I went and saw perhaps one of the cutest movies to come out recently. It includes a lot of cute animals running around like humans. You guessed it: "Zootopia." I was expecting to watch an adorable Disney movie that had funny jokes in it and gave a lesson that kids learn while they're young. I did watch all of this, but while I was watching this, I kept seeing examples of a lesson not only kids can learn, but something adults could learn as well.
It's no secret that in our world, and in the United States, that people don't see eye to eye, especially when it comes to differences. Equality is something that humans have always struggled with, and sadly, will probably continue to deal with. Issues dealing with equality always seem to be popping up in our media also, so it's not really a surprise that Disney tried, and succeeded, with giving hints to this issue in today's world.
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If you haven't seen the movie yet, here's a quick run-down of the plot, without too much of spoilers: Zootopia is a place where all animals live in harmony with no issues. The main character, Judy, is a bunny who has always dreamt of being a police officer, even though there had been no previous bunny officers. She eventually succeeds and befriends a fox named Nick, who helps her solve a big case.
So for animals, the biggest divider of getting along was animals that were predators, and animals that were prey. In the history of Zootopia, they were able to put aside their differences and essentially create an "equal" world. The idea of predators and prey directly relates back to race issues in our society. When a white police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, unrest over racial issues started filling up the lives of people in the United States. Since the events in Ferguson, the problems with race have been more prevalent in our news and in our lives. I know that things related to events like Ferguson have been showing up more in my life than I ever imagined. But there are many lessons that can be learned from this movie.
One lesson is that you shouldn't judge someone based on what they look like or where they come from. The other animals in Zootopia still judge each other, but they actually learn from it. Judy is a rabbit, and rabbits in Zootopia are seen as lower-status animals. When Judy tells everyone that she wants to be a police officer, everyone discourages her solely because she's a rabbit. No one believes that she could do it. And to their surprise, she graduates at the top of her police academy class and makes it onto the force. Then Nick is a fox, and foxes are seen as manipulative and filthy animals. Judy's dad even makes her carry around fox repellent. Nick was bullied as a young pup solely because he was a fox, and the other kids didn't get the chance to get to know him.
A second lesson that ties back to the first is that having preconceived biases before understanding the larger picture is almost always wrong. This lesson was shown mostly through the friendship between Judy and Nick. Judy eventually realizes that even though Nick is a fox, he is a reliable and good friend.
These lessons should be learned by today's society. Just like it really didn't matter whether an animal was a predator or prey, it doesn't really matter if someone is black or white, or any other color for that matter. It doesn't actually matter that someone has a different home background than you. These differences are what is supposed to make us work together, and it is what makes us special and unique.
There are even smaller lessons to be learned in this movie. For example, there is a scene where another animal calls Judy cute because she is a bunny. Judy responds with that it isn't actually okay for someone to call her cute and that it's different when another bunny calls her cute, but when any other animal does it, it changes the meaning. Or the fact that Judy and Nick are terrified of a mob boss mouse, who is set up to be a bad guy, but ends up helping them in the movie.
Regardless of what lesson you take away from it, there is at least one thing we can all learn from this movie. Disney did a very good job giving these subtle lessons, while still making an enjoyable movie for all.
