always represent women in a realistic way. They encourage heavy consumerism in children. BUT I do believe they realize the power they have over public thought. And that is something they take seriously. This film was released in the spring. It is not their big Summer blockbuster (Dory is up for the task this year). I think they are always in it for the money, but they can simultaneously tackle issues relevant to our time. Just look at Wall-e. Many politicians HATE that movie. Zootopia was nowhere near Wall-e status. But I will discuss a few things that I noticed. And since I am a millennial and we only have patience for the bullet point format in articles, I will try it. I bet you haven't even read these last two paragraphs, have you? You lazy friend, you.
1. The two main characters (Judy the bunny and Nick the fox) represent women and minorities.
Judy Hopps had a dream to become a cop in the big city. Everyone told her she couldn't. She made it through the police academy, got a job where she wanted, and was pushed down by the big animals who thought she was too small to do anything but give parking tickets. She started at the bottom and had to move her way to the top. She had to work harder than your average cop.
Two things said that stood out to me:
a) Judy says it's offensive when another animal (not a bunny) calls her cute. She corrects the fox when he calls her cute, saying it's okay when other bunnies do so, but it's considered rude if any other animal does.
b) "Are all bunnies bad drivers, or is it just you?". A common stereotype made toward women.
Nick the fox is labeled as a predator in the movie. A predator is any animal that historically hunts other animals, even though they are all civilized in current day. He is refused service at certain places, untrustworthy among other animals because of his "nature" and was told when he was a kid that he could never be like the "prey". He wasn't allowed to intermingle with them. There is a moment when Judy is being torn down by her boss. Nick defends her and then tells her to never let them see it affect her.
2. Affirmative action in hiring a bunny
There are several comments made about Judy being the first bunny cop to ever work in Zootopia. The only reason she was hired was because of an initiative put in place. The animals in charge hate it. But they have to do it to keep the mayor happy.
3. The population is 90% "prey" and 10% "predators", and the prey is still constantly trying to keep the predators in line with fear tactics.
There are so many quotes I wish I could find to represent what I'm saying. There was one line said by the assistant mayor (a sheep) that said that the predators threaten their very way of life because it is in their nature to hurt the majority. She continued to say they needed to use fear to keep them in line. This is so relevant today, I don't think I need to say much more. Except that the idea that certain animals are more violent by nature is not far from what some people think of certain races, historically.
4. Gazelle the superstar is totally Beyonce!
Okay, so she is actually voiced by Shakira. And maybe this one is a little bit of a stretch. But there is a singer that everyone (prey and predators alike) IDOLIZE named Gazelle. Her dance moves are even en pointe with Beyonce. The reason this matters (especially since the Super Bowl "fiasco", which Disney could not have predicted while making this movie) is that when news comes out that Predators might be more dangerous than previously thought, Gazelle holds a press conference saying that predators and prey can and should live in peace together. Beyonce has been a huge advocate for racial equality. I'm just saying.
5. Different districts for different animals.
This one seems obvious to make the film work. A mouse cannot live in the same area as an elephant, for safety reasons. But they take it further than that, referring to the rainforest district, the tundra district, there's an incident in the district where small critters live... and each district runs well on it's own, without others interfering. Certain animals belong in certain places, and there should be no crossover to keep things running smoothly. I suppose it's akin to the Bronx vs. Queens vs. Upper East Side of Manhattan.
There really is much more I'd like to say, but out of context of the film, it's a little more difficult. I really encourage everyone to see this. The overall message is that no matter the background, you can be who you want to be. It's a great message for kids, and a good reminder for adults.
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