What were some of the kids' Zootopia opinions?
My inbox often gets buried, I'm so sorry I never answered this!!
The semester just ended, so some of my favorite Zootopia interactions that happened throughout the year:
One kid who asked "permission to hug?" every class and absolutely melted my heart
One girl who told me she really liked the movie but hated KPop Demon Hunters and felt bad because her peers didn't agree to which I told her it didn't matter if her peers agreed, she's allowed to have her own opinions and that I actually agreed with her and then she told me all her favorite parts of both Zootopia movies
One kid who started telling me about all the scrapped plot ideas for the first movie and all the deleted scenes from the second (which I already knew of course)
In the last week of classes I played music for the kids and one girl got really angry when "Zoo" started playing, telling me I got a terrible song stuck in her head for the rest of the day, then repeated that same sentiment for the next four songs and then told me the next day that I was the best teacher she's ever had (so I don't really take the anger too seriously)
Three kids who got into a heated debate about how good Zootopia 2 actually was and if Nick and Judy were in love
And one girl who did all of the following:
Made a clay fox that was supposedly part-fox part-bunny, insisting it was Nick and Judy's great grandchild (and that Bugs Bunny was their child)
Made a sticker that just said "Zootopia" with bunny ears on it and told me it was a gift especially for me
Told me she loved my Zootopia stickers on my water bottle almost every class
Gave me a high five and then tried to spin herself around into a full Mr. And Mrs. Smith pose with me while yelling "Zootopia Buddies!!" every class for two months
Calling the little Nick and Judy faces that I made out of clay "finger fox and finger Judy" because they had finger-sized divets in the back to shape out their muzzles and telling me they looked perfect together
Asking about Finger Fox and Finger Judy every class for a month
Basically tried to redesign her personality to tell me how much she liked softball, basketball, and Zootopia, making me realize that not only is she an absolute suckup, but she is just a 9-year-old version of me at 16
Got absurdly angry when Zootopia 2 lost the Oscar and said she wanted a recount
Tried to gently assure me that I wasn't a baby any time someone told me Zootopia 2 was a baby movie
The movie had overall good reception in the class, and it made me very happy to hear that the kids all automatically interpreted Nick and Judy as a couple, and even happier to hear that the "permission to hug" line was co-opted by the sweetest children on the planet. I think I'm quitting that job (not for lack of adoring my kids but because the administration does not care about their employees or the students at all), but it was a great way to go out.
