The Themes Of Animal Stereotypes In The Movie Zootopia

“No matter what kind of person you are, I implore you: try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you” - Judy Hopps. The Disney movie, Zootopia, explains a society of animals where all the prey and predators get along together nicely. Judy Hopps, a rabbit, has always wanted to be a cop her whole life, but her parents want her to stay on the carrot farm to become a carrot farmer just like all of the other bunnies. After a lot of determination, Judy becomes the first prey/rabbit cop and moves to the city of Zootopia. The head officer explains that nine animals, prey and predators, throughout the four Zootopia zones had gone missing. Determined to prove her spot as a cop, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve the mysterious cases. Judy went out trying to solve the cases with a mischievous fox to figure out what happened to the missing animals. Zootopia is a great modern day example of transcendentalism as it displays examples of nonconformity and confidence.

A Disney film, Zootopia was released on March of 2016, it is not only a kid animated movie but a movie that exposes many social issues that we face in today’s society. This film is set in a city named Zootopia, where animals all sizes big and small come together to live a peaceful and civilized life. They “have abandoned traditional predator/prey roles in favor of civilized coexistence” (Rovi). In this film, there is a rabbit named Judy Hopps who has always dreamed of becoming a police officer, she lives in a town called Bunny Burrow. Where she lives with both parents and about two-hundred brothers and sisters. Judy leaves her parents and siblings behind to pursue her dream of becoming the first rabbit police officer, despite being told she will never be a police officer due to gender inequality. On her first day of work, she is assigned to be a traffic officer or as others referred to her a “meter maid.” She is determined that this will not stop her from being a real police officer. On her first day of duty, she gives out two hundred and two parking tickets and meets a con artist that happens to be a fox named Nick Wilde. In Zootopia, foxes are untrustworthy and discriminated for being foxes. This con artist will later help officer Hopps solve a mysterious crime. In Zootopia, a total of fifteen mammals go missing, and Judy puts her career on the line, for offering to help resolve this case. She is given forty-eight hours to crack this case if

Stereotypes: Generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) beliefs about a group of people. Throughout the movie, there are a lot of stereotypes evident. The main one is that predators are bad, and prey is good. Many believed in the movie that the predators could not be trusted after all the attacks that were happening, but that was not true. The rare cases of a predator going savage was due to toxic flowers.

What images come to mind as one reflects upon his or her childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the fondest of memories. Yet, for many, mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept off their feet, and lions roar to their royal place in the animal kingdom. Disney films have captivated the American culture for years and have become a pivotal part of popular culture as well as a form of education. However, these films have devoured the youth of America and, in the process; have perpetuated an institutionally racist society based on harsh stereotypes. Minorities are often underrepresented, and even completely left out, of many Disney films such as Dumbo (1941), The Lion King (1994), Aladdin (1992), and

Human nature in animals. Was this really shown in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’? In fact, there were several messages about human nature reflected in ’Animal Farm’. The messages that were expressed through many different characters and their behaviours, gave an insight into human nature, and showed many characteristics of it.

Who would have thought that another Disney animation focused on the lives of animals would be such a hit? If you want to laugh, cry, be uplifted, and experience a myriad of emotions then Zootopia is the movie for you. Kids will love the cute animals depicted throughout the movie, as well as childish humor that kids will giggle hysterically at. Moreover, adults will not struggle with keeping their attention focused on the movie, like most “Kid” movies, because of the amazing artistry and captivating plot. An astounding feat that the film accomplished is the teaching opportunity it took to discuss, for all ages, real world issues that we struggle with around the world today.

Disney creates gender roles, racial roles, and white supremacy through socialization within their motion pictures. For example, Walt Disney’s “Snow White”, “Fantasia”, and even “The Little Mermaid” all show females as obscenely beautiful, male dependent and flirtatious creatures who couldn’t save themselves from a Chinese finger trap. Males are the perfectly sculpted rescuers who can be easily wooed by a woman’s body; and these exaggerated roles create a false standard for children and can lead to severely underdeveloped sociological skills. Moving onto the racial roles; in the movie “All dogs go to

Zootopia is Disney’s New York City, the city of opportunities, where “anyone can be anything” (Zootopia). A female bunny can even be the first police officer in Zootopia history. Despite being constantly discouraged from persuading her dream, Judy Hopps proves her doubters wrong and becomes Zootopia’s first bunny police officer. Once at the male dominant Zootopian Police Department, the hopeful Judy is placed on parking duty and is outsmarted by the fox, Nick Wilde. On her second day, she is almost fired for insubordination, but Judy is given one last chance to prove herself by finding one of the missing predators. With the help of Nick Wilde, she begins her investigation, where she is constantly disrespected by the male characters. However, her feminine and masculine qualities allow her to eventually gain their respect. With Judy in the lead of the investigation, it is discovered that the once innocent Mayor Bellwether was behind the disappearances and she is arrested. Zootopia is once again peaceful and is under the protection of the respected Officer Judy Hopps. By comparing Judy Hopps to the other gender roles present in the film, Zootopia shows that moving between the masculine-feminine spectrum should be accepted and encouraged.

