Zootopia: Stigma and Prejudice

 

Hey guys,

Have you all seen the movie Zootopia? It's fairly new and just came out on Netflix so I suggest you watch it before and/or after you read this post. I don't think I've ever talked about a movie before but I am going to today because this movie is extremely interesting and has a lot of hidden meaning, like children's movies did back in the 80s and 90s. First things first, the animation was great and the characters were great and the movie really had a deep message that relates to the society we're living in today. What do I mean by this? Well, I'm glad you asked.

1.) Officer Judy Hopps is a rabbit who has big dreams and everyone (even her parents) tell her that she can't do it because she is a rabbit. Similarly, in today's society many people are told that they can't live out their dreams because of race, gender, religion and socio-economic status. This is just wrong and Judy proves to everyone that with enough hard work anyone can live their dreams, even if other mammals still do not believe in her after she gets her badge.

2.) Nick Wilde is a fox and because of his heritage people ostracize him and categorize him. He can't help his species (race) but he is consistently judged by it.

3.) Because of the stigma he faces Nick decides that he won't show emotion anymore, that he won't let anyone see the pain he feels. He also decides that "if the world is only going to see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else". Isn't that deep!!!!

4.) People easily begin to distrust predators because of one person (or bunny) and that distrust turns into hate and resentment. This shows how just one person can really change the climate of a society. People who were once friends with predators now ignore them or don't let their children near them. One person's words had such a huge and negative impact.

These are just four of the ways I think Zootopia looks at the racial, gender, ethnic and other stigmas that pervade our world today. The fact that Disney chose to include these things in an animated movie is amazing because this is a movie that teaches the youth something.