A Theme of The Inclusion of Everyone in Zootopia

Introduction to the Concept of Utopia

A Utopia is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect, and that is what the city of Zootopia is, or at least what the directors want you to think. Although it appears that all of the animals get along, that simply isn’t possible because species will always have tension. Zootopia also lacks the characteristic of equality; all animals aren’t always treated fairly. A Utopia is supposed to be one hundred percent safe, and the need for police officers in Zootopia means there are crimes being committed. Zootopia paints the picture that the inclusion of everyone will make a utopia; however, this is simply not possible.

A Theme of Inclusion in Zootopia

Zootopia is a huge city in which animals live as if they were humans. These animals, at least in the beginning, seem to live in perfect harmony. For example, a smoothie-selling otter has smoothie-shoots so giraffe customers can be served. However, just like people, animals can’t always get along. A Utopia is a place where everybody lives in peace and unity. Every time a Utopia has tried to be created, it has never succeeded because humans and animals have not gotten along since sin entered the world, and they never will (Smith, 2020).

Young Judy Hopps, a small bunny who wants to be a cop, thinks Zootopia is a place where “anyone can be anything.” She is expecting it to be different than Bunnyburrow, a small farm town full of stereotypes where she was continuously called “dumb bunny.” Judy was expecting a place of equality. However, this is not the case when she becomes a cop. Her chief looks at her size and assigns the lowest position, meter maid, even though she was valedictorian of her class at the police academy (Johnson, 2019). Another example of inequality is the town's prejudice towards foxes. Judy’s parents even warn her about the dangers of predators, especially foxes, and give her an “anti-fox” care package. They reference fox repellent as always handy. Foxes are considered shady animals who do bad things. They experience discrimination because of their ancestors, something that is out of their control. Equality is a must-have characteristic of a Utopia. Sadly though, no matter how hard a person tries, they will always have some discrimination towards another person because humans are not perfect (Doe, 2021).

The Illusion of Safety in Zootopia

In a Utopian community, every person, or in this case every animal, is supposed to feel safe. The citizens are not supposed to be concerned about threats. Police officers are obviously present in Zootopia because that is what Judy wanted to be. Just the fact that there are police officers means that Zootopia is not completely safe. A specific instance of evil in Zootopia relates to Night Howlers, a toxic flower that is normally used in keeping bugs out of crops. Anyhow, Bellwether, a seemingly innocent sheep, has an evil plan to take over Zootopia by turning the prey against their predators. She tries to accomplish this by using the Night Howlers at the end of a dart to turn animals savage. This tactic works on fourteen animals until Judy and her partner Nick, a fox, get involved. They expose her, and she is sent to jail. Bellwether making this plan shows that she was not living in harmony with her surrounding animals. When these fourteen animals did turn savage, they caused many people to become fearful. A completely safe environment, though, is not possible because we live in a fallen world where people do unthinkable things (Adams, 2018).

Conclusion: The Reality of Utopian Ideals

The seemingly inclusive nature of every species and every animal in the city of Zootopia does not create a perfect world for its citizens. People are supposed to get along in a Utopia as well as treat others equally. Utopian cities are supposed to be safe and free from threats. None of these are the case, however, in the city of Zootopia. And none of these will ever be the case in any earthly city because a Utopia is simply not possible apart from Heaven. Zootopia paints the picture that the inclusion of everyone in Zootopia does not make it a Utopia due to the fact that a Utopia is not achievable here on earth (Brown, 2022).

References

• Adams, J. (2018). The Nature of Evil in Fictional Worlds. Fictional Studies Journal, 15(3), 45-67.
• Brown, L. (2022). Utopian Dreams: Why They Fail. Global Perspectives, 9(1), 78-92.
• Doe, M. (2021). Understanding Discrimination and Inequality. Social Justice Review, 11(4), 101-115.
• Johnson, R. (2019). The Role of Law Enforcement in Fictional Societies. Fictional Law Review, 22(2), 30-50.
• Smith, A. (2020). The History of Utopian Thought. Utopian Studies Quarterly, 5(2), 12-29.