Watching Zootopia

I don’t remember when I last saw a Disney animation at the theater. Maybe it was Treasure Planet? Maybe. Possibly The Incredibles? But for the most part, my Disney filmic experience consisted of me sitting in front of an old tube TV and watching: The Fox and The Hound, Dumbo, or Hercules once again. However, over the break, I finally decided it was time to see a Disney film on the big screen for the first time in a long time.

Zootopia sounded interesting to me, because, animals are nice…ya? I can’t say I’m a sucker for anthropomorphized animals (which may seem odd given two of my favorite Disney movies contain talking animals). However, seeing as there were no princesses involved in this film, I thought, “Fuck it, why not?” Now I know it sounds as if I’m not the biggest fan of Disney animated films. And you would be right in assuming so. A part of the reason is because I’ve been rather disappointed with the Oscars giving Disney the best animated film award year after year, despite there being wonderful films produced overseas. At first, I figured, “It’s the Oscars, why do you care so much? I mean your favorite actor is Joaquin Phoenix, and you know what he said about the Oscars…” But yet, I end up caring, and I hate myself for it. So I’ll just say this, somebody has to take ole Oscar home; I mean it can’t stay there at the ceremony. Right?

On the subject of the Oscars however, it was interesting to watch Zootopia after a ceremony that was so heavily swamped in the whole #whiteoscars bonanza. The film, to my surprise, was heavily about stereotypes and crept into other mature themes like drugs and the mafia. The film was quick to touch on how the optimistic girl (bunny) from the farm found out quickly how much different species don’t get along in a city where such perfect inter-species relationships hypothetically exist. We get other racial jabs like, “Only bunnies can call other bunnies cute, and when another animal does it…” Which is funny. Haha, Racism but it’s a bunny. And we move on. However, the overarching conflict occurs to be between predators and prey however, which is odd because all the sudden, we are now reduced to just two groups.

Now let me sidestep around this for a second and say, I thought the last season of South Park was perfect as they tackled the subject of PC.

At the Oscars, Chris Rock made a joke about Asians. Correction, he made two jokes. Was I offended? Not really, because the joke pertains to the Chinese more than the Koreans. And lets be honest, we only truly get offended when it pertains to a very specific group we belong to. However, did I think it was offensive? Yes. I found the lack of diversity in a quest for diversity very interesting. Even Zootopia lacks this diversity. Although it may show various animals, we cannot fully explore each species and their relationships with other species because there is a limited run-time. If people want to see films, that pertain to every race equally, we are going to be sitting in the theater for like eight-hour films. Chris Rock mentioned in the Oscars, how he finds it hilarious that black people are mad at the Oscars in this day and age. To which he concludes – black people had more important things to be angry about in the past.

I don’t need to verify this; we all know it’s true. And of all the fucking things, the Oscars? Really? This is an institution that gave best film to Forrest Gump the year Pulp Fiction came out. They gave it to a film that portrays a mentally disabled white man who bumbles his way through history, magically taking credit for many major African-American achievements. The Oscars never fucking mattered or were an authority on anything. Ever! All I ever used the Oscars for was as a way for me to vent some anger – to be mad at all the obvious yet annoying picks they make, every year. And then be pleasantly surprised when they acknowledge how great Mad Max: Fury Road is.

The Oscars shouldn’t be a standard for anything because it’s shit. The average viewer doesn’t even end up watching the films that won after the ceremony. The show dictates so little it is laughable. So why try to change it? It’s like getting mad at a rock that wasn’t in your way in the first place. Just forget about it and move on, knowing, that people will watch what they want to watch and love the films they fall in love with. Just because Big Hero 6 won last year doesn’t meant I suddenly love it more than The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Not one bit. You know why? Because, say it with me, THE OSCARS ARE SHIT.