So. I went and saw Zootopia tonight. First off, let me say this. For all the hype, for all the buzz generated around this community about this movie, for all the fan art that's already been pouring out... none of it lives up to the movie itself. Zootopia is one of those rare movies that is actually better than any trailers or leaked footage can hint at. Better than any expectation I had for it, and I left the theater deep in thought and doing a lot of self examination on the hour long drive home.

What makes this movie so great? Yes, it's beautifully animated, and the art direction is incredible. Yes, the voice acting is spot on and it is extremely well cast. Yes, the writing is excellent with good pacing, plot twists and plenty of humor both for the younger crowd and the adults watching as well. Yes, the characters are deep and very relatable and every one of the major (and some minor) characters have development arcs that compliment the story well. But what makes this movie truly stand out is it's ability to make you ask yourself hard questions, and to examine your own actions and beliefs.

***minor spoilers ahead***

This movie is not just a cop story or a buddy flick, or even a typical Hero's Journey. it's a deep examination on the nature of prejudice and how it infects and feeds upon a society. And yet, despite taking a seriously unflinching look at this touchy subject, it doesn't point fingers, it doesn't get preachy, and it doesn't pander to any one group. Disney has a habit of being pretty heavy handed with it's "points" at times, often being as subtle as a blow to the head with a 5 pound sledge hammer, but this time... it's much more subtle. There are moments of obvious prejudice displayed, but thats mostly to play off of stereotypes and make the much more subtle point that prejudice flows both directions. It even dares to make the point that those who are victims of prejudice are just as guilty of prejudice against others themselves.

And it is absolutely heart rending when this becomes clear.

There may be an ultimate "villain" in the movie, but frankly, that's not important. The real villain is each character and the way they're blind to their own prejudices until it's too late.

The real power of this movie is that it makes you ask yourself "Am I just as guilty as these flawed characters?" and those of us who take the time to think about it and are honest with ourselves will have to answer "Yes."

I am guilty of prejudice. If I'm going to be honest with myself, I make snap judgements about people all the time. I may not make judgements based on their biology, but I DO make judgements on the conscious choices they have made. In the way they present themselves, how they dress, how they talk. I spent the hour long trip home examining this aspect of myself, and have come to this conclusion. I may make snap judgements, and this may effect my initial interactions with people, but it doesn't stop me from getting to know them and forming a more educated opinion of them later on down the road, so I don't believe this makes me a bad person, just like (most of) the characters in the movie aren't bad people either.

I judge people by what they do, not who they physically are. Who am I to judge? I am only me. I don't expect others to make the same judgements I do, nor do I expect them to abide by my judgements. Am I going to stop "judging" people? No, I don't think that's physically possible. We all make judgement calls every day on everything we see and interact with. It's part of our thought process and and the way our brains work. I'm not going to let my judgement process effect how I treat other people though. You can't really help the way your brain works, but you can definitely affect what you actually do.

So. Bottom line. See this movie. Enjoy this movie. Let this movie make you take a closer look at yourself. Be honest with yourself and learn from what you see. Improve yourself. It's worth it.

Sláinte!
Brock