There has been a major influx of Christian films in the past decade. The reasoning behind this, I suppose, is that Hollywood needs a positive, faith-based influence. Yet sometimes we miss the best depictions of the gospel because we're so caught up on classifying things as "secular" or "Christian." In reality, God often shows up in the places we aren't looking.
Take Disney films, for example. I don't think anyone is claiming Disney films as Christian, but that doesn't mean they are all hedonistic, anti-faith propaganda. I've seen Disney's newest animated film, "Zootopia", twice now - and it teaches more about the gospel than some films I've seen marketed specifically towards Christians. One of the main tenets of Christ's message is that the Kingdom of God lives in us, here and now. In a way, the idealistic city of "Zootopia" gives us a fictional representation of the Kingdom, where brokenness, individualism, and pain begin to turn on their head. Here are a few specific ways the gospel message shows up in "Zootopia."
1. In "Zootopia," unlikely heroes are the norm.
Judy Hopps is a small-town bunny with big dreams of being a cop. Nick Wilde is a lonely con artist who's simply trying to look after himself. This is a pretty typical "unlikely hero" trope from Disney - but they push it even further. All of the characters who seem innocent at first are shown to have a dark side. The characters you think are antagonists end up helping save the day. Just like when Jesus called together his rag-tag group of disciples, we should learn to expect great faith from unexpected sources.
2. Good and evil are choices, not people.
Every character in "Zooptopia" is flawed - but there is no easily identifiable antagonist. The film challenges us to stop thinking of people as either good or evil because we all have the potential for both. Paul writes to the early church about this - he assures us that we are sinful, but promises that redemption is available to all. Good and evil can come from any source.
3. We have more in common than not.
If you're anything like me, I was trying to read all the parallels Disney was making to real-world issues of racism, sexism, and other prejudices. At times, it didn't translate perfectly. In those times, I was forced to realize: it does no good trying to fit everyone into categories of "us" and "them." We're all just people (or animals, as the case may be). In the end, we all share the same struggle to find belonging, purpose, and truth.
4. We're probably going to hurt each other.
One of the saddest scenes in "Zooptopia" is when Judy unintentionally wounds Nick with her insensitive words. As the two characters open up to each other, we learn that the joking and stereotyping (from all parties) really does get to them. It's a sobering reality that requires us to be patient and compassionate. As Paul writes to the Colossian believers, we should "make allowances for each other's faults" - Lord knows we all have them.
5. We are called to forgive.
In a follow-up scene to Judy's mistake, she gently goes to Nick to ask for forgiveness. She apologizes for what she said and offers to do better. In that moment, we see that forgiveness is more powerful than prejudice and that simply acknowledging when you've been insensitive goes a long way. Maybe this is why Jesus talked so much about forgiving our brothers and sisters.
6. Reconciliation is possible.
I can't wait for the day when the Kingdom is finally realized and everything is redeemed. But there's no reason why that redemption can't begin now. "Zootopia" shows us a world where lions and lambs work together and a bunny and a fox become partners in law enforcement. In our own world, we're finally beginning to make progress toward reconciliation. Race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc. - these things don't have to keep us apart. We need positive reinforcement like "Zootopia" to keep our hope for change alive.
7. We are part of the change.
In the final sequence of the film, Judy acknowledges that the world is more complicated "than a slogan on a bumper sticker." She doesn't leave it there, though, and goes on to say that we are all responsible to be part of the change. When Jesus called his disciples to be "fishers of men," they didn't know exactly what they were getting into - but they knew they wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves. The world is broken, yes. But we are the hands and feet of Christ, charged with the mission to put the pieces back together again.
I'll leave you with Paul's words to the Galatians, which could have easily been inspiration for "Zootopia" script:
"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female,for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26-8).
