And why, above all, you should go too.
Lately in the Disney studios people in their twenties and thirties have been arriving, those who grew up watching Disney movies and still love them to this day not only as creators, but as fans too. The result is that a Disney movie is not just a fairy tale: it’s a whole experience, always kid-friendly, sure, but one that also speaks to everyone and especially deals with the world we live in. And Zootopia, among the last Disney films, talks about things that are close to our hearts.
The plot is simple: in the animal world the rule “predator vs. prey” no longer exists and anyone “can be what they want.” We see the rabbit Judy Hopps go after and achieve the dream of becoming a policeman, the first “prey” animal cop in the history of the “civilized” animal world. Among her parents, who are unconvinced of her choice and would like her to pursue a more “rabbit” career, such as the cultivation of carrots, and newspaper articles about Judy as a pioneer and heroine, the rabbit ends up being a parking enforcement officer. In short, once the celebrations of her rarity come to an end, for everyone she is simply a prey and is treated accordingly.
I will avoid spoiling the entire plot, but you understand where I’m going with this.
(Anyway, the rest of the plot is lovely and definitely worth watching)
The film is about prejudice and stereotypes and the extent to which they become obstacles between us and our dreams, or even between us and our everyday life; what certainly stands out in this film is that it deals with all kinds of prejudices without specifically talking about them; and this, which might seem like a negative aspect, is actually the real strenght of this movie.
There is no mention of gender dichotomy, nor the black-white, able-disabled, gay-straight ones. It’s a film that embraces all of these things because it shows us what happens when prejudices and stereotypes are shared by most people in a systemic manner; it also shows us that prejudices and stereotypes not only affect the “prey”, but also the “predators”, and that we are all capable of being just as good as being bad.
For example: it’s easy to make a film for children against bullying, divide the characters into good and bad, make the good ones win and show the guilty feeling of the of the bad ones; of course, it’s still useful, but too simple, because the message that comes across is that a certain type of people is automatically bad and should be punished, while certain others are automatically good, and that there are no nuances in this system.
But there are nuances and it’s important to remember this. Judy Hopps of Zootopia is not just a victim or a hero, even though she generally has good intentions. And so are we: regardless of who we are and what good things we want to do, we can make mistakes, we can be “the villain of the story” and need to change.
And now, I’m sure that to avoid spoiling the plot for you, I have confused your ideas.
But definitely go see it anyways, for all the reasons I have told you. Go see it especially because it forces us to see that, even in a place whose motto is “you can be whatever you want”, just one person who thinks you should be something else is needed to stop you. It forces us to admit to ourselves that, although it appears that some battles have been won, there is still so much work to do – and is it not something that we always say?
(Then, of course: go see it because it’s fun. There’s a Mafia gerbil that can’t be missed).
