Call me crazy, but when I take my kids to the movies, I want them to have fun.
When that rare moment of not breathing in popcorn occurs and I have a second to glance over at them, I'm always psyched to see one of my little ones engrossed in a flick. My daughter Violet is two and a half (and has more letters in her name than theatrical movies conquered), so let me be honest, when I check in on her? It's usually to see if she's looking at the screen. Or awake.
Or still in our row.
But my son? I'm always hoping to catch my 6 year-old smiling. Usually he's sitting in that annoying trapezoidal way that little kids do (also inhaling salty snacks), and somewhat distressingly, he always looks like the weight of the world is on his tiny shoulders. And while I used to think it was his fault (or mine), after a couple years of going to kids' movies, I now know better.
It's because he's paying attention.
Disney's latest, Zootopia, almost crumbles under the weight of the (numerous) social burdens it carries, as the increasingly downward trajectory of race-relations in this country is front-and-center...in the talking animal movie. What I thought might be a cute tale about an animal society much like our own, instead is a timely allegory about a deliberately fragmented society and its rampant xenophobia. Oh, and cute little bunnies, too.
See, simmering just above all the ugly racial stuff, is a different tale of inequality, this one of the little girls can do anything big boys can do (and likely, even better) variety. That shame of humanity might have been enough to be the message in a message movie, but not here. Nope.
Judy Hopps (charmingly voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) is a tiny rabbit with a big dream: being a cop in the beautifully-conceived Zootopia. Raised by local-yokel parents with zero expectations, Judy refuses to let anything stand in the way of her destiny. And apparently, her destiny is to be a meter-maid.
Whether it's because she's small, or a girl, or a small girl, Judy isn't given any respect on the force. While a writer somewhere was ticking off boxes of wrongs to be righted (I really wanted to go with writed, just so you know), Judy stands up for a fox just trying to get a tasty treat at an all-elephant diner (hmmm...elephants aren't being tolerant? Can't imagine any symbolism there...). The elephants don't like his kind, but eventually relent when the by-the-book bunny threatens the manager with countless health-code violations. Aww.
When that rare moment of not breathing in popcorn occurs and I have a second to glance over at them, I'm always psyched to see one of my little ones engrossed in a flick. My daughter Violet is two and a half (and has more letters in her name than theatrical movies conquered), so let me be honest, when I check in on her? It's usually to see if she's looking at the screen. Or awake.
Or still in our row.
But my son? I'm always hoping to catch my 6 year-old smiling. Usually he's sitting in that annoying trapezoidal way that little kids do (also inhaling salty snacks), and somewhat distressingly, he always looks like the weight of the world is on his tiny shoulders. And while I used to think it was his fault (or mine), after a couple years of going to kids' movies, I now know better.
It's because he's paying attention.
See, simmering just above all the ugly racial stuff, is a different tale of inequality, this one of the little girls can do anything big boys can do (and likely, even better) variety. That shame of humanity might have been enough to be the message in a message movie, but not here. Nope.
Judy Hopps (charmingly voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) is a tiny rabbit with a big dream: being a cop in the beautifully-conceived Zootopia. Raised by local-yokel parents with zero expectations, Judy refuses to let anything stand in the way of her destiny. And apparently, her destiny is to be a meter-maid.
Whether it's because she's small, or a girl, or a small girl, Judy isn't given any respect on the force. While a writer somewhere was ticking off boxes of wrongs to be righted (I really wanted to go with writed, just so you know), Judy stands up for a fox just trying to get a tasty treat at an all-elephant diner (hmmm...elephants aren't being tolerant? Can't imagine any symbolism there...). The elephants don't like his kind, but eventually relent when the by-the-book bunny threatens the manager with countless health-code violations. Aww.
