The wild sounds of ancient predators echoed through a large barn in Bunnyburrow. A young bunny named Judy Hopps appeared on a makeshift stage, trying to find her way through a papier-mâché and cardboard jungle.
Judy’s voice rang out loud and clear. “Fear. Treachery. Bloodlust! Thousands of years ago, these were the forces that ruled our world. A world where prey were scared of predators. And predators had an uncontrollable desire to maim and maul and—”
Suddenly, a jaguar leapt on her from the shadows! “Blood, blood, blood!” Judy screamed as she crumpled under the attack. “And death.”
After a long and drawn-out moment of terrible silence, Judy sat up, faced the confused audience, and smiled as she continued her monologue. A banner reading CARROT DAYS TALENT SHOW hung over the stunned crowd.
“Back then, the world was divided in two: vicious predator or meek prey.” Two cardboard boxes dropped down from the ceiling. The first, labeled vicious predator in crayon, landed on top of the jaguar, and the second, labeled meek prey, landed on Judy. The boxes settled on their shoulders so their heads, arms, and legs stuck out. “But over time, we evolved and moved beyond our primitive, savage ways.”
A young sheep wearing a white robe and a cardboard rainbow on his head did an improvisational dance across the stage. Judy and the jaguar burst out of their boxes, now wearing white robes, too. “Now predator and prey live in harmony.”
Judy and the jaguar, revealed as another friendly youngster, shook hands as the sheep sprinkled glitter on them. “And every young mammal has multitudinous opportunities,” Judy said.
“Yeah. I don’t have to cower in a herd anymore,” said the sheep. Then he ripped off his robe, revealing a homemade astronaut costume. “Instead, I can be an astronaut.”
“I don’t have to grow up to be a lonely hunter,” said the jaguar, showing a business suit under his robe.
“Today I can hunt for tax exemptions. I’m gonna be an actuary!”
“And no longer do I have to blindly serve the almighty carrot,” said Judy. “I can make the world a better place—saving lives, defending the defenseless! I am going to be...” Judy ripped off her robe and stood in a blue uniform. “A police officer!”
In the audience, a nasty fox kid named Gideon Grey snickered to his two friends. “Bunny cop. That is the most stupidest thing I ever heard,” he said.
Back onstage, it was almost as if Judy had heard his remark. “It may seem impossible...to small minds,” she said, pointing at him. “I’m looking at you, Gideon Grey.” Judy snapped her fingers and a backdrop showing a bright city skyline unrolled behind her. “But just two hundred and eleven miles away stands the great city of...ZOOTOPIA! Where our ancestors first joined together in peace, and declared that ANYONE CAN BE ANYTHING! Thank you and good night!”
Judy proudly bowed, as if she had just given the performance of her life. Dutiful applause came from the audience, including her parents, Bonnie and Stu Hopps.
Moments later, Judy, still wearing her police costume, excitedly exited the barn with her parents. Outside, the Carrot Days Festival was in full swing as everyone enjoyed booths, games, and rides.
“Judy, ever wonder how your mom and me got to be so darn happy?” Stu asked.
“Nope,” Judy answered.
“Well, I’ll tell ya how,” Stu continued, as if he hadn’t heard Judy. “We gave up on our dreams and we settled, right, Bon?”
“Oh yes,” Bonnie agreed. “That’s right, Stu. We settled hard.”
“See, that’s the beauty of complacency, Jude. If you don’t try anything new, you’ll never fail,” Stu said.
“I like trying, actually,” Judy said.
Bonnie looked at their daughter. “What your father means, hon...it’s gonna be difficult—impossible, even—for you to become a police officer.”
“There’s never been a bunny cop,” Stu said.
“I guess I’ll have to be the first one!” said Judy as she parkoured against a fence. “Because I’m gonna make the world a better place.”
“Or...heck, you wanna talk about making the world a better place—no better way to do it than becoming a carrot farmer,” said Stu.
“Yes! Your dad and me and your two hundred seventy-five brothers and sisters—we’re changing the world one carrot at a time,” said Bonnie.
“Amen to that. Carrot farming is a noble profession,” Stu agreed.
But Judy stopped paying attention to her parents when she spotted Gideon Grey following some little kids. She was instantly alert, and she went after him.
“You get it, honey?” Bonnie asked Judy. “I mean, it’s great to have dreams.”
“Yeah, just as long as you don’t believe in them too much,” Stu continued as he looked around for his daughter. “Jude? Where the heck did she go?”
