Disney's newest 3D-animated film has hit theaters, and it's already made waves, including famously beating the opening week of the adult-centric "Deadpool." It's a seemingly childlike, fun movie, with lovable characters and witty humor, but not long after the movie starts, you realize that it's much deeper than the commercials made it seem. Alongside the expected goofy and enjoyable Disney that we know and love, we also get quite a deep social commentary that takes us into one of the most touchy subjects in today's world in a tactful way: the topic of racism.
Zootopia is a world where humans never existed, and the animals in the world evolved into sentient and thinking creatures. They are, for all intents and purposes, human in their mental capacity and construction ability. The animal kingdom now coexists within their world, without any of the animalistic instinct we see today (specifically, predatory instincts). They have pop stars, police stations, cars, even donuts: everything mankind has now. The only difference is that they're animals.
The main character is a bunny from a carrot farm named Judy. Almost instantly, we learn that bunnies aren't meant for dangerous and difficult jobs. Instead, they remain farmers or cooks. They have simple occupations that keep them in the home. But Judy has aspirations greater than this. Instead of a lounging and easy lifestyle, she wants to become a police officer. Her character is very well-developed, and the liberties that the writers take are very well implemented.
Nick Wilde is a fox, the second major character in the film. I won't say much about him, except that he's one of the most well-developed characters in the film.
The focus is on the main two characters, Judy and Nick, and (thankfully) there was never even a hint of a romantic relationship between the two. Instead, it focuses on a friendship between them. In fact, much like "Wreck-It-Ralph" and "Big Hero 6," there are no actual relationships that are demonstrated in this film; instead, it's all about strong friendship. Disney has been furthering their attempts at diversifying their movie subjects and concepts, and this was certainly another step in this direction.
Racism is a difficult subject in today's world, with many flaring opinions on all sides, vying for a voice or dancing around the subject altogether. It's extremely important, one that must be tackled in some way, and "Zootopia" does this extremely effectively, using this animal kingdom to discuss the aspects of racism while completely removing it from the context of our world.
There are no direct correlations in the film from a species to a race in our human world. Instead, species are stereotyped by their own characteristics. Rabbits stay in their farm and can't do any difficult and intense work because of their size and stature. Foxes are deceptive and sleazy, because that is their nature. Equal opportunity doesn't exist, even thought the slogan of Zootopia claims otherwise, because animals are physically different and stereotyped by those differences.
There is a big deal at the beginning with Judy being the "first bunny cop," because no rabbit had ever made it through training. Though there are creature-specific racial issues, most of the concepts that are dealt with are related to the general concept of predator versus prey. Some animals in the past, were predators, and others were prey. This distinction becomes a focus of the film, because it's the most pressing social issue at the time in the world of "Zootopia."
Through the analysis of this difficult subject (there is an animosity between the two, and a fear that runs rampant throughout the culture of the prey against the predator's existence), Disney creates a metaphorical equivalent to the racism present in today's culture, without putting one side above the other, portraying everything in an equal way and allowing the reader to look at this issue from the perspective of both predator and prey, as the two main characters are a fox and a rabbit.
As a Christian, it's very important to consider and deal with this difficult concept in our lives, and look at it from all perspectives, as we are called to love all others as equals.
"Zootopia" was fantastic to watch, and it's certainly worth seeing it in the theaters or owning/renting once it's released. The movie is funny, lighthearted, and family friendly, but deep in its own right, as was "Big Hero 6" and "Wreck-It Ralph." Once more, Disney has made a masterpiece, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they have up their sleeves next.
