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The new Disney movie Zootopia has a female protagonist initially considered weak, but who turns out to have hidden strengths that bring her up on top.
Zootopia, the new Disney release gives both kids and the adults who accompany them some very good lessons. The best part is that it does so in a completely non-preachy manner with an extremely strong and interesting story and some really funny jokes that keep you laughing throughout.
The motto of Zootopia is “You can be anything you want to be.”
The movie is set in the animal kingdom. Judy Hopps is a rabbit who wants to be a police officer in Zootopia, a kind of animal Utopia megacity where all animals including predators co-exist in a kind of harmony. Judy succeeds in being the first rabbit ever to become a cop and has to face a lot of biases and snide comments about being cute and weak and overly emotional. She finally lands a case to find a missing otter and with the help of Nick, a con artist fox who is himself the victim of stereotyping as a ‘sly’ fox cracks the case and unearths a bigger conspiracy.
In an interview, the director of Zootopia, Byron Howard, tells the story of how originally, the main character of this film wasn’t supposed to be Judy but Nick. After years of production, the team behind the film realized that the story didn’t make sense with Nick as the lead, even though that was what was in the original script.
Howard explains: “We’re telling a story about bias, and when you have the Nick character starting the movie, through his eyes the city was already broken. He didn’t like Zootopia. We asked ‘What are we saying with the movie?’ If we’re making this movie about bias—something that is everywhere and in all of us, whether we want to admit it or not—the character that’s going to help us tell that message is Judy, an innocent character, who comes from a very supportive environment where she thinks everyone is beautiful, everyone gets along.
Then let Nick, this character who knows the truth about the world, bop up against her and they start to educate each other. When we flipped that, it was a major flip, but it worked so much better.
That Judy is a female character is almost accidental in the film. But perhaps it is also because a rabbit by nature is docile, timid and weak, all considered very feminine attributes. So it was easy to just superimpose one over the other.”
Even if that is the case, the film makes a strong point for overcoming biases and stereotypes in our dealings with people. Judy is smart and intelligent, despite being considered weak in the beginning, and uses these strengths to steal a march over sheer physical power. A point to be made towards breaking down stereotypes.
Zootopia will make you and the kids laugh (watch out especially for the hilarious scenes with the sloths and the yoga practicing elephant) and will also teach us all a lesson on being non-judgmental. A lesson which I believe we adults need to learn more than kids.
And yes, it will make all the little girls out there want to go out and reach for the stars. Do not miss this movie.
Image source: Zootopia trailer.
Smita considers herself an octopus with tentacles in different delicious jam jars. An alumnus of IIM-Bangalore, she is the Founder and CEO of a new technology-based business. She reviews movies for www.desimartini. read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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