A Kids Movie for Adults: Zootopia Review

By Emmanuel Gundran

After Disney and Pixar’s hit Inside Out (Docter and Carmen, 2015), Zootopia (Howard and Moore, 2016) shows once again, courtesy of Disney, that audiences of all ages can enjoy and learn valuable lessons from what are commonly labeled as ‘kids movies.’ The film tells the story of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a young, energetic bunny aspiring to be a cop, who tries to stand up to a system of police employment that doesn’t favor her species. She runs into a slick con-man fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) who eventually becomes her sidekick in the fight against Zootopia's deeply rooted corruption. All the while, Judy learns to trust Nick beyond her fear of the fox, her natural predator.

Judy saving a shrew from a large donut sign during a police chase.

Without revealing the socio-political themes hidden in the film itself, the trailers market a fun, family-friendly film with cartoon hijinks. One of the most beloved scenes from the film that is played frequently in the trailers is one in which Judy and Nick try to obtain information on a license plate in a DMV office run entirely by sloths. Bustle compares the scene to a classic comedy sketch. Citing SNL’s “More Cowbell” sketch, the article describes the comedy sketch model as taking a concept and then blowing it up to ridiculous proportions as the sketch plays out. As Judy keep trying to talk to the sloth and finish his sentences to speed up the process, Nick's jokes cause the sloth to slowly laugh, slowing him down more.

Nick telling the sloth at the DMV a joke. Judy is not amused.

When adults watch Zootopia (2016) expecting to see an average Disney film, they are surprised to find a film that has a much deeper message than other kids movies. The film’s underlying theme has strong parallels with racial profiling, stereotyping, and suspicions. Despite Judy aspiring to become a cop, she’s looked down on because she’s a bunny and she’s smaller and less intimidating than other animals like elephants and water buffalos. Instead, she’s stationed as a meter maid, and she has to gain the respect of her peers. Nick is also not immune to the "speciesism" present in the city of Zootopia. He is stereotyped as sly and untrustworthy, therefore, because of pressure and bullying from others since childhood, Nick caves in to these prejudices and acts in the way that everyone expects him to. Meanwhile, Judy has to learn to trust Nick because of her fear of foxes originating from a close encounter she had with a fox when she was a child, and Nick has to learn to be truthful with Judy as he breaks through the socially expected behaviors he’s adopted.

Zootopia (2016) is another Disney hit that should not only entertain the whole family, but also engage audiences of all ages in discussions on social issues that are relevant today.

Sources Cited: 

Brayson, Johnny. The 'Zootopia' Sloth Scene Follows Classic Comedy Principles To Become A Huge Success. Bustle, 3 Mar. 2016, http://www.bustle.com/articles/145187-the-zootopia-sloth-scene-follows-classic-comedy-principles-to-become-a-huge-success. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016.