As I am a huge fan of Disney, I was super eager for Zootopia to come out. Going into the movie, I wasn’t exactly sure about the plot, and expectations were low simply because the talking animal concept is painfully cliché. I wasn’t sure how they could spin this movie at an angle that hadn’t already been done before. But as usual, Disney came through.
What I appreciated the most about this movie is that it contained a lot of key themes that are important in today’s society. It touched on discrimination, stereotyping, and the standard Disney message: follow your dreams. And it still used a lot of humor appropriate for the parents and young adults in the audience.
The (No Spoilers) Summary
In this universe, predators and prey live in harmony. The opening is a younger version of the main character, Judy Hopps, explaining her dream to be a cop. No bunny has ever done this before, but she is determined. She grows up and continues on to the police academy. She then moves into the city of Zootopia where she finally gets to follow through on her dream . . . sort of. While everyone doubts her ability, she meets a fox named Nick Wilde that – through unusual circumstances – becomes her partner. Together they go on a journey to catch the villain terrorizing the citizens of Zootopia.
The Message
The movie’s underlying story of discrimination comes through in two ways, both of which are put in terms easily understood by children. The first starts off with the fact that bunnies and foxes have a rough history. Throughout the movie, the fox gets frustrated with Judy for stereotyping him just because of what species he is, which the movie clarifies is wrong. The second way Disney lightly introduces the concept of discrimination is because during much of the movie the Predators are being shunned and the Prey is trying to run them out of town. They’re having issues with the Predator population “turning savage” and attempting to eat the prey, like before they were civilized. It becomes clear at the end of the film that not just Predators have the ability to “turn savage” and everyone turned to discrimination because they were scared. The movie makes it clear that you can’t judge someone based on his or her background or cultural history.
The Disney Motto
The classic Disney motto of following your dreams is obvious within the idea of Judy becoming a police officer even though a bunny has never done it before, and they handle it in a way that doesn’t make it overdone or boring. However what made it especially amusing is that they sprinkle in references from pop culture such as The Godfather, Breaking Bad, bootleg movies, Apple products, and Shakira.
Overall, I loved this movie. It had an unexpected twist, taught really important lessons to kids, and reminded adults of the same lessons. This will definitely become a classic, and I recommend everyone sees it!