The other day I was on Facebook, nonchalantly going through my feed when I stumbled upon an article that caught my eye. It was an article about Disney movies so of course I had to read it, but the content of that article really angered me. The article was written by a girl who was angry about the Disney movie Zootopia winning the Oscar over Disney’s most recent installment, Moana. Her anger stemmed from—in her mind—the fact that Zootopia is about a rabbit and Moana is a story about a strong heroine who sails across the ocean to save her people. The problem I had with this was the inaccuracy of her judgement of Zootopia. She argued that by Zootopia winning over Moana, it sends a negative message to girls across the nation that no matter what, you don't matter. This truly angered me, not because Moana isn't a good movie—it’s a fantastic movie—it was that she failed to see the beauty of Zootopia.
Zootopia is not just a movie about a rabbit. If thats what you think of that movie than you have totally missed the point. The movie is rich in complex themes that are extremely relevant to our society today. It followed the story of a bunny, Judy Hops, who one day dreamed of being a cop in the city of Zootopia—a place where predators and prey get along in harmony, or so she thought. She is met with a lot of backlash and has her worldview tested throughout the movie.
The beauty of Zootopia are the messages that it is sending to its viewers. It brings up the controversial issues of what it means to be a cop and policing in general, racism, bullying, a society with underlying problems that are not brought to the surface, and much more. I remember watching this movie in theaters and just thinking to myself how deep and complex the movie was and it seemed to never stop until the very end. I thought it was especially relevant for the time due to the backlash faced by cops and how the situation was escalating. Not only that, but this movie tackles deep, hard set ideas about racism that stems from hundreds of years of past history. Although the movie is about prey and predators, the same fundamental idea that they had towards each other is the same way we view the color of our skin and status in society.
Now, I also want to point out that I am not bashing Moana. It is a beautiful movie with a deep message, rich characters, and is just flat out visually stunning. Don’t get me wrong, I would have been happy if Moana would have won as well, but I did not like how that girl seemed to dismiss all that Zootopia had to offer just because she was mad.
I am a huge Disney buff, and I hope to one day work for them, but to overlook so much of what Zootopia had to offer and jumping to the conclusion that it sends a bad message is wrong. Zootopia also sends a message to little girls that anything is possible—hell, a female bunny was able to become a cop in the big city and proved everyone wrong. In a profession dominated by men, it shows girls that you should chase your dreams not matter how big they are. Judy did not let anyone stop her and that sends a powerful message to little girls and boys all over the nation.
To that girl who was angered over the Oscar winner, I just want to say its okay to be angry that the movie you wanted to win did not—in fact—win. But, do not make the other winner seem as though it was not an equal contender and to give the movie a demeaning judgement. Be open minded, and allow yourself to think about why it won. Disney is a company that is constantly evolving and shaping its image to fit with how society is moving. It is a company that is dedicated to sharing magic and happiness with the rest of the world. I absolutely love where Disney is headed and I cannot wait to see what else they have in store. Both movies were fantastic and had equal rights to win the Oscar nomination for best Animated Film, but one happened to stand out more than the other and that is okay. Both Zootopia and Moana were amazing movies with amazing stories to tell, and both send positive messages that I hope everyone takes to heart no matter your age, gender, or race.
