No matter what type of animal you are, change begins with you.
Disney had us accustomed to stories that caught the children, but now we parents enjoy them too. The last creation of the factory, which has not let us down, is 'Zootropolis' ('Zootopia', Byron Howard, 2016). A movie with a moral, where one can get to achieve what is proposed and where the good and the bad can be anywhere.
The themes are updated and the first thing that is surprising about this film is that the main animals are anthropomorphic: they walk, they are dressed (at least those who are not nudists), they talk, they live in cities, they work and use new technologies such as humans ... Also, as in our world, there are stereotypes, abusers and corrupt. But it turns out that many times not everything is as it seems.
Zootropolis contains many valuable lessons for children, which I will try to write down next, so that I notice that there will be some spoilers, although I try not to reveal a lot of data. I loved that he did not fall for the presentation of Manichaean characters, which he usually does in recent times and that offers us much more credible stories, even when they are starred by animals.
Most of the film takes place in the modern mammal metropolis of Zootropolis, a unique city, composed of neighborhoods with different habitats where the animals of each environment live in harmony (until problems arise), having left behind the predatory instinct these animals.
Getting what you set out is not always easy
Everything is explained to us at the beginning of the film with a classic resource: in the play of the school, by the hand of the protagonist, the nice bunny Judy Hopps, we see how the world we will be immersed is. It is an evolved animal world in which predators no longer prey on those other animals that had been inferior, prey. However, they remain inferior in some aspects. For example, Could a bunny be a cop?
All his surroundings tell him no, the town's abuser mocks her and hurts her, because the police force in Zootropolis is made up of robust, large and strong predatory animals (almost all of them, see the person in charge of reception at the police station) . So, could an animal like a rabbit become a policeman?
The bunny Judy Hopps grows, prepares with effort (with much effort and overcoming all kinds of difficulties) and gets it. He does it by effort, yes, but also by giving visibility to "diversity", as the city leaders affirm, on which there is always some suspicion ...
But Judy is not going to have it easy: she has to get away from her family and although at the beginning everything is optimism and enthusiasm to discover a new world in the big city, dreams to be fulfilled, she soon comes face to face with a more difficult reality, in which she has to live alone and face an unknown world.
Nor will he have it easy with his teammates. Another life lesson. When you are different, they can put the zancadilla to you so that you do not advance, to make your life complicated, to avoid you. Even those who seem to want to help you are only interested and there is some hidden intention. What cope with this? Keep working, striving (sadden sometimes) and find a friend to help you.
Bad there is everywhere
The abuser who hurt you as a child was a fox, and it turns out that in the city you find a fox that looks great, and then it turns out that it is the bad one, but then you can see that it is not bad at all but it plays a “role” and He will end up being the best helper and friend of the bunny. It's Nick Wilde, the co-star, a talkative fox, scammer ... and a good "person."
On the other hand, time goes by for that old bully of the town and Judy sees with surprise that she becomes a good person (or at least a "normal" person, with her work, who even does business with her parents, the family rabbit) who apologizes to Judy for her past, which after all was but a sign of her insecurity.
Also, in the police force and among those who run the city, appearances deceive. Great grumpy predators can have a good heart. And the lambs sometimes under their harmless appearance hide a true wolf. A small dam can be a dangerous gangster (although with a good heart when it comes to being a father).
Isn't this real life? Do not you have to distrust appearances and not abide by stereotypes? Come on, that neither the bad ones are as bad nor the good ones are always as bad as it seems ... so watch out for "dead mosquitoes"!
Not everyone gets along
We should not look for the best friend in anyone, not all animals have to get along, although those friendships, those connections, are not always where we thought. Classifying animals into predators and prey can lead to deceit and hidden intentions hide hidden intentions, self-interest, greed, envy and other feelings that should not be overlooked.
It is best to know the person himself to be able to form an informed opinion, but not from deceptive labels. And if it turns out that, even if you are of your own "species", you consider that he is not a good person, let him pass. If, being so different, it brings you something and shows you its appreciation and friendship, what else does it matter that it is different?
I cannot finish without pointing out that the visual explosion and technical mastery of cartoons on the big screen of the world of Zootropolis has captivated us, as well as the closeness of its characters, with that use of technologies that we and our children see as real , with the characters taking selfies, playing video games ...
Anyway, Zootropolis is a film with many important lessons for children and fun for the whole family. You will tell us if you had the opportunity to see it, what did you think and what did your children think. My daughters ended up delighted, in addition to the incentives mentioned, because even Shakira comes out!
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