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  • Essay / Social Issues in the Movie Zootopia

    Despite the massive success of the movie, Zootopia was originally supposed to have a completely different protagonist. The film was going to revolve around Nick Wilde and his journey to prove that he did not commit a crime for which he was accused. All predators are forced to wear tame collars that shock them whenever they feel emotions that their prey would find dangerous. During the final year of production, the producers changed their minds, believing that the character of Nick seemed too unlikeable. Changing the main character to Judy Hopps, a very friendly and sympathetic rabbit, would help make their message about the discrimination animals face in Zootopia clearer. Through the actions and struggles of the main characters Judy and Nick and those of the Predators as a whole, Zootopia is able to implicitly portray current societal issues, raising awareness of these issues among the Disney population. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Zootopia is a movie about two underappreciated animals, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who try to earn the respect they deserve. Along the way, they face many different difficulties that affect their ability to succeed. The main plot of this film revolves around Judy trying to thrive as the first bunny to join the police force. Everyone, including her parents, thinks she shouldn't try to pursue this dream. She does it anyway and is instantly met with failure, as she almost gets fired for trying to defend herself. She has 48 hours to find a missing otter gone wild, with virtually no evidence. To find this otter, she must team up with Nick, a fox who makes his living by scamming others. They spend their time trying to understand why only predators go wild, even though everyone else thinks it's because it's in their blood. They eventually discover that the mayor's assistant, a lamb, was driving predators wild by using night howlers to force the mayor, a lion, from office so she could get the power she deserved. Judy and Nick face many adversities in the process, allowing members of the community, both children and parents, to discover what makes them struggle and how it applies to today's world. Judy Hopps' struggle to become a respected police officer helps Zootopia. describe the problems of today's education system and labor market. Judy was the valedictorian of the police academy she attended. She worked very hard to be at the top of her class, even though she was told she could never become a police officer. After graduation, she found a job with the Zootopia Police Department (ZPD). On her first day on the job, she wasn't even really recognized. Its police chief, Chief Bogo, said during the daily press briefing that "there are some new recruits among us that I should introduce, but I won't, because I don't care." It was Judy's first taste of the disrespect she would receive, despite her great academic success. According to Beaudine et al., "the idea that some people simply work harder, are more successful, seems to be a driving force in Hopps' story... Even with academic and professional success, Hopps remains an afterthought on the Zootopia font. force." Judy didn't let her stereotype get her down, she used it as fuel to try to prove that everythingthe world was wrong; she succeeded by graduating at the top of her class. Even though she was one of the best cops in the ZPD, she was still underestimated. On her first day, she was assigned a parking task because everyone considered her "a stupid bunny" and didn't think she could handle a real business. When she confronted her boss, saying, "You probably forgot, but I was top of my class at the Academy," he replied, "I haven't forgotten." Don’t worry about it.” This really shows the problems that minorities face in the job market. Judy had all the qualifications she needed to work on the missing mammal case, but because she was a minority, no one cared about her accomplishments. This is happening today with minorities all over the United States; African Americans, Hispanics, and Latinos have difficulty earning the respect of their coworkers, even if they are qualified to do the job. Zootopia is able to make its viewers aware of this subject, without actually telling them about it. A child watching this wouldn't understand why Judy was so underrated. But throughout the film, they can see that the other animals simply believe that a rabbit becoming a police officer is something that shouldn't be done. They are able to learn that the animals were wrong to assume this because Judy ended up being a very successful police officer. Judy's actions as a police officer help teach Zootopia viewers about the problems in our policing system. Near the beginning of the film, Nick innocently walked into an ice cream shop while Judy was parking. Judy saw Nick and immediately started following him. Before joining the ZPD, Judy was warned by her parents about the dangers of foxes and that they were untrustworthy, so Judy simply assumed that Nick was doing something illegal. This represents the current problems of the police department. Some police officers simply assume that minorities, especially African-Americans, are always doing something illegal. According to Kirsten Weir of the American Psychological Association, "the odds of being black, unarmed, and shot by police are about 3.5 times the odds of being white, unarmed, and shot by police." In some of these cases, black people weren't even doing anything wrong, the police just assumed they were. That's exactly what Judy was doing to Nick, even though she might not have realized it. Not only was Judy prejudiced against foxes, but she also exploited the law. Judy needed to get more information about Night Howlers, the flower used to drive predators wild, so she tried to get information from Duke Weaselton. When Duke refuses to tell her what he knows, she threatens to freeze him. This involved enlisting the help of Mr. Big, a well-known criminal, and having Duke hold Duke over an ice hole, dropping him into it if he didn't want to talk. Judy threatened to kill him, which is completely against the law. This may illustrate how the police think they can do whatever is necessary simply because they have the power. Just as David Crewe stated in his article "Animal Harm: Discrimination and Difference in Zootopia," this is "as clear an example of police brutality as one can imagine, even including conspiracy with organized criminals”; So not only did she break the law by threatening Duke with death, but she also worked with a criminal in the process. All these unethical actions that Judy took as a police officer can teach children about unethical actionsthe ethics of our police officers. They will see that Judy was wrong to assume that Nick was doing something wrong because of the type of animal he is, implicitly showing them that it was a mistake for the police to assume that someone was doing something wrong. something illegal, simply because of the color of his skin. . Viewers will also discover that the police use immoral forces, such as threats, to try to get the information they need. Nick's struggles as a predator in a world full of prey represent the dangers of stereotypes. As a child, Nick wanted to join the Junior Ranger Scouts. He was so excited to finally be a part of something after being rejected as a child for just being a fox. When talking to Judy about it, he said “by God, I was going to fit in.” Even if I was the only predator in the troop.” This happiness quickly ended when he was muzzled by the members of his group because they could never "trust a fox without a muzzle". At this point, Nick realized that he would never be seen as anything other than an untrustworthy fox, showing the dangers of stereotypes. As David Crewe stated in his article: "...in a flashback to Nick's past as an enthusiastic young scout betrayed and muzzled by his prey. This kind of blatant intolerance – in both cases directed at the foxes – is presented as some sort of explanation for Nick's morally dubious lifestyle. Nick was bullied as a child for being a fox, which is what made him the crook he was at the beginning of the film. He believed that "if the world only wants to see a fox as sneaky and untrustworthy, there is no point in trying to be anything else." The parents of Nick's peers also played an important role in Nick's development. Without their parents telling them otherwise, the scouts would never have known about the stereotype that foxes cannot be trusted. Their parents forced this on them, making them believe it was true, without ever having the experience of an untrustworthy fox. This case of parents teaching stereotypes to their children is also evident in Judy and her parents. Judy's parents repeatedly told her that "foxes are the worst" and even gave her fox repellent, a fox deterrent, and a Taser before she left for Zootopia. Even though she didn't firmly believe it, she still let this information cloud her judgment and was wary of Nick when they first met. Nick's struggles as a fox teach children the effects that stereotypes have on people and that if parents didn't instill these thoughts into their children's brains, the world would be a more optimistic place. If the scouts hadn't disrespected Nick when he was a child, he would have actually been part of a group and might not have developed the way he did. Children can see that this makes Nick very vulnerable, and it wasn't okay for his peers to assume he wasn't trustworthy. It may also teach parents who watch this film to monitor what they say to their children regarding their thoughts about specific groups of people. Some people may think that Zootopia doesn't give its viewers a good idea about certain social issues. According to Hianly Muljadi in his article "Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading", "In this case, the viewer of the film can see that there is nothing wrong in doing such things because there is more "animals who do this believe that discrimination should be abolished." This means that, because the majority.