Lessons in Popular Culture: Racialization and Disney's Zootopia - Part II

Picking up where we previously left off… using the concepts of racialization, dehumanization and affect, Sandlin and Snaza (2018) argue that Disney’s Zootopia shapes the identities, desire and subjectivities of its viewers “by policing ‘negative’ emotions such as anger, which (re)produces social forms by perpetuating white heteropatriarchal privilege” (p.1197).

Let’s take a look at how the authors argue Zootopia does this.

Reading Zootopia as a metaphor

The authors argue that the groups of animals in Zootopia - predators and prey - function as a metaphor that presents different racial groups as different species. They note that from the beginning of the film, despite claims that predators and prey live in harmony in the city of Zootopia, many prey animals still hold deep-seated fears of predators. This fear is further reinforced when later in the film, predators turn ‘savage’ - although the audience eventually learns that this change is caused by Assistant Mayor Bellweather who drugs predators, altering their behaviour, in order to rid Zootopia of predators altogether.

the role of police and the police state

In addition to functioning as a metaphor about racial tensions, the authors argue that the film also raises concerns about the role of the police. In the film, Judy Hopps is the first rabbit to graduate from the Zootopia Police Department. Instead of being assigned to catch criminals, she’s assigned to parking duty.

Later in the film, Judy is reprimanded by Chief Bogo for “abandoning [her] post, inciting a scurry, and reckless endangerment of rodents”. When she tries to protest, Bogo tells her that “[Her] job is putting tickets on parked cars.

Sandlin & Snaza argue that this exchange demonstrates that “policing is not about protecting citizens or community service, it is about control, surveillance, and the generation of revenue” (1199). They call attention to recent articles in the Los Angeles Times that point out that American cities increasingly rely parking ticket income to cover the costs of other services.

According to the authors, Zootopia begins by presenting a subtle critique of the contemporary role of the policing. Interestingly, the authors also point to praise of the portrayal of the role of police in the film and how the film creates opportunities to discuss “what life is like for a police officer”.

the exploration of racial politics

The authors acknowledge that Zootopia has been praised for exploring racial politics in a progressive way at a time when such conversations are much needed in the United States. In particular, they highlight:

• How the film depicts prey engaging in the discriminatory treatment of predators, a metaphor for “the American police force’s racism and violence against the Black community” (1200);

• Assistant Mayor Bellweather’s Hitler-esque goal of eradicating the predators, who are a minority group in Zootopia; and

• The criticism that is put forward against the connection between biology and behaviour.

The authors call attention to some of the inconsistencies presented in the film surrounding the link between biology and behaviour - noting that Judy Hopps is right, in the specific context of the predators in the film, “[t]hey do come from a heritage of violence and savagery” (1201). In spite of the guttural reaction of outrage and hurt feelings of her partner Nick Wilde (and likely many audience members) at the connection between biology and violence, the film “affirms the most racist assumptions about Black people - they come from savagery” (1201).

policing emotions - and rage

Sandlin and Snaza argue that Zootopia conveys problematic messages about emotions and how they are monitored and policed (1203). They note that the film allows for some emotions - happiness, joy, sadness - but minimizes or stigmatizes others, especially anger which is linked to violence and predatory animals in the film.

The authors point to bell hooks and others who emphasize the important role that rage has played in driving change. In particular, the authors state that “[t]he film’s pathologization of rage is troubling because it disavows the productive and constructive uses to which anger and rage can be put (and have been put by activists working against racialized, gendered, sexualized and ableist forms of oppression).

key take-aways

One question that I often ask at the end of each reading that I personally do or that I assign in class is “so what?” In other words, what the authors trying to say and what does it matter.

Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde

• There are many interpretations of and many meanings that can be found in every popular culture product.

• We need to consider the impact of messages that appear again and again in the various texts that we’re consuming (such as the entire collection of Disney films).

• By alluding to race without expressly acknowledging it, Zootopia engages in “colour-blind racism” - and the intended messages may become muddled or less effective.

• Popular culture products have the potential to raise issues of social, cultural, economic and historical importance (as well as the ideologies that underpin them) and can function as a tool for, at a minimum, starting conversations about them if not a tool for positive or negative social change.

What’s next?

If you’d like to read the entire article on Zootopia, you can find it here (University of Ottawa sign-in required):

Sandlin, Jennifer; Snaza, Nathan.Journal of Popular Culture; Oxford Vol. 51, Iss. 5, (Oct 2018): 1190-1213.
http://dx.doi.org.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/10.1111/jpcu.12714