Disney’s Metaphorical Exploration of Racism and Stereotypes: A Review of Zootopia Zootopia directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2016. 108 minutes.
2017; University of Chicago Press; Volume: 61; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1086/690061
ISSN1545-701X
AutoresGregory Beaudine, Oyemolade Osibodu, Aliya Beavers,
Tópico(s)Gothic Literature and Media Analysis
ResumoPrevious articleNext article FreeMedia Essay ReviewDisney's Metaphorical Exploration of Racism and Stereotypes: A Review of Zootopia Zootopia directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2016. 108 minutes.Gregory Beaudine, Oyemolade Osibodu, and Aliya BeaversGregory Beaudine, Oyemolade Osibodu, and Aliya BeaversPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThrough Zootopia, Walt Disney Animation Studios has created a utopian space for mammalian creatures, where predators and prey live side by side in harmony; a space "where anyone can be anything." Zootopia attempts to utilize the literary device of metaphor to explore stereotypes, race, and racism; the consequences of one's actions; and the power that one being's beliefs can hold. Disney Animation uses both the physical appearance and the ethos of a variety of mammals in order to extend their racial metaphor. For example, they place a lion as the mayor, a lamb as his assistant, a water buffalo as the chief of police, rats as mobsters, a weasel as a thief, and an elephant as the proverbial "elephant in the room." The story revolves around the actions, related consequences, and belief system of two main characters, Judy Hopps and her "partner," Nick Wilde. The three themes found in Zootopia are compelling for educators as they work with students who may experience one or more of these themes in their day-to-day lives.Components of the film are directly related to education, whether explicitly involving an educational setting, or implicitly through references to how one's education has led to a particular moment. The film provides an interesting, albeit limited, representation of American education and how it shapes social norms and values. Beyond this explicit representation, however, the film has a number of compelling openings for educators in our fields. Grand themes woven throughout the film address a number of relevant discussions to be had with students, including how to live in a world chock full of stereotypes, race, and racism; that consequences come with each action; and that there is power in one's beliefs. The "danger of [presenting] a single story" (Adichie 2009) is something that must be recognized, and with that in mind, we present our view of Zootopia and how it may be used within a formal education space.Contextualizing ZootopiaBefore beginning the education discussion, however, a moment must be taken to recognize the parallel between recent race-related issues within the United States and the epidemic of predators turning savage within Zootopia. Depending on the passage cited within the film, the predators make up 9 or 10 percent of the population of Zootopia, with prey constituting the other 90 or 91 percent. These numbers are similar to the demographic numbers for black men and women within the United States—12.6 percent according to the 2010 national census. This allegory of the predators "standing in" for the US black population becomes clearer when one considers the irrational panic caused simply by the potential of a predator turning savage. This idea is reflected across the United States, where the American populace possesses a relatively unchallenged "image of a young Black male as a violent and menacing street thug" as well as characterizing them as "physically threatening" (Welch 2007, 276–77). In the last 2 years, we have seen a white man, who committed a heinous crime against a black church in North Carolina, taken into custody alive (Ellis et al. 2015), and more recently a black man who lost his life after being stopped for a cracked taillight (McLaughlin 2016). The prey in Zootopia, as will be explained in more detail below, have a similar fear of their predator brethren, leading to irrational overreactions when addressing the rash of predators turning savage.Zootopia and the Myth of MeritocracySchool playThe opening scene of the film takes place at school. During this sequence, we see 9-year-old Hopps performing in a play chronicling the development of the relatively harmonious mammalian relations from the historical predator and prey relationship. The play ends with each of the performers revealing what they wish to become when they grow up, Hopps desiring to be a police officer in the City of Zootopia.After the play, her parents discuss the unlikelihood of a bunny becoming a police officer, as it's never before been done. Hopps's parents attempt to convince her to pursue a career more appropriate for a mammal of her stature. Her father expounds on the beauty of complacency, saying, "if you don't try anything new, you will never fail." Hopps's mother reminds her that it will "be difficult, impossible even" for Hopps to become an officer. Together, Hopps's parents express to her how they "settled hard," suggesting that while it is acceptable to have dreams, one should not believe in these dreams too fully.Police academyFifteen years later, we see an undeterred Hopps at the police academy, having been admitted through the mayor's Mammal Inclusion Initiative. This initiative reflects Affirmative Action policies in the United States or Black Economic Empowerment policies in South Africa. We see Hopps fail repeatedly through the police academy montage. The drill sergeant points out that each failure is death for bunny bumpkins, carrot face, farm girl, and fluff butt. On multiple occasions she is asked why she doesn't just give up and go home. Hopps perseveres, finally graduates at the top of her class at the academy, and becomes the first rabbit to join the Zootopia police force. Her reward? A meter-maid assignment from Chief Bogo, who blatantly disregards Hopps's success and is unhappy that she is under his watch.So, what does any of this say about education? For us, it demonstrates that one's academic life matters while one is progressing through the education system. Children, throughout their schooling experience, are reminded that they must perform at a particularly high level in order to be successful (Gray 2016). Once in the "real world," a student's class standing is immaterial. It becomes clear that one's workplace success depends more on their productivity, connections, race, and/or gender than their academic achievement. Throughout the film, Chief Bogo's treatment of Hopps illustrates this point. Hopps is not a large burly creature, as the other officers are, and in spite of her academic success, she is cast aside as the token bunny as opposed to a real cop. Unlike school settings where teachers are expected to be supportive and helpful (though not all are), bosses are seen as cold, demanding, and hardheaded. The implication of being the token bunny, as in Hopps's case, can exacerbate these characteristics.Myth of meritocracyHopps's valedictorian status, as impressive as it may have been for a bunny to graduate at the top of her class, meant nothing to the chief. Despite Hopps's abilities, she was still a member of a group that was considered weak and unworthy of duties as a cop other than giving out parking tickets. The film explores the concept of the myth of meritocracy in schooling: the pervasive belief that education evens the playing field and ensures that progress for certain groups is not based on privilege or class status but abilities and talents. It is also related to how certain systems are set up to reward and advance subsets of people (Young 1958; Ladd 1994; McNamee and Miller 2004). However, in this film we see the myth exposed: Hopps demonstrates her talent and has all of the qualifications, but because she is a bunny, and also a woman, she is not a part of the privileged class and thus not given the opportunity to become a real officer.The idea that if some simply worked harder, they would be more successful, seems to be a driving force in Hopps's story line. Between her experiences during the school play, with the playground bully and her time at the police academy, she demonstrates an ability to excel. Even with the academic and professional success, Hopps remains an afterthought on the Zootopia police force. The idea that individuals from minoritized groups must be exceptional is problematic especially in schools, not least because it places undue pressure on students in these marginalized groups and constructs an impossible picture. Instead, we must veer away from these ideas, and students should be given a realistic picture of success and healthy examples of how to go about achieving it.Conflicting Message or Intentional DecisionsSome who view the film may find a contradictory message displayed by Disney with regard to the movie's message and their choice of protagonists. Hopps, without question, outclasses her peers at the academy. Throughout the film she proves to be clever enough to outfox a fox, to outmaneuver a weasel, and to solve a mystery that had the entire Zootopia Police Department stumped. She does so as the beneficiary of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, a creature of unassuming stature—physically cute, small, and youthful—and it is always a bunny, never a rabbit. Being female completes the list of conflicting and intersectional identities (Delgado and Stefancic 2012) that make Hopps, arguably, the least intimidating officer on the Zootopia police force. The contradiction, in the eyes of many viewers, comes from Disney Animation's effort to address stereotypes, race, and racism within the film, and yet allowed their own bias to infiltrate the presentation of their protagonist, Hopps.We would like to suggest another possibility. We posit that this representation of Hopps as cute, unassuming, and female is a series of intentional decisions. Within the contents of Disney's Zootopia Blu-ray