Zootopia & Stereotypes

When Zootopiawas released in 2016, it was not only praised for its originality and entertainment values among audiences, but the film was also regarded for its challenge of basic stereotypes through the portrayal of the animal kingdom.

Judy Hopps 

At the beginning of the film, the audience is introduced to Judy Hopps, an ambitious bunny who dreams of becoming a police officer. Already, she is set apart from her meek, carrot-farming family who is primarily concerned with growing their own family. In the same way that bunnies in the real world simply look cute, reproduce, and eat carrots, Judy’s confinement to this stereotype of being a gentle prey stands in the way of her being taken seriously by the police force and her own family. Despite her completing the police training and joining the force, she is still seen as token member of the team, incapable of competing with the predator officers who are larger and “tougher” than her. 

Throughout the entire film she is consistently underrated and has to go the extra mile in order to prove herself. Her character reflects the prejudice the many women face in the workplace today. Though these women might be qualified for their positions, they are required to work twice as hard to prove themselves. 

https://www.vox.com/2016/3/7/11173620/zootopia-review-racism

Nick Wilde

“These stereotypes [also] impact how these animals view themselves; for instance, Nick [Wilde] behaves slyly only because he knows he is seen that way by the public eye.” Because he is a fox, he is automatically labeled dishonest. The friendship and partnership between Nick and Judy through the film is initially hindered by labels. He makes comments about her status as a bunny, whereas she constantly questions her friendship with a predator who could potentially be letting her down. Ultimately, Nick becomes a police officer offer himself and rises above the labels that try to paint him as cunning and deceitful.  

Savage Predators & the Twist Ending

The entire premise of the film follows Nick and Judy as they find out why certain predators have gone “savage.” When we find out that Bellwether was behind the scheme the entire time, we understand how she manipulated the negative stereotype that predators have, by forcing them to be violent, to secure her power and control over Zootopia. In our world today, stereotypes are used to divide us and pit us against each other. And if we are pitted against each other, people in power can remain secure in their control.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Zootopiasucceeds in reigning in a new era of animated movies that not only aim at representing a more diverse population but tackle many pressing issues that are embedded in our society today. As a film that can appeal to both children and adults, the many layers of this film and the message that it tells about stereotypes is what truly sets it apart. The way Zootopia seamlessly integrated entertainment with a meaningful message should inspire you to be creative and purposeful in your own work. Additionally, I hope this film allows you to view all content on a deeper level and uncover the true meaning behind certain messages for yourself! 

10 Replies to “Zootopia & Stereotypes”

  1. True indeed, I think that’s a good breakdown of how they subverted stereotypes and ignite thought and conversations with these representations.

  2. I agree that the film does do a good job of subverting a stereotype in its twist ending, but the film fails by wrapping up its conversation about racism in a neat bow with a happy ending. And though the film is about diversity, behind the (animated) camera we find three white male directors, and a story by five men and two women. The diversity of the film’s narrative is not reflected behind the scenes, which leads to the over simplification of the issues addressed in the film. The film feels one sided in its response to this issue.

  3. I really liked Zootopia when I saw it and did not think much about it after that but this post really dives deeper into it and I enjoyed reading it! It is spot on about the stereotypes and how well the movie handled subverting them! I think content like this is great because it gives people characters to look to and inspire them to be better than others have been in the past, whether that is a woman who wants to make it in a tough, male dominated industry or to someone who generally looks down on people or reads into stereotypes.

  4. Zootopia did such an amazing job with how they handled stereotypes. I also didn’t think about it much when I first saw the movie, but then I saw some more stuff analyzing the movie. It really hit me when I watched it again. It’s a good reminder to always look for deeper meanings, even if you don’t see any at first.

  5. Nice work Brooks! This is a super interesting topic! I enjoyed the movie Zootopia but never looked at and studied it from this perspective. I agree that the movie did a great job in movie handling and avoiding stereotypes. This has made me very interested in re watching Zootopia and looking at the ways these creators dealt with stereotypes more closely.

  6. Nice work! I enjoyed Zootopia and you did a great job analyzing how Zootopia characters work to sometimes link between real world problems (like what women face in the workplace) but also playing around with animal kingdom specific stereotypes. Overall a great analysis and enjoyable blog post!

  7. Great analysis, and this is what films should strive for – both entertainment and depth in story. Nathan does bring up an interesting point about the lack of diversity in the writers room, however it’s important to acknowledge that it’s still a step in the right direction. Honestly, I’m just glad they didn’t do the classic “let’s take an existing franchise and fill it with racially diverse characters, that’ll surely win our audiences”.

  8. I really enjoyed this article! I saw this when it c are out and was a lot younger than so definitely didn’t understand all the deeper meanings and messages. I really enjoy when animated films are enjoyable for both children and adults, and will have to revisit this one to see everything I missed.

  9. Zootopia is easily one of my all-time favorite animations! I think it carries great messages regarding stereotypes and utilizes its characters well to draw a great storyline. Although there are controversies with the later part of the movie (about reverse-discrimination), I still appreciate the film for directly tackling stereotype issues to a certain extent. If more movies were like Zootopia… 🙁

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