Prejudice And Discrimination In Zootopia

Judy Hopps, the central character of Disney’s film Zootopia, believes in a world where anyone can be anything. Zootopia, according Judy, is a place where predators and prey can peacefully coexist and where she can freely follow her dreams of becoming a policewoman and easily “make the world a better place” (Zootopia 2016). Despite the fact that Judy is the first bunny to ever attempt to join the police force, Judy is steadfast in her hopes for her future and firmly believes that Zootopia will accept her own dreams as well as the dreams of others. But this is by no means the case. What Judy soon realizes is that the Zootopia she imagined is an illusion and lacks any sort of utopian characteristics. Instead of Zootopia becoming a place of opportunity, acceptance, and harmony, it is a place of hidden stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination that ultimately reflect the racial prejudices and segregation found in today’s society. Even though Zootopia is a children’s movie, it still brings to light many political and social issues, especially in regards to racial prejudices found through stereotypes and discriminatory means. Although Judy moves to Zootopia in hopes of escaping …show more content…
Because of the fears instilled in the prey towards predators and the absence of recognition found towards the prey, Zootopia become even more rooted in discrimination. In the end, it is not simply predators who are savage, but the prey as it is revealed that Dawn Bellwether, a lamb who longs for recognition and power from being the Assistant Mayor of Zootopia after years of being cast aside by Mayor Lionheart, ends up using a serum to force savagery upon the predators. Because of the discrimination that Bellwether experiences as a prey, her actions become saturated with revenge and reflect the overall sentiments of