Zootopia Blog Post

Zootopia features entertaining content that gives lessons in the narrative of the movie. This is essential for younger children because it uses less cognitive resources. Children are able to recognize the feelings of characters, but small children are less likely to experience them. Early elementary children and later can learn how to apply this feeling to their own lives. In this specific film, older children may experience empathy for Judy when she isn’t accepted as a cop, due to their own experiences with not being accepted or being told that they can’t achieve one of their dreams. Up until the age of 6 or 7, children are too egocentric to engage in perspective taking, causing them to experience Zootopia differently than older children. Smaller children may agree that Judy isn’t fit to be a cop, as the other characters are telling her, while older children may recognize that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.

Zootopia features the theme of intersectionality. Intersectionality is  •“…a paradigm that considers gender, race, and class as well as other signifiers of marginalization and exclusion “as simultaneous forces” (Brewer, 1993, p. 16) that should be viewed as inseparable elements in analyzing how oppression operates in an ideological context (Hill Collins, 1990).” This film allows children to understand the issue of intersectionality through stereotyping animals, so that this message is easier to understand. Some major stereotypes included in this film are that bunnies can’t be cops, foxes are cheaters, predators are aggressive (“savage”), cops love to sit around and eat donuts (clip included above), etc. Even for children too young to understand the messages, Zootopia is still enjoyable with the animals and animation. 

For a parent watching Zootopia with their children, it’s important to discuss the different messages occurring. Co-viewing, which is watching the film with your children and commenting on what’s going on, helps them to better understand. It’s important to discuss with children how stereotypes are harmful. Smaller children may not know what stereotypes are so this is the perfect opportunity for parents to explain it to them, given the examples in the film. It can be discussed how stereotypes can be hurtful, such as to Judy when she was upset that no one believed in her dream of being a cop and almost started to believe them, even returning home at one point. It can also be discussed how stereotypes aren’t always right, such as how Mayor Bellwether is projected as a kind, fragile lamb when in reality she is one of the film’s villains. Many of the characters in this film are actually the opposite of what they’re stereotyped as. Parents can also address with their children how prejudice isn’t fair. The flashback scene where Nick is getting ready to join an animal “cub scouts”, but is lured downstairs by the other animals where they tease him, muzzle him, and tell him that he’s never allowed to join is a perfect example of this. It’s a great depiction of exclusion, and it’s apparent that this hurt Nick badly. Fair treatment can be discussed with children, to lessen the amount of prejudice occurring daily. The characters in this film are fighting the prejudice occurring, and children can be informed that they can do the same. In the film, Nick and Judy start off as enemies, but learn to fight the prejudice occurring together, and children can be informed that they can do the same with their family and friends. Nick and Judy both stereotyped each other at the beginning, but changed their perspectives, which is an awesome message for children. With parental interaction, both smaller and older children can understand messages that they might’ve previously missed.

In the movie, there are multiple examples of social interaction that have the potential to increase positive interactions with peers. For example, in the beginning of Zootopia, we see Judy getting bullied by Gideon after she tries to stand up to him when he steals her friend’s tickets. As a result, she is pushed and scratched by him but he leaves her with the remark “You don’t know when to quit, do you?” Judy then says that he’s right and in turn doesn’t quit.  In the next scene we see how she proved him wrong and ended up going to police academy. Later in the movie, we see Gideon apologize to Judy for being a jerk when they were younger and she accepts his apology. Through this, children can see that sometimes people make mistakes and that it is okay to own up to these mistakes. Through an apology, children can see that a relationship can be repaired.

            To conclude, Zootopia is a movie about fighting stereotypes that a person might face in real life on an intersectional basis. By breaking down these socially enforced walls, it helps to build up pro-social skills in our society.

References

Farrar, K. (2017). Media and Race. [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from     https://lms.uconn.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_27516_1  &content_id=_1218777_1

Spencer, Clark. (Producer), & Howard, Byron, and Moore, Rich (Directors). (March 4,     2016). Zootopia [Motion picture]. Country of origin: United States. Studio.