Alright, buckle up, because we're diving deep into the furry waters of animated attraction. It's a wild world out there on the internet, where some folks are finding themselves a little too hot and bothered by characters from children's movies. Yes, you heard that right. We're talking about a full-blown obsession with the likes of the cast of Zootopia, a certain group of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and those musically inclined critters from Sing. But why?
One theory is that these characters are becoming increasingly humanized to the point where it feels like an animated person in a fur suit. This is a stark departure from the traditional personification seen in children’s fables, where animals, like the Big Bad Wolf, retained their animalistic essence while conveying moral lessons. Whereas now, characters, like Nick Wilde in Zootopia, sport everyday apparel and are made to mimic their voice actors’ facial expressions and personal traits, blurring the line between animal and human. We're not just talking about the token eyebrows or a sassy hairstyle