Disney’s “Zootopia” is an “invisible propaganda” that promotes U.S. values that could encroach upon China’s cultural territory, according to the Asian country’s military newspaper, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily.
On Wednesday, news broke about the strong commentary from the country's army newspaper written in Chinese-language, describing how the seemingly wholesome animated flick from Disney is being used to promote U.S. values.
Cited by the GB Times, the PLA Daily noticed how the film lacked adequate hostility that would make it more realistic.
Because of this, the newspaper urged the Chinese audience to keep a sharp eye out for "invisible infiltration."
What "Zootopia" Is Supposed to Be About
Created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, "Zootopia" is a film that brings viewers into a modern mammalian metropolis of the same name where animals live like humans.
"Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it's a melting pot where animals from every environment live together--a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything," an official synopsis from Disney stated.
It follows the story of Officer Judy Hopps, the first bunny to be on the police force, who seeks to prove her worth by jumping into the first opportunity to crack a case even if it means teaming up with Nick Wilde, a trickster fox.
A post from Reddit user AlexReynard spoiled the rest of the story which shows how Assistant Mayor Bellwether, a meek sheep, masterminds the kidnapping of Predator citizens and framing the Mayor, a lion, who was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
The Plot "Twist"
After knowing what the movie is about, some might agree with PLA Daily considering how the plot twist showcased an unrealistic demonstration of relation between prey and predator.
"In a world of cruel reality, it is always a wolf that eats a sheep instead of the other way round. Such a fundamental concept that even a child could understand was easily turned around by Hollywood," the PLA Daily commentary explained as translated by the South China Morning Post.
However, people like Reddit user AlexReynard believed that the movie was more of a "take that" kind of film which highlighted societal issues such as racism and sexism.
"There's a dozen more scenes in the film using animals as metaphors to explore moments of racism and sexism, and it's astonishing how balanced the film is, trying to see things from every side. The good guys have bad traits and the bad guys have good traits. No one's perfectly wrong or right. No one's a strawman," he noted.
Furthermore, the opinion article from PLA Daily focused more on how Hollywood movies in general were being used as "invisible propaganda" and just used the Disney flick to make its point.