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mayoraaseiThis little dark horse turned out a lot better than I thought.
I have to reiterate that I'm not a huge fan of Disney or Pixar movies. I can't remember the last Disney movie I adored...maybe it was Up!.
Zootopia is one of those rare Disney movies that's full of subtext - that's not about family. I've seen complaints about its simple plot, but really I think the movie has two layers - the plot is for the kids (and to be frank, is probably better than some of the detective crap I've seen coming out of J-dramas), but the underlying message, well that's for the kids too, but it's far easier for the adults to pick up and ruminate on.
You haven't watched the movie if you've only watched it for the plot. I think you would be an extremely fortunate person not to have some experience - first hand or otherwise - of the prejudice that Zootopia unearths. Interspecies tension as an allegory for race, but I think it's more than race - I think it's prejudice of all kinds, against race, gender, ethnicity, culture, skin colour, caste, geography, class, bloodline. You name it - humans have had thousands of years to perfect the ways in which "we" judge "them".
I think there is a danger of reading too much into it (there is a conspiracy to undermine those who are genetically gifted), so it's best to take the movie as a social reflection rather than a commentary.
What I really like about the story is that it's a twist on the traditional "follow your dreams" Hollywood message. Does Judy and Nick attain their dreams in their end? Of course they do. But the difference is getting to the dream is only half the work - Judy is disadvantaged by her physique, so she has to work 50 times as hard as the next hippo to get there, and stay there. Getting to your dream is not hard, but living it is. She has to put up with the contempt and distrust of her superiors. She has to live with the constant nagging from her parents to quit her job. She has to be 50 times stronger psychologically to stick her head down and keep going.
And it's nice how it showed even a well-meaning "truth" can hide deep-seated prejudices. Judy's truthful comment about predators and their DNA is deeply hurtful for Nick. I'm not saying this is a story advocating for political correctness. Rather, it's a story reflecting just how subtle yet deeply ingrained prejudices can be, and just how easily society drives certain people down a path that they didn't necessarily want to take.
A funny and imaginative movie for the kids, and hopefully a thought-provoking reflection for adults.
I have to reiterate that I'm not a huge fan of Disney or Pixar movies. I can't remember the last Disney movie I adored...maybe it was Up!.
Zootopia is one of those rare Disney movies that's full of subtext - that's not about family. I've seen complaints about its simple plot, but really I think the movie has two layers - the plot is for the kids (and to be frank, is probably better than some of the detective crap I've seen coming out of J-dramas), but the underlying message, well that's for the kids too, but it's far easier for the adults to pick up and ruminate on.
You haven't watched the movie if you've only watched it for the plot. I think you would be an extremely fortunate person not to have some experience - first hand or otherwise - of the prejudice that Zootopia unearths. Interspecies tension as an allegory for race, but I think it's more than race - I think it's prejudice of all kinds, against race, gender, ethnicity, culture, skin colour, caste, geography, class, bloodline. You name it - humans have had thousands of years to perfect the ways in which "we" judge "them".
I think there is a danger of reading too much into it (there is a conspiracy to undermine those who are genetically gifted), so it's best to take the movie as a social reflection rather than a commentary.
What I really like about the story is that it's a twist on the traditional "follow your dreams" Hollywood message. Does Judy and Nick attain their dreams in their end? Of course they do. But the difference is getting to the dream is only half the work - Judy is disadvantaged by her physique, so she has to work 50 times as hard as the next hippo to get there, and stay there. Getting to your dream is not hard, but living it is. She has to put up with the contempt and distrust of her superiors. She has to live with the constant nagging from her parents to quit her job. She has to be 50 times stronger psychologically to stick her head down and keep going.
And it's nice how it showed even a well-meaning "truth" can hide deep-seated prejudices. Judy's truthful comment about predators and their DNA is deeply hurtful for Nick. I'm not saying this is a story advocating for political correctness. Rather, it's a story reflecting just how subtle yet deeply ingrained prejudices can be, and just how easily society drives certain people down a path that they didn't necessarily want to take.
A funny and imaginative movie for the kids, and hopefully a thought-provoking reflection for adults.
