…That is quite the thumbnail. Seriously, Film Theory, you give your old “Bunny on Crack” one crap and then hit us with this nightmare?
Jokes aside, it’s great to see them revisit Zootopia. While they do make a few interesting points about the logistics and realistic effects of the Weather Wall, they miss the mark on some things. So, watch the video, then come back to this article where I break down and rebut their arguments- which is what theorizing is all about, at the end of the day: discussions that make you think deeper about the things you enjoy.
Check it out, then see below for our thoughts.
1- The Weather Wall. Genius engineering for sure. The filmmakers actually consulted with a whole host of engineers when designing it to make sure it is technically physically possible. The energy requirements would be massive, but it’s theorized that there are multiple nuclear power plants keeping it running, so relatively clean and not bad for the environment on that front. Also, this is something that will DEFINITELY be revisited because it plays a CRITICAL role in the sequel.
2- The Weather and Effects of the Weather Wall – That is kinda handwaved away, to be sure. We don’t know how they manage to prevent all of that, only that they do.
3- Rainforest District – The whole city is built in a preexisting temperate rainforest, as seen by the trees and forest surrounding the city. The soil issue wouldn’t be a problem- the whole place is already in one. Also, Savannah central is uphill of the Rainforest District, up the mountain, flooding wouldn’t be a problem there. However, the point about flooding does hold up, and there is a whole new district introduced in the sequel- Marsh Market- which is on the outskirts of the city and is basically the place for semi-aquatic mammals to live. It’s made up of docks, canals, and flooded forests and marshes, with businesses and buildings having above-and-below-water sections.
4- Size Differences and populations- Yeah it’s a headache, but it’s one the whole society has evolved around and is adapted for. As the creators said, it’s a city built by animals of all kinds, for animals of all kinds. This leads to a lot of repurposed spaces that might be overlooked in our world, and some crazy mixed-purpose zoning. For example, if you look closely, you will often see that pillars and walls for buildings for larger mammals will have apartments for smaller animals built into them. An apartment complex for a buffalo, for example, might have a restaurant for mice built into the stairs leading up to it. No space is wasted in Zootopia.
5- Food Insecurity- Remember, that Bunnyburrow, a rural town 211 miles away from Zootopia, is providing food for the city. The city of Zootopia itself likely has ENORMOUS, COUNTRY-SIZED supply chains feeding it, providing plants, insects, fish, and processed foods for the citizens. Also, keep in mind, the assumption is that smaller mammals are the ones who would be exploding in population. They also need less food per person to sustain themselves. Yes, the overall food requirements would be huge, but their society is designed to accommodate for it. Besides, what reproduces faster and in larger quantities than any other type of animal? Insects. They can definitely sustain their population’s demand for protein on that alone.
6- Night Howlers being illegal- They were already considered a “Class C Botanical” due to their use as a pesticide. Doug also had exclusive knowledge on how to condense it into a weaponized drug, which he kept secret to prevent anyone suspecting that the predators going savage was not a natural phenomena. When Nick and Judy reveal the truth, that knowledge would go with him. And unlike most drugs IRL, there is zero demand for something like what he was producing outside of use as a weapon, so no incentive for anyone to reverse engineer his work. So I doubt it would have an effect on its use as a pesticide. Comparable IRL would be the supplies of fertilizer after the oklahoma city bombings- farmers weren’t prevented from getting it, just checks placed on who was allowed to purchase it in the quantities needed to be dangerous.
So, that’s my thoughts on the points brought up in the video. What do y’all think? Leave a comment down below!
The removal of predators from environments causing detrimental effects in the ecosystem and ultimately causing the collapse and food-shortage is something I have been discussing with fellow fans too, though our cause and effect wasn’t the same Film-Theory discusses.
It’s the fact that insects are canonically still wild-animals. Now imagine all other animals evolve and leave the forests, suddenly insects no longer have predators, overpopulate, devastate the forest and eventually like locust swarms endanger even the crop-fields of the civilized animals too.
That’s why in my opinion the writing team should absolutely consider keeping at least the major predator of insects: birds, non-sapient, to keep the ecosystem of the world balanced and believable.