History background and culture effect everyone is the 21th Century. In America, we are like a melting pot where we have different nationality and culture. Even though we are so used to different cultures, we might not understand the beliefs in each cultures. Stereotype occurred in the movie Wild Child several times. Wild Child is a movie that was filmed in 2008 is it a story about “a rebellious Malibu princess is shipped off to a strict English boarding school by her father.”

Most people think of small animals, such as sheep, as meek and submissive due to their frequent portrayal as innocent characters in children’s stories and folklore; in these same stories, antagonistic characters tend to be fiercer animals such as lions or wolves. However, the children’s movie Zootopia, in which all characters are mammals, shows that this is not always the case. The characters in this film break the stereotypes against them by being different or the opposite of what the audience expects based on their species or occupation within the film. For instance, Judy Hopps solves the case on the missing mammals and why they went savage despite being a “dumb bunny”, and Nick Wilde turns from a sly con artist to the first fox cop. This

On the surface, Zootopia might appear like a fun, silly Disney movie, but the film actually touches on powerful messages about stereotypes, prejudices, and power in today’s society, especially regarding racial relationships. Zootopia is a film about a world where prey and predators live together in supposed harmony. Judy Hopps, a bunny aspiring to become a police officer, faces resistance from other animals. Similarly, Nick Wilde, a con artist fox, faces social stereotypes that harm his self-image. These two characters work together to solve a missing mammal case, and end up discovering a darker secret: the mayor’s assistant, Bellwether, hatched a plot to turn predators into savages so that prey would finally get recognition in government. The prey, however, are the majority, making up ninety percent of Zootopia’s population, and the predators are the minority, making up ten percent of the population. (Zootopia) Throughout the movie, the viewers are exposed to the stereotypes and discrimination that the prey impose on the predators. Ultimately, this film is a message about the relationships between the dominant and minority groups. Through this prey-predator relationship, Zootopia reveals how the power of language and the dominant narrative results in both harmful stereotypes and unconscious biases.

Hybridization doesn’t always mean harmony though. Nick Wilde, a con artist fox, another main character in the film states that “We don’t always get along” (Zootopia). This exemplifies that hybridization has issues and stereotypes. In Zootopia, the most prevalent ones are dumb bunny and sly fox. While predators and prey might live together or mammals as a whole, the stereotypical classifications will still be a part of their society. It was a pleasant surprise in the end to see that Judi and Nick were able to tear down some of these stereotypes by becoming cops like no one thought a bunny or fox could ever do. Judi and Nick were able to achieve their dreams and create a platform for their fellow mammals. While it didn’t solve all the problems, it was able to produce a more unified environment and a more peaceful example of hybridization.

Traditionally, animated films have been made for and consumed by children, with the plotlines and themes being relatively basic and forthright. However, recent years have seen the release of animated films that explore significantly more adult themes and thought provoking ideas. Perhaps the most confronting example of adult themes in an animated film is in 2016’s ‘Zootopia’. The film forces viewers to think about concepts such as racial segregation, nature vs. nurture and the debilitating effect of stereotyping. Although Zootopia features anthropomorphic animals, it is easy to draw a connection between the film’s prey vs. predator narrative and racial divide in our own society.

Zootopia looked at the fox who was knowing for being a tricky but never looked at why he does what he does. Society always look at the criminal and crime but never why he may have committed these crimes. If a man steals to feed his family is he really a thief or someone trying to provide for his family? The mayor in Zootopia is what we call the wrong person in charge. He may have seemed nice to the people but in actuality he was a bully picking on the weak. A king should be a philosopher someone who understands people and how to treat them.

The film Zootopia, written and directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, follows the life of a small, yet spirited rabbit as she endures the trials angst of pursuing a profession as a big- city police officer. The city of Zootopia is a lively, thriving metropolis where Judy Hopps, the story’s protagonist, bravely embarks on her dream of pursuing a career in law enforcement. The writers employ a buoyant, kid-friendly storyline to comment on a myriad of social injustices and inequalities abounding in modern-day society. Feminist literary criticism utilizes feminist ethic and ideology to analyze the way in which male supremacy permeates the language and themes ingrained within literature. It allows readers to observe literature from a renewed, unorthodox perspective, and therefore extends the spectrum of accepted ideas and convictions. Zootopia is wrought with commentary on the pervasive presence of female oppression in the workforce. Oft beleaguered Judy Hopps combats disrespect and prejudice from her colleagues, condescension from her family and community, and gender bigotry that requires her to continuously prove herself as both a legitimate and qualified officer.