and DVD, one can find documentation of the effort animators put forth to design all the characters (Spencer 2016a, 2016b). These featurettes document the reasons for the police chief's representation as a water buffalo, the mayor as a lion, and to change the wildebeests from the businesspersons to common citizens. With so much consideration put toward secondary and extra characters, it seems fair to suggest that Hopps was as carefully designed to represent innocence, purity, and safety. Had Hopps been given a less pure set of characteristics, her actions may be credited to these less desirable traits, thereby undermining her honorable effort throughout the film. By giving her this particular set of intersectional identities, Disney Animation has given us an underdog worthy of our admiration and support and a springboard from which to discuss the idea of exceptionality among those who may not conform to hegemonic ideas of success.For educators around the globe, we would suggest that Zootopia is a means to begin or further important conversations within the school building regarding how to live in a world chock full of stereotypes, race, and racism; that consequences come with each action; and that there is power in one's beliefs. Each of these three themes could, by themselves, be sufficient to consider using the film. As such, we would suggest Zootopia should be a welcome addition to any teacher's library.A World Chock Full of Stereotypes, Race, and RacismOthers have provided a far more critical and detailed recount of the ways Zootopia explores the issues of stereotypes, race, and racism than we will in the following sentences (see Johnson 2016), and as such, we would encourage you to seek out these other works. We recognize Disney Animation's predator and prey dichotomy as an allegory for the black and white racial dichotomy found within many Western societies. This representation extends to the different subdivisions within Zootopia, and how each mammalian culture shapes or is shaped by the community in which they find themselves. Many of the characters represent easily recognized social stereotypes, as chronicled above, and these stereotypes come complete with derogatory name-calling. These components would be a launch point for a class discussion related to stereotypes and interracial or intercultural relations.These ideas come to a head when Hopps speaks of savagery as being biologically inherent to the predators. These metamorphoses into savage predators, we learn later, are caused by a targeted series of poisonings across Zootopia, spearheaded by Assistant Mayor Bellwether—a lamb. Similarly, people in black communities across the United States are often seen as products of their environment and are then treated according to their environment as opposed to the facts of a situation. In Zootopia, prey possess an underlying perception that a predator will attack, eventually, because it is in its nature to do so. In the United States, a similar perception of a black person is held by many nonblack people throughout society. Because we understand that racism is normal (Delgado and Stefancic 2012), we recognize mainstream narratives that portray the inevitability of a black person in a poor community who will steal, fight, or take other actions that are against the law because their environment dictates that action (Welch 2007). It seems as if Disney Animation were attempting to tell the story in the most basic way possible by paralleling the idea of "blacks as savages" with "predators as savages." They are, in a sense, demonstrating just how preposterous and damaging these underlying stereotypes are for the subset that falls victim to their beliefs. The savage acts of the predators were in direct response to a drugging from the prey, not their own biological characteristics.Consequences Follow ActionFor her involvement in the poisoning attacks, Assistant Mayor Bellwether finds herself in handcuffs. Throughout the movie we see evidence that a character's action is followed by a consequence. Furthermore, the directors highlight the importance of both delayed gratification and justice overcoming injustice. This is a particularly difficult lesson that many children learn and that is helpful to expose to students early in life.In one sequence of events, Hopps pursues a weasel who has stolen flower bulbs. During the chase, Hopps saves a small rodent from a stone donut decoration and catches the weasel. The immediate consequence is for Hopps to be rewarded with both a stern lecture and threat of being fired by Chief Bogo for leaving her post. Several scenes later, Wilde and Hopps are on the verge of being iced by the rat-mobster, Mr. Big. The reason for this consequence is Wilde's actions from a previous interaction with the mob boss in which Wilde sold a skunk-butt rug that was used to bury the mobster's mother. Wilde's actions nearly get both himself and Hopps killed. The rodent Hopps saves that leads to her firing is Mr. Big's daughter. Her action in pursuing the weasel, while negatively viewed immediately after, has a positive, life-saving consequence later on. By being patient and consistently "doing the right thing," Hopps experiences a far more important reward than the praise of her boss.We see the conversation about consequences stemming from the actions of an individual as an important theme for early elementary school students who are just beginning to develop a more nuanced view of the world around them. Each event that takes place allows room for discussion with children about right and wrong actions at both a micro and macro level, and how consequences do not always reflect the good or bad of a decision. Many potential conversations could begin with questions such as: What did Hopps or Wilde do wrong? What did Hopps or Wilde do right?Infectious BeliefsOne takes an action because s/he believes it to be the right thing to do at the time. This belief is, in itself, quite powerful and infectious. Through Hopps, this film illustrates this idea. If one only considers what is said by, and said to, Hopps throughout the film, a clear pattern emerges. As previously discussed, Hopps expresses a desire to become a police officer. At each stage in her journey, someone is present to question her logic. First, at 9 years old, both of her parents and the school bully tell her that no bunny could ever be a police officer. Throughout her academy training, her drill sergeant repeatedly points out each failure, pairing it with an encouragement to quit and go home. Once she is on the Zootopia police force, Chief Bogo makes multiple efforts to discourage or remove Hopps from the force. With each achievement, because she believes in herself, Hopps proves to others that she could be anything.Early in the film, we see Hopps's parents sending her off to Zootopia with well wishes, fox repellent, and the words "foxes are the worst." This utterance is a clear signal of her parents' view of foxes, as a whole. Hopps, however, holds a belief in Zootopia that all animals can work together to benefit each other. This belief ultimately changes her parents' attitude toward foxes specifically, and predators as a whole. During Hopps's crisis of identity, her parents demonstrate their newfound appreciation for her playground bully and, in part, reenergize Hopps's desire to help make Zootopia the utopian place she believes it to be.We see this understanding of belief as an important lesson to be shared with students, but also something a teacher must recognize. When we consider the role played by teachers in setting norms, incorporating learning standards, and enacting curriculum (Caprara et al. 2006), we cannot help but consider how a teacher's belief system may affect the performance of their students (Behar-Horenstein et al. 1996).ConclusionThe film is built around the idea that "the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be," which is certainly a goal for which we should all strive. Zootopia reminds us that although individuals from underrepresented groups may have been the best in their previous school, there are systemic biases at play. This, in turn, works to expose the myth that education levels the playing field. In addition to addressing this myth of meritocracy, the film can be used to initiate conversations across all levels of education pertaining to three overarching themes. First, the film can be used to begin vital discussions related to stereotypes, race, and racism. The depiction of stereotypes within Zootopia is simplistic enough that elementary students can follow along, and nuanced enough for older students to explore the same ideas on a deeper level. Second, Zootopia can be used to demonstrate how action and consequence work together, and that good action doesn't always have an immediately good consequence. Third, the film can be used to explore how the beliefs of one can influence the beliefs of others.In summary, Zootopia explores how over time, through education and further understanding, one's beliefs can evolve. Both Hopps and Wilde change their perspective of the other, as Hopps accepts a new appreciation for foxes, and Wilde learns to dream big, again. We also see Hopps's belief in the Zootopian way of life become a part of her parents' own belief system, moving from "foxes are the worst" to partnering their business with one run by a fox. There is power in teaching each other. 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All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Vincenza Minutella Linguistic Variation in Animated Films from 2001 to 2017, (Nov 2020): 123–216.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56638-8_4Nada Kujundžić Disneyjevi animirani antropomorfi, Narodna umjetnost 57, no.22 (Dec 2020): 49–63.https://doi.org/10.15176/vol57no203Alice Marianne Fritz "Buy everything": the model consumer-citizen of Disney's Zootopia, Journal of Children and Media 14, no.44 (Feb 2020): 475–491.https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2020.1725901
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