Zootopia: Where Predator, Prey, and Racism(?) Live in Harmony
Yes, you read that right. The 2016 film Zootopia teaches children that these things do indeed exist, but not in the way your average movie does.
Zootopia is unique in that it shows kids that there’s so much more to racism than just outright discrimination or racist remarks. And nowadays, these more subtle forms of racism are more common, so it’s refreshing to have a movie actually teach about them.
1. Color-Blind Ideology
“color-blind ideology rests on the seemingly positive belief that we should not judge one another by the color of our skin. In fact, we should not notice skin color at all” (Beeman 51).
The idea of color-blind ideology is apparent in the very nature of the idea behind the city of Zootopia. Both Mayor Lionheart and Assistant Mayor Bellwether pretend racism doesn’t exist within the city, despite the fact that both of them experience it on a daily basis. The film highlights that this color-blind ideology is, frankly, a crock of shit, and only serves to do more harm than good.
2. Ignorance = Racism
“Discriminatory behaviour is often the product of ignorance rather than malice” (Crewe 31).
This is shown very clearly by Judy’s attitude toward Nick, a fox, in the beginning of the film. Being told her entire life that foxes were bad, when she first spots Nick her subconscious prejudices kick in and she follows him. Once she realizes that he is just a dad who wants to buy a popsicle for his son, she tries to make up for it. What she doesn’t realize, though, is that while overcompensating, she unintentionally says some offensive things, therefore reiterating the idea of subconscious prejudices.
3. Segregationism
the concept that people of different races should have ‘separate sections’ in regard to schools, transportation, etc.
In the film, this is seen in the twelve unique districts that make up Zootopia. There’s Sahara Square, Tundratown, the Rainforest District, and so on; each a different ecosystem for the animals to live in (Howard, Moore, Bush). While this may seem good in theory, the fact of the matter is that this segregates and confines each species to their designated district.
4. Institutionalized Racism
“Institutionalized racism is defined as the structures, policies, practices, and norms resulting in differential access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by race” (Jones 10).
Due to Judy’s small stature as a bunny, she is not taken seriously to her coworkers—all of which are large predators (and male). This fact then lands her a job giving out parking tickets all day, also known as a “meter maid”. This was a distinct decision done by Disney in order to highlight the fact that race (or in this case, species) does indeed affect opportunities. And, as demonstrated by the trials and training Judy had to endure in order to pass at the police academy, this also brings up the fact that race can actually put some people at a disadvantage.
5. Scientific Racism
the belief that there are inherited racial differences
Toward the end of the movie, although Judy and Nick are now friends, her subconscious prejudices come up again in the press conference where she points out that all the animals that went savage were predators and that she thinks it might have something to do with their DNA. She then follows this up with saying, “It’s not like a bunny could go savage”.
Although Disney has been a guilty of containing racist scenes, the recent release of Zootopia suggests that they are making strides in the right direction. Even more so, they are taking racial theories and contradicting them within their movies. Although you still see racism in the movie Zootopia, it seems to be done intentionally as a way for the movie’s young audience to explore to complex realities of racism and discrimination.