在一個叫兔窩鎮(zhèn)的地方,古老的食肉動物那野性的吼聲在一間寬敞的谷倉里回蕩著。一只叫朱迪·霍普斯的年輕兔子出現(xiàn)在一個臨時搭建的舞臺上,正想方設法尋找一條道路,要穿過由混凝紙漿和硬紙板做的叢林。
朱迪那響亮而清晰的聲音突然響起:“恐懼。背叛。血腥屠殺!幾千年之前,這些暴力行為統(tǒng)治著我們這個世界——一個獵物害怕食肉動物的世界,而食肉動物有著不可控制的欲望去殘害、毆打和——”
突然,一頭美洲豹從陰影處向她撲了過來!“謀殺,謀殺,謀殺!”朱迪受到攻擊癱倒在地后大叫道,“和屠殺。”
可怕的沉默持續(xù)了很長一段時間,然后朱迪坐起來,面對著困惑不解的觀眾,微笑著繼續(xù)她的獨白。在目瞪口呆的觀眾上方,懸掛著一條寫著“胡蘿卜節(jié)達人秀”的橫幅。
“當時,整個世界被一分為二:兇殘的食肉動物和溫順的獵物。”兩個紙板箱從天花板上落了下來。一個用蠟筆寫著“兇殘的食肉動物”的紙板箱降落在美洲豹的上方,而另一個寫著“溫順的獵物”的紙板箱則落在了朱迪的頭頂。這兩個箱子最終停留在他們的肩頭,所以他們的頭、胳膊和腿都伸了出來。“但是久而久之,我們進化了,擺脫了之前原始、野蠻的方式。”
一只年輕的小綿羊,身穿白袍子,頭戴用紙板做成的彩虹,在舞臺上即興跳了一段舞蹈。朱迪和美洲豹突然從箱子里沖出來,此刻他們也都穿著白袍子。“現(xiàn)在,食肉動物和獵物和睦相處了。”
朱迪和這頭作為另一位友好青年出現(xiàn)的美洲豹握手言歡,這時小綿羊向他們揮灑著閃光紙屑。“每個年輕的動物都有各種各樣的機會。”朱迪說道。
“對。我再也不用戰(zhàn)戰(zhàn)兢兢地躲在羊群里了。”小綿羊說道。說完,他撕破身上的袍子,露出了自制的宇航服:“相反,我可以做宇航員。”
“我長大也不用當一名孤獨的獵獸了。”美洲豹說完,展示出了袍子里面的西裝。
“如今我可以尋求稅收減免。我要當精算師!”
“我再也不用盲目地服務于萬能的胡蘿卜。”朱迪說道,“我要讓世界變得更美好——拯救生命,保護弱者!我要當……”她一把扯掉袍子,身著藍色制服站在那里,繼續(xù)說道:“一名警官!”
人群中,一只不那么友善的小狐貍吉丁·格雷對著他的兩位朋友暗自竊笑。“兔子警察。這是我聽過的最傻的事情。”他說道。
舞臺上,朱迪好像聽到了他的評價。“這也許不太可能……對于思想狹隘的人來說,”朱迪說完,指著他,“我看著你呢,吉丁·格雷。”朱迪打了個響指,舞臺背景上,一幅璀璨的城市景象展現(xiàn)在她身后。“位于211英里之外的地方,有一座美好的城市……動物城!我們的祖先就是在那里第一次和睦地團結在一起,并且宣布我們無所不能!感謝聆聽,祝大家晚安!”
朱迪自豪地鞠了一躬,就像是剛剛完成了生命中最精彩的演出。人群報以禮節(jié)性的鼓掌,包括她的父母——邦妮和斯圖·霍普斯。
片刻之后,依然一身警察裝扮的朱迪跟隨父母興奮地出了谷倉。外面,大家享受美食,暢玩游戲,乘坐游樂設施,胡蘿卜節(jié)慶典進行得如火如荼。
“朱迪,有沒有想過你媽媽和我怎么過得這么快樂?”斯圖問道。
“沒有。”朱迪回答道。
“那我告訴你,”斯圖繼續(xù)說道,就像沒有聽到朱迪的回答一樣,“我們放棄了夢想,然后安定下來了,對嗎,邦?”
“哦,對,”邦妮贊同地說道,“沒錯,斯圖。我們好不容易安定了下來。”
“明白了吧,這就是見好就收的好處,朱迪。不嘗試新事物,就永遠不會失敗。”斯圖說道。
“實際上,我想試試。”朱迪說道。
邦妮看了看他們的女兒:“你父親的意思是,親愛……對你而言,要當一名警官,那會很難——甚至是不可能的。”
“從來就沒有兔子當警察。”斯圖說道。
“我想我會是第一個!”朱迪說著,疾步翻過籬笆,“因為我要使世界更美好。”
“哦……見鬼,你想談談使世界變得更美好——最好的方式就是當一名種胡蘿卜的菜農(nóng)。”斯圖說道。
“對!你爸爸和我,還有你那275個兄弟姐妹——我們通過每次一根胡蘿卜的方式改變世界。”邦妮說道。
“同意。種植胡蘿卜是個高尚的職業(yè)。”斯圖贊同地說道。
但是當朱迪發(fā)現(xiàn)吉丁·格雷正在尾隨著幾個小動物而行時,她就不再留心父母說什么了。她立刻警覺起來,從后面追趕過去。
“明白了嗎,親愛的?”邦妮問朱迪道,“我是說,有夢想,很棒。”
“對,只要別把它太當回事兒,”斯圖邊四下尋找他的女兒邊繼續(xù)說著,“朱迪?她到底去哪兒了?”