Here Zootopia resembles another such fantasy Animal Farm–not on the same level of complexity, but on the use of animals to distance us from political problems we think we already have solved. It instead channels us into the binary world of “predator” and “prey.”Īnd here is where things get interesting? Can we make direct parallels to these two categories? Who are the predators, and who are the prey? If we make specific references to ethnic groups and our own histories of racist profiling and policies, then our discussion immediately becomes politically charged. So there is fuel here for discussing the film as commentary on racial profiling, yet such a conversation probably would move away from specific references to the film sooner than we thought it might. Why? Because the story does not push toward such complexity. On another front, in Judy and Nick’s evolving relationship, “dumb bunny” and “sly fox” (which they both use on the other when they meet) morph into the final descriptions (in playful banter) of “dumb fox” and “sly bunny.” Which adjectives apply? And where do we get these ideas? He places his leopard hands over his mouth realizing his non-PC language and then suggests his own hypocrisy as he eats another doughnut (suggesting another stereotype). For example, when Judy first meets Officer Clawhauser, she challenges him on his use of “cute” in describing her. I think this angle could spark an interesting discussion, with references to the cliches exposed in certain conversations. If we were going to analyze the apparent symbolism and the message hidden in the animal fantasy, I think many viewers would naturally run to the images of different ethnicities within a city like New York or Los Angeles or Atlanta–and of the racism that governs those interactions. I’m sure the animators had fun dreaming up these exchanges, particularly the inspired vision of sloths running a DMV office. Otters, mice, polar bears, water buffalo, lions, sheep, and other animals all live and interact in a variety of spheres. Imagination abounds in the film’s portrait of a city containing multiple habitats and species living right next to each other.

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Cute predator vs prey