Remove ads

Zootopia

Khaos said:
Apparently, Zootopia, which is a massive success in China was described by a PLA general as western propaganda. Here's what Fortune says about it.



What strikes me as incredibly funny is that the Chinese editorial doesn't mention the aspects of Zootopia that could actually be considered 'subversive'.

First of, though in a very tangential manner, Zootopia is the story of a rabbit born in bumfuck nowhere moving to a metropolis trying to make big, 'cough' hukou system 'cough' rural emigration 'cough'.

Then we have the lion, that is the top government official, being ineffective at finding the cure for the berserker syndrome affecting his citizens and lying to them, all in order to preserve social harmony and his own power. Double cough.

And finally, we have the corrupt government official willing to sacrifice her citizens for her own gain.

Whoops.

Obviously, I doubt that Disney intended this interpretation when scripting Zootopia, but I can easily see how a Chinese movie goer may read the movie in this manner.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not to mention the disaffected conman that constantly defies authority and/or (ab)uses the bureaucratic system to make a profit being the hero that helps the honest idealistic rural newcomer, bullied and stonewalled by her urban compatriots from saving people, that saves the city.

I wonder why that may annoy the CCP. :V

Trickster heroes have always been popular in Chinese stories -- just look at Tao Gan from the Di Renjie stories/myths.

And even they often end up impressed by the honesty and righteousness of the "good" hero, joining them on their quest to do good for society, just using their wiles.

I mean, this story is so quintessentially Chinese in many ways... No wonder it did so well there.

But the idea of Zootopia being foreign agitprop misses the point and nuances of the entire movie big time.
 
Last edited:
Khaos said:
Apparently, Zootopia, which is a massive success in China was described by a PLA general as western propaganda. Here's what Fortune says about it.



What strikes me as incredibly funny is that the Chinese editorial doesn't mention the aspects of Zootopia that could actually be considered 'subversive'.

First of, though in a very tangential manner, Zootopia is the story of a rabbit born in bumfuck nowhere moving to a metropolis trying to make big, 'cough' hukou system 'cough' rural emigration 'cough'.

Then we have the lion, that is the top government official, being ineffective at finding the cure for the berserker syndrome affecting his citizens and lying to them, all in order to preserve social harmony and his own power. Double cough.

And finally, we have the corrupt government official willing to sacrifice her citizens for her own gain.

Whoops.

Obviously, I doubt that Disney intended this interpretation when scripting Zootopia, but I can easily see how a Chinese movie goer may read the movie in this manner.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That's the best thing about this movie.

It can go anywhere and do anything.

~try everything, oh, oh, ohhh
 
RedDwarfIV said:
I thought 4Chan disliked
furries?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Nah, furries are just low-hanging fruit, the absolutely easiest people on the internet to Troll.
If you want to get someone pissed off? The easiest way is to call them a furry and insult furries in the same sentence, supposedly they will be insulted either way.
Or at least that's what most trolls believes.:eyeroll:
It really doesn't help that a lot of furries have a persecution complex or are otherwise self-hating.

Although they would never be honest about it lots of people on 4chan are furries of one kind or another.
Especially those that frequent /co/ and /tg/.
 
Last edited:
So, fun fact; Disney made official spotify playlists for the Zootopia cast, which You can find through this elegant and finely crafted link.

Highlights include Judy adding Never Gonna Give You Up, which I can absolutely see her liking for its own sake and for the trolling value now that Nick's rubbing off on her, something like half of Nick's playlist being fox/wild puns, and the mental image of Judy Hopps bopping along to Can't Touch This.

(Seriously, whoever decided to start Nick's playlist with Born To Be Wild and Walk On The Wild Side, I tip my hat to you, but possibly just so I can smack you with it.)

What's also there, though, is an awful lot of shipping fuel. Like, Nick's list is puns and smooth grifting music, but then out of nowhere comes Tom Jones singing WHOA WHOA WHOA SHE'S A LADY, it's great. Blindfold, Two Princes, Lovecats… Then Judy has things like A Thousand Miles, Shut Up And Dance, Call Me Maybe… For pete's sake, it ends on Mercy. Have you seen the lyrics for that song?

I suspect you could make the shipping more blatant than that, but for the life of me I can't think how.
 
Imrix said:
Highlights include Judy adding Never Gonna Give You Up, which I can absolutely see her liking for its own sake and for the trolling value now that Nick's rubbing off on her, something like half of Nick's playlist being fox/wild puns, and the mental image of Judy Hopps bopping along to Can't Touch This.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Why do you say "added," that song has been on there since the various playlists were released way back when.

Nick also has "What does the Fox say" by Ylviss.
So thinking too deeply about the playlists is stupid.
 
Last edited:
TheOtherSandman said:
Why do you say "added," that song has been on there since the various playlists were released way back when.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Because my headcanon is they're playlists assembled by the characters in-universe, so at some point Judy added that.
TheOtherSandman said:
Nick also has "What does the Fox say" by Ylviss.
So thinking too deeply about the playlists is stupid.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I dunno, I can see Nick keeping it as a guilty pleasure because he likes people singing about him as if he's a mystery. And also to troll everybody around him.
 
Hm. Before I went to see Zootopia (or Zootroplis, as it's known over here) I read a review which claimed that the film undermined its own message for cheap gags. How can it promote equality and anti-discrimination when the sloths are actually slow, the wolves howl on cue, and so on? After I actually saw it, I could only conclude that they'd somehow totally missed what the film's message was.

The message wasn't "we're all the same and we need to recognise that", because that simply isn't true. The message was "we're all different and that's okay, just keep learning".

And that's great.

I really do hope Zootopia breaks the billion mark. I caught what was probably one of the last showings in my country, but it's still on elsewhere. I can't wait for it to be available on demand, so I can show it to friends and family who missed it.

Imrix said:
I suspect you could make the shipping more blatant than that, but for the life of me I can't think how.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
They are best friends.
BEST.
FRIENDS.
 
Last edited:
Revlid said:
Hm. Before I went to see Zootopia (or Zootroplis, as it's known over here) I read a review which claimed that the film undermined its own message for cheap gags. How can it promote equality and anti-discrimination when the sloths are actually slow, the wolves howl on cue, and so on? After I actually saw it, I could only conclude that they'd somehow totally missed what the film's message was.

The message wasn't "we're all the same and we need to recognise that", because that simply isn't true. The message was "we're all different and that's okay, just keep learning".

And that's great.

I really do hope Zootopia breaks the billion mark. I caught what was probably one of the last showings in my country, but it's still on elsewhere. I can't wait for it to be available on demand, so I can show it to friends and family who missed it.


They are best friends.
BEST.
FRIENDS.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I said that, but I really think the howling scene did undermine the point. Imagine if you lured some black security guards off via beatboxing. Looks pretty bad.

The sloths worked, especially what with the final scene which served as a great summary of the film
 
The only food items we see in the movie are ice-lollies, sweet pastries, and assorted fruit and veg. Given that, a question – what do predators eat?

Clawhauser's donut-packed diet leads me to assume (unless he's eating special carnivore-diet-OK donuts) that all predators that weren't already have evolved to be omnivorous. There's no particular reason to believe that herbivores aren't all vegetarian… but does Clawhauser also enjoy steaks? Not mammalian, obviously, but are there lizard-grills where you can buy gecko kebab? Or bug bars? Can you have a roast chicken, or is that a bit of a cultural taboo? Are fish and chips fine for Nick to eat, even if the smell makes Judy gag and wind down the car window?

Is there any expanded or concept material that covers this?

Imrix said:
Methinks thou dost protest too much.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
u r sick
u need halp
 
Last edited:
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top