I really enjoyed Zootopia when it first came out so I was pretty excited to watch it again for Friday Films. My favorite scenes are still Flash at the DMV and at the end where he’s speeding in a fancy car.
I think Zootopia is such an amazing animated film because it tackles the problems of racial profiling, tribalism, and stereotypes all while incorporating humor along the way. There are many scenes through which the film tries to give the audience a nuanced understanding of prejudice and just how common it is. There was a protesting jaguar who was told to “go back to the jungle.” To which the jaguar replied, “I’m from the savanna!” A mother pulled her child closer to her when a tiger sat next to them on the subway. Officer Clawhauser calls Judy “cute” but she explains to him why it is a demeaning word to describe bunnies.
At the beginning, Judy and Nick were foils to each other. Judy was a naive idealist who believed that “anyone can be anything.” Nick was a realist whose cynical and hardened personality was a result of his childhood experiences. But it was this dynamic that made them great partners.
Zootopia is a unique Disney film. Although Disney’s motto is to make people “dream,” Zootopia is an educative (but still family friendly) film on discrimination. It tackled societal problems and presented a much more complicated message than “follow your dreams.”
I totally agree! The film definitely presents complex subject matter in a fun way. Do you think that showing kids more films like this would have a noticeable impact in how they interact with those they perceive as different from them later in life?
Perhaps! I remember hearing about a psychology study where children who watched Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood remembered the phrases he repeated and were more patient. When I was growing up, I watched a lot of PBS kids and NOVA and Nature on Channel Thirteen because we didn’t have cable. I think many of these shows may have contributed to my love of studying STEM.
When I initially heard about Zootopia and the message it was trying to send I immediately believed many people would oppose the idea, and think of it as a disrespectful way to address such complex ideas; however, I agree with your description of the movie as a fun family movie that also proves to be educational.
I really liked Zootopia both for the plot and the message that it gives. It’s a great way to get young kids exposed to these kinds of problems early on.