Zootopia: Oopsies! All The Talking Animals Forgot To Invent Shoes!
Zootopia is a movie about talking animals who live in a city called Zootopia. What's amazing about Zootopia is not just that these animals have all learned to talk, but that they've managed to overcome all of their differences and have actually built a place in which differences are celebrated. While the movie itself is quite charming, Disney has made one glaring omission to this futuristic animal world: these talking animals forgot to invent shoes.
Whoopsie doopsie!
Sorry Disney, but don't think that we're not going to notice that not a single one of these characters was wearing shoes throughout the movie. At first, I thought that it was just going to be that way on the farm, because as far as I know, most farm kids don't wear shoes. However, I noticed that Judy Hopps still had nothing to cover her feet when she was going off to the big city. As a big city boy myself, I know that we wear shoes all the time.
It really took me right out of the movie to see Judy using a carrot-themed iPhone, because I couldn't shake the thought that there was no way anyone would've figured out how to invent an iPhone without first inventing a shoe. If my feet were bleeding all the time from not wearing shoes, I don't know how I could concentrate on a delicate task like inventing!
Plus, it was truly difficult for me to watch any of the running scenes without shouting, "Man, that must be slippery!" to the entire movie theater. Some might see this as annoying, but my crowd was grateful that I was saying what they were thinking. I would bet you money that each person in the audience spent half of their time looking down at their feet and wondering how these animals could master speech as well as cross-species harmony without first mastering the art of tying thick pieces of rubber and cloth to their feet.
C'mon, Disney!
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Just watch the top half of the screen, dude!" I tried that. I did. I'd pictured Nikes, Adidas, Pumas, every brand of shoe on their feet, but I just couldn't concentrate on the movie. I would look down and see their toes wiggling around freely, pads of their feet making contact with the ground. "Throw a sandal on or something!" I'd shout. Unfortunately, Disney made a movie that took up both halves of the screen, not just the top half.
This movie could've been great. It really could've. The characters were funny and relatable, and they touched on some really big, important themes that will probably make adults question their own inherent prejudices and biases. Do we believe what we believe just because it's easier than questioning those beliefs? Well, until you manage to add shoes back into the mix, it's going to be a long time before that question gets answered, Disney.
Talking animals? Great idea! Now if only you could get the shoes right.
