In today’s world, it seems as though everything has a hidden
(or not so hidden) political agenda. Throughout this highly politicized world,
it seems as though companies, film-makers, and politicians are trying to
display their message anywhere they can. This is not only true about advertisements
and certain products, but even in film. While using film to push a certain
message is not a new concept, it is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s
society, especially in children’s films. One prime example of this is in Disney’s
film Zootopia.
This film
focuses on a small but passionate rabbit named Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer
Goodwin). Her whole life she was told she would amount to nothing but becoming
a carrot farmer like her parents before her, however her dream was to become a
police officer in the big city of Zootopia. After becoming the first bunny to
graduate from the police academy, she is stuck in the lowly position of a
meter-maid. During one of her many uneventful days writing parking tickets, she
is conned by a tricky fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). Once Judy learns of
multiple reports of predators that have gone missing, she jumps on the chance
to prove to her boss and coworkers that she is up to the task. With the help of
Nick Wilde she uncovers a ruthless plot to get rid of all the predators in
society by making the majority of Zootopia, who are prey, afraid of the
predators. Zootopia explores many
different political ideas, including the recent issue of police brutality
towards minorities. Because this film explores issues in diversity and acceptance,
Giannetti would place this film on the left side of the political spectrum.
One
message that is especially prevalent in this film is that someone’s DNA or
looks does not automatically make them a certain type of person. In the
beginning of the film, Judy encounters a bully who leaves her scarred, and he
just so happens to be a fox. When Judy encounters Nick Wilde later in the film,
she is very skeptical of him due to the incident that occurred during her
childhood. However, as the movie progresses, she realizes that even though Nick
is a predator, he is a very trustworthy partner and has even experienced his
own discriminatory bullying in his youth. This example goes along with the
overarching theme of the movie, that even though the predators DNA tells them
to eat the prey, they can all coexist with each other if they can see who
people really are inside. While children watching the film may not grasp the
hidden reference to the police brutality against minorities, they will pick up
on the fact that people should treat everyone the same, regardless of skin
color.
While the
film presents many positive messages for children it also presents some
fallacies in its arguments. One such example is in the use of a hasty
generalization towards Judy’s coworkers and boss. Zootopia portrays her coworkers and boss as big, muscular predators
who will not give Judy the light of day because she is a small woman. This message
could teach young girls that because men would not give Judy an opportunity,
that all male bosses and coworkers will think this. Young girls should be
taught that they should follow their dreams no matter what, but it should not
be done by portraying men as only wanting to see them fail.
Although
this film displays some fallacies in its arguments, I believe that its positive
messages present a stronger argument in the film than the negative messages. Zootopia is able to tackle some major
political issues while still creating a light, family-friendly movie that can
be enjoyed by all ages. Some of the references may go unnoticed by most of the
younger audience, like the allusions to Breaking
Bad and The Godfather, but the
main theme of inclusiveness can be easily spotted by even the youngest of
viewers. Because the positive message outweighs the negative message, I would
rate this film four and half stars. I give Zootopia
fours and a half stars because I believe that the film-makers did a phenomenal
job at creating a movie that is not only entertaining for young audiences, but
for an older audience as well. However, it loses half a star due to the
negative message that they display in some parts of the film.
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