Tomorrowland (2015) and Zootopia (2017) and the Ecocity

Tomorrowland (2015) explicitly addresses both more utopian urban visions and sustainable views of the city that promote interdependent relationships between humanity and the natural world. Offering a futuristic city constructed for the New York City 1964 Worlds Fair as an alternative to dystopic predictions of environmental and nuclear disasters that may end life on Earth, Tomorrowland does suggest humans are responsible for their possible dire future. Images of environmental destruction highlight the possible consequences of the Anthropocentric Age.

But the film also suggests the probability of an eco-apocalyptic end has been exacerbated by media images streaming from a device in the utopian city meant to encourage humanity to change the future on display. Instead of galvanizing viewers, the terrifying visions of destruction have paralyzed them. To facilitate activism, Tomorrowland replaces apathy with optimism by eliminating negative media and promoting innovations that improve the world. Although the solution is rather pat, Tomorrowland does interrogate environmental degradation and does propose a future city with sustainable principles.

The Disney animated wonder Zootopia (2016) offers a more utopian urban vision where anthropomorphized animals interact interdependently and sustainably with the natural world. To create a city where predator and prey gain equal status, Zootopia confronts its own prejudices, but it must also eliminate humans. As a future animal city, Zootopia highlights its connections with nature by including artificial climate zones to accommodate the environmental needs of its various species.

Several zones featured in the film highlight the conflicts bunny police officer Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin) and fox con artist Nick (Jason Bateman) must overcome to transform Zootopia into a sustainable and interdependent paradise, including downtown, Tundratown, Little Rodentia, and the Rainforest District. In Zootopia, the move to a more sustainable and interdependent city requires accommodating difference, recognizing similarities, and changing ourselves. As Judy explains during a Police Academy speech,

"No matter what type of animal you are, from the biggest elephant to our first fox, I implore you: Try. Try to make a difference. Try to make the world better. Try to look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us."

In a world without humans, foxes and bunnies can be friends, and predator and prey become allies.

Tomorrowland and Zootopia provide more optimistic visions of urban nature than most films depicting future cities, but they both also base their solutions on fantastic premises rather than the reality of the places we live.