RV: Zootopia might just be the ballsiest movie that Disney has ever made, yet no one will actually complain about it even though it features a pretty poignant criticism of a huge portion of the population (See Wall-E and fat people for another example). Did you know that bunnies can’t be police officers because they suffer from gender stereotypes that haunt the workplaces dominated by males even in our own very real society? Did you know foxes are given self-fulfilling prophecies by society much the same way a Muslim boy in our country is already told he is going to become a terrorist even before he graduates grade school? Did you know these things? My kids thought the movie was great. It was funny. It had great gags. It was scary yet compelling. My daughter wanted to see it again, so she could watch the scenes where she had closed her eyes from fear during her first viewing. My kids did not detect the very clear and not so subtle allegory that was illustrated before them. They did not see a society that on the outside was comprised of animals, but on the inside, had no discernible differences from our own society, where Muslims are treated as predators who become terrorists from a genetic urge and not because our society puts them on the unprotected web with a very large chip on their shoulders. Like I said before, Disney was ballsy with this movie, but I’m sure Trump and his supporters only saw a city full of animals.

T: Although I don’t want to let my inner feminist school RV for his blatant use of sexist diction (ballsy? I thought you were better than that…), I too would agree that Disney was quite courageous in their development of Zootopia. I admit I didn’t really didn’t know much about the movie beyond the short trailer that predominantly featured sloths (gotta love sloths!), but I think the not knowing what to expect is what made it all the more surprising and enjoyable. Although Disney is not immune to incorporating heavy themes into their whimsical tales, this film’s use of allegory somehow still felt new and fresh. Its use of bunnies to display blatant sexism; predators vs. prey to illustrate intolerance, racism, and xenophobia; baby foxes showcasing the cruel bullying that inevitably takes place everywhere – from beginning to end this story wore its bleeding heart on its sleeve and I found myself evaluating how eerily this fiction mirrored reality. I will say that I do believe that this film might be more heavy-handed than usual, but I think (if anything) it shows how Disney – and all animated films – are maturing in response to the trying times that stand before us. Where these kinds of films may have been previously a mode of escape, they now serve to teach even the grumpiest of adults that there is still so much left to learn. And in the end – like Shakira the Gazelle croons at the end of the movie – we must ‘try everything’ to get this right. Come on America! Lets get our shit together and finally realize that though we don’t necessarily have to like each other, can we please (for just one minute) NOT assume that just because someone may not be similar to us, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re out to ‘get’ us? If kiddos can figure this out, why can’t their grown-up versions too? *rant over*

5 Red Vines: People should really start listening to what the fox says.

5 Twizzlers: The only thing that could’ve made Zootopia better was if I could have drank a Fruitopia during.