Zootopia
I wanted to analyze the aspect of animals and their representation and the part they play in making this movie realistic and achievable.
As a child we all read and looked at pictures of animals in a storybook and we noticed their undeniable characteristics. For example, we know that snakes are sneaky, sloths are always sleepy/tired, and ants are persistent and attentive. I can honestly say that it allows storytellers to get to the heart of their message in a way that is almost subliminal. We all know the characteristics of a rabbit or a fox and so those creatures allow us as an audience to absorb the moral meaning without feeling lectured. Zootopia is a city where all the animals well mammals come together to build a new world in harmony. Zootopia has twelve different biome districts and their animals have been living in anthropomorphized peace for centuries. But what appears to be a beautiful mosaic from the outside is actually a city riddled with ancient uneasiness between species, uneasiness that is about to boil over in violent ways.
After watching this movie i can conclude that it’s hipper attitude is earned, its references are clever instead of cloying and its politics are unimpeachable. My fav character is Judy Hopps. She is the first bunny to ever enter the Zootopia police force, and she does it as part of the new "Mammal Inclusion Initiative." I love that in the city of Zootopia the predators are a minority they only make up what 10% of the population. It's funny that the mayor is a lion lol my zodiac sign!
What happens is that a rash of disappearing predator cases ends up being the result of a strange scenario wherein predators go ‘savage’ - they no longer walk on two legs, they lose their intelligence and they start trying to kill tiny fluffy little prey animals. The animals going savage destroys Zootopia’s peace between the species. One very pointed scene has a bunny mom pulling her little bunny kids closer when a tiger sits next to them on the subway.
But the film fails its messaging, and it fails because it builds its entire allegorical premise on a flawed foundation: the minorities are predators.
We know that since the beginning of time that predators eat prey. THAT'S NATURE!!! This is their relationship, and we in the audience understand it as such. Yes, the bunny should be pulling her kids away from the tiger. The tiger is demonstrably, historically dangerous. He has evolved to be dangerous to her.
I really liked Nick, the hustler fox who, has a heart of gold. I did notice that the animal designs feel like classical two-legged animals with some modern spins on them.It’s very plot-oriented, it’s very caught up in its own metaphors and messages, and so the relationship between Judy and Nick feels like it’s hitting checkmarks instead of being an organic, growing thing.
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