An In Depth Analysis of Disney’s ‘Zootopia’

Written by Shae Rufe

​Zootopia ​is a wonderful addition to the illustrious legacy from Disney. It's got a great set of characters with varying depths, an A list voice cast, and tons of references. Yet, the film also holds some very grown-up themes. The overall movie has a wonderful kid’s feel with a light-hearted plot, but it contains an important message; don't judge others for being different. Taking a closer look, however, this movie has a pretty realistic glimpse into racism within society. Disney has tackled some pretty hard topics before, but this one might literally take the cake.

Within the last few years, we as a society have become very divided on some controversial issues. We've taken sides on so many issues out there that I could do an entire blog on that alone, but regardless of where you stand on a particular issue, not everything is black and white. Zootopia blatantly takes these very topics and themes and turns them into a story for not just kids, but us adults too. With the cast of animals in this movie, the world seems split into two, predators and prey. Well, it's a little more complicated than that. Elephants, buffalo, and giraffes don't fall into either category really, but that isn't exactly the point.

Our protagonist, Judy, is a rabbit who wants to be a cop in the big city, Zootopia. Nick, a fox, isn't a criminal, per se, he just sort of rides the line. The two are forced to work together to solve a case. They do so much more than that, however. Predators have gone missing in Zootopia, and it seems they've all had one thing in common; each has gone wild and attacked other animals or attempted to. Judy eventually makes a link that it could be in their DNA and they could just be going savage. Given her own personal background with a run in with a childhood bully, another fox, she might be having a bit of bias. Judy doesn't think she is, though. After all, bunnies don't go savage.

There isn't a blatant segregation between the species. The Mayor is a lion after all, and the assistant mayor is a sheep. That doesn't really mean anything though, does it? After a press conference where Judy states what she thinks are facts of the case, though, people are quick to be incredibly wary of predators. Plus, early on, the movie features a scene where Nick is being discriminated against for being a fox. Legitimately, the first time Judy meets him, he's in an elephant ice cream parlor trying to buy a giant Popsicle and he's being refused service for being a fox. If that isn't a blatant show of discrimination and racism, I'm not sure what is.

The film as a whole has a lot of wonderful messages. And I won't give the ending away. It's definitely worth a watch and has a fantastic message. The differences in people are what make us special, and that should be celebrated, not shunned. A pretty great message, if you ask me.

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