"Zootopia" did not meet my expectations. It exceeded them.
Do not worry Judy lovers and Nick fans. I am not bashing "Zootopia" in any way. "Zootopia" did not meet any of my expectations, and it actually turned out to be a good thing.
I am an avid and shameless Disney fan. It is almost embarrassing how excited I get when I see a new commercial for a Disney animated film. When you combine that with my love for animals, you can image how excited I was to see "Zootopia."
After watching "Zootopia"’s first trailer, which you can watch here, I was expecting another entertaining, adorable Disney movie. The trailer is about two minutes long, and focuses mainly on a humorous scene with sloths, but does not give you much background about the movie. The trailer was playful, so I went in expecting a lighthearted movie. Walt Disney Animation Studios did release a second trailer here, which touches more on background story, but still does not fully allude to the powerful undertones of this movie.
Disney movies excel in presenting great messages in fun ways. "Big Hero 6" taught us about loss and love, "Toy Story" taught us about growing up, and "Mulan" reminds us you can do anything you set your mind to. While these are all excellent lessons, some of Disney’s messages can seem distant. Although we all want to “Let It Go” and show unconditional love for our sisters, living in a mysterious ice castle and having magic powers is far fetched for most of the audience. Hoping like Snow White that “One day my prince will come” is not the wisest career choice for college students like myself. While all Disney films are rooted in benevolent messages, I believe "Zootopia" presents the most accessible and applicable message for our society today.
Although "Zootopia" features animals instead of humans, the values and issues featured are easily translated into our society. Additionally, unlike some other Disney movies, "Zootopia"’s message has the potential to resonate with all ages. To some of the very young children, "Zootopia" remains a wonderfully animated movie with lessons on values by Judy Hopps. For ages older than that, social justice issues become apparent. "Zootopia" transforms from a funny movie about animals to a statement on discrimination and equality.
A particularly potent scene is when Nick walks into an ice cream parlor and the elephant refuses to serve him solely because he is a fox. To children, this obviously appears wrong. For adults, this can initiate further contemplation on the issue. When you illustrate this situation with animals, the act of discrimination based solely on species seems quite ludicrous, as it should. "Zootopia" breaks down societal issues with animals so that we are able to examine them as simply children would, to clearly see the difference between right and wrong.
Another important issue raised was judging species based on their classification: predators versus prey. "Zootopia" is based on the premise that all animals have adapted to live in harmony with each other, leaving their primitive need to eat each other in the distant past. Unfortunately, after animals characterized as predators begin behaving savagely, Judy Hopps jumps to the false conclusion that they are simply returning to their primitive ways. We learn that this is Judy’s greatest mistake in the movie, as she was completely wrong, and alienated herself from her closest friend, Nick. With this mistake, "Zootopia" teaches us not to judge people on where they came from, but for who they are now.
Of course, Disney cannot make a movie without the inspiring example of someone following his or her dreams, no matter how crazy they might sound. As classical Cinderella said, “A dream is a wish your heart makes” and Walt Disney reminded us, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”. Judy Hopps had a dream to be a police officer, and cast off societal expectations of her to be a carrot farmer as irrelevant. Despite the role that society had pushed Judy and her fellow bunnies into, she never gave up on her dream of being a police officer. As cliché as I am sure many adults thought this was, it was an inspiring message. Hopps taught us that despite the demographic of the field you want to go into, you can succeed in it if you work your hardest.
I hope "Zootopia" becomes one of Disney’s most watched movies, and will remain potent in viewers’ minds as an educational tool and an equally great movie for a long time. If you needed yet another reason to watch "Zootopia," it has a 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which is basically unheard of. Also, the animation is insanely detailed. Check out how their fur moves.
