Zootopia and Career Lessons I Learned From the Film #Zootopia

Zootopia may be aimed at young audiences, but there are many career lessons for adults that doesn’t go unnoticed.

During a recent screening of Disney’s latest movie, Zootopia, I was treated to an entertaining hour and a half or so of wonderfulness that the family entertainment brand is known for. But what I didn’t know was that the movie held many career lessons, too. Despite being written for young audiences to enjoy, Zootopia was a film that also had an educational quality that didn’t go unnoticed.

At the very foundation of the movie was about going after your career goals despite naysayers and doubters. When I thought I was being treated to a lighthearted film, I left the screening having learned lessons of empowerment, consistency, and professionalism, three things that are key in our careers. So I came up with a list of five career lessons I learned from Zootopia, and how it is vitally important that we apply them to our professional lives.

1. Never listen to your naysayers

The main character of the film, Officer Judy Hopps (who’s a rabbit of course) wanted to be a police officer since she was a tiny bunny, but everyone, including her family, told her that she would never be able to be one because of her “rabbit-dom”. Of course, you’ll have to see the movie to find out what happens, but she does prove all of them wrong.

This goes to show that no matter our obstacles and goals, we have to stick to our goals. Naysayers will naysay, but at the end of the day, you have to be your strongest ally. Keep pushing in everything you do, including your career and professional goals.

2. Always go above and beyond

In order to be good at your craft and be seen as a thought-leader and expert, you can’t just do your job. Going above and beyond will always bode well for you, and keep you on the top of the list for promotions, accommodations, and other such honors. Exceeding expectations is a way to be seen amongst your peers, and if you rise to the occasion, you will always outperform.

In Zootopia, both Judy and her co-hort Nick go out of their way to do their jobs, and thus, they are both rewarded.

3. Establish a strong partnership

Speaking of Judy and Nick, they were once adversaries. But once they teamed up to work together, they not only exceeded expectations, but they learned that working with someone else is better than working alone. We all need a strong partnership of colleagues and coworkers whom we can work with to get the job done. When you find that perfect combination at work, there’s no limit to what you guys can do together.

4. Don’t get discouraged

We will all have bad days on the field and off. While Judy and Nick had aplenty of manic-ness to go around, they kept their head in the game. We, too, need to exhibit this quality of being resilient, no matter what comes our way. You can’t win if you quit, so continue on the good fight and overcome any obstacles that are in your way.

5. Do the Right Thing

In you career, you may have the opportunity to cheat a little, lie a little, et. al. And you may get away with it for awhile, but it’s always best to do the right thing. Before Nick the fox was on the straight and narrow path of crime stopping, he was into crime himself. But a fox can change his stripes and in doing so, learn the important lesson of being honest and true. You can’t substitute good character, in movies, and in real life.

Zootopia is a family friendly fun movie that young and old will like. Make sure you go see it, and discuss the lessons you learn afterwards with your brood.

Zootopia hits theaters Friday, March 4th.

To learn more about Zootopia, visit the official site HERE.

About Zootopia:

The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. 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. But when rookie Officer Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery.