A sloth working at a DMV. A tiny shrew called “Mr. Big.” Catchy songs performed by Gazelle, aka Shakira. Sound familiar?
“Zootopia” is one of the most well-liked and successful Disney movies in the past 10 years. It is praised for its lovable characters, attention to detail in world-building, and humor appealing to all ages. It earned about $1 billion worldwide at the box office and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The makers of “Zootopia” and “Zootopia 2” certainly had another agenda in addition to making a large profit, though.
Simply put, Disney wanted to send a message about racial and gender discrimination. This message says that not only is discrimination wrong, but is pervasive and deeply rooted, even in this “Zootopian” society.
For a teenager or adult watching the movie, the messaging isn’t particularly subliminal. The movie is based on the premise that predators and prey prejudge one another based upon their respective categories and have a tense, if not hostile, relationship with the members of the other group. Judy Hopps is treated unfairly as the only female bunny cop in a room full of predator policemen. Nick Wilde, undercover as a dad for his popsicle-selling side hustle, is refused service because he’s a fox. The biggest plot twist of the movie is that the evil mastermind behind the scheme to make animals turn savage is a lamb with a grudge against her lion boss.
Its sequel didn’t shy away from the topic either (spoilers ahead). “Zootopia 2” continues the story with Judy and Nick working together to help Gary De’Snake clear his family name and put a stop to the unjust “banishment” (discrimination) from society that reptiles have faced, while also seeking to prove that the wealthy, high-class Lynxley family isn’t as admirable as everyone thinks they are.
In showing that the marginalized snakes aren’t deserving of their treatment in society, the film also paints the Lynxley family, representative of the wealthy and upper class, as the bad guys.
These movies communicate the message that discrimination doesn’t just exist; it’s the driving force in society.
As an adult, I’m able to recognize the messages that Disney wants me to believe and separate that from what’s simply a fun, enjoyable movie. At this point in my life, my worldview is solidly formed, and I know I’m not going to develop any of my political, religious, or other beliefs from an animated movie about anthropomorphic animals.
But I can’t help but wonder what kind of effect this type of movie could have on kids, who are much more impressionable. They could watch this movie and hear the messages that are being communicated to them and subconsciously start to adopt the mindset that Disney wants them to adopt. And Disney’s OK with that — we’ve seen them continue to push the envelope with progressive storylines in their movies in recent years. Not all of them have been successful (take “Lightyear”, for example), but “Zootopia” certainly has, probably because the messaging is more subtle.
So, what’s the problem?
The problem is that we, as a society, are turning less and less to the family, the church and the school to shape our worldviews and form our beliefs, and are turning increasingly towards movies, TV, music and other forms of media. Disney and other media companies know that, and they’re capitalizing on it. Maybe it’s not “Zootopia” that has power to shape your worldview if you’re a college student. But what about that artist whose song lyrics mock religion? Or that TV show that normalizes non-committal, no-strings-attached relationships? Or that movie with an absurd amount of bad language that lures your ears and your heart into becoming numb to it?
There’s no black-and-white answer for the “dos” and “don’ts” of navigating media as a Christian — but we do have discernment. One way to know whether something is twisting your worldview is if you feel convicted watching or listening to it. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Your worldview starts with your beliefs. Your beliefs start with your thoughts. Your thoughts start with the voices (including in media) that you choose to listen to.
My fear is that our society has become so undiscerning about what they watch and listen to that we’re no longer able to recognize both subtle and overt messaging in a movie or any other form of media that shapes our thoughts and beliefs. While Disney has most certainly faced backlash in recent years for trying to convey a particular worldview in movies that they claim to make for kids, they remain hugely successful and that serves as evidence that we will tune in to media that sacrifices pure entertainment for agenda pushing.
The generation of kids growing up now, even more than my generation, is bombarded by movies, music, TV, social media and books that want to form their beliefs. “Zootopia” is a great movie and should be enjoyed as such, but it serves as a warning that parents should be discerning about the media they allow to contribute to their children’s formation when the messages inevitably start to become aggressively — rather than subliminally — pushed. And for me, it serves as a reminder that I need to “take captive” the thoughts that I open myself up to when I consume media.
If you want a fun movie to watch with family or friends with an interesting plot, great characters, and excellent animation, then you should watch “Zootopia” and “Zootopia 2.” But if you want to accurately shape your views about discrimination, I would let the Bible, not a Disney movie, influence you.
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