This is an opinion piece written my guest writer Michael Shorkey. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of Pirates and Princesses.

Is Zootopia too “Edgy” to Get a Sequel?

In 2016 Disney Animation gave audiences a film all about tackling prejudices where instead of people they used Animals, specifically Predators & Prey. The film was mostly received well while gaining some criticism for having this kind of story in a “Kids Film” saying it was too serious of a subject matter. Despite this, the film made over $1 Billion at the box office and stole the Oscar from Laika’s “Kubo and the Two Strings” for Best Animated Feature.

There was even an announcement in 2019 showing the plans on adding a “Zootopia” Themed area to Shanghai Disneyland. But with all this success there is something that not many people are addressing– “Zootopia” directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore say they wanted to do a sequel, but how would this work after everything that has happened in 2020?

I myself don’t like to get into politics, but due to multiple controversies in recent months like the BLM Riots/Protests and the Defund the Police movement, making a sequel to a film which has its main characters as police officers might not be “Politically Correct”. Disney, a company that often sides with far left opinions, will most likely not want to move forward with a sequel film that has a small chance of making them look bad. We have already seen how Disney has reacted to the issues in 2020 with the Splash Mountain Attraction retheming that will happen at both Disneyland and Disney World. The are re-theming the attraction and they have been trying to remove any reference to “Song of the South”, a film that has the honor of the first African American Actor to win an Oscar. It is being swept away to appease the “Mob”.

“Zootopia” is a film about racial issues, making the Prey the Majority, while Predators are portrayed as the Minority and are often segregated are face prejudice from Prey. Again it is a subject matter that made some audience members uncomfortable, but if they made a Sequel to Zootopia the “Mob” would want Disney to make the Police the Bad Guys and that is something that most likely would never flow and a number of families would potentially boycott the film.

So Disney would most likely avoid any plans for a Sequel as to not end up in the hot seat, especially due to the growing list of controversies surrounding the production of 2020’s Mulan Remake, their potential ties to the CCP and their poor treatment of staff during the pandemic and more.

I wouldn’t mind a sequel to Zootopia, but due to the current climate such a thing may be impossible.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!