At this point in the quarter as we are approaching midterms, I would be lying if I said I wasn't overwhelmed. The idea of this research project being a culmination of an entire school year's work and a single quarter's research is intimidating. Trying to keep up with the readings and lectures for this course along with the work of other courses, while making time to actively work on my research project has been a bit of a struggle. Nonetheless, I have been taking steps towards further exploring my primary source while searching for an additional secondary source and developing research questions.

This week, I made it a point to rewatch Zootopia (my primary source) and take the time to unpack the film, pausing and rewinding as I watched so that I could jot down some notes. Trying to view the film from an unbiased perspective and as if I have not watched it before, I noted my preliminary observations of the main characters along with specific quotes that stood out to me. Something that was interesting and that I had not paid much attention to in my previous viewings of the film was how the expected traits and behaviors of the animal characters reversed throughout the film. Most of the characters were introduced as I would expect them to act (e.g. Nick Wilde as the tricky fox, Mayor Bellwether as the meak sheep). However as the film developed, the characters began behaving against my expectations, highlighting a different side of their animality/humanity (e.g. Nick Wilde as a compassionate friend, Mayor Bellwether as the conspiring criminal).

Below, are the notes that I took while viewing Zootopia this week. There is no structured method or clear-cut strategy to my note taking. I simply typed out what I thought would be valuable information to further look into as I develop my research project.

This is an additional secondary source I found this week that I believe encompasses some of the ideas and arguments that my secondary sources from last week might not of touched on very much. This article places Zootopia in the context of educational discussion and emphasizes how the film encourages teaching and understanding as means to broaden our perspectives and evolve our beliefs. Citing the film's central theme of predator versus prey, the article draws a connection to the U.S. black population and long-held stereotypes of them being violent or threatening. Another idea the article explores is the "myth of meritocracy," which explains how Judy Hopp's high-achieving academic status provides no benefit in the real world that relies on privilege, connections, and race, amongst other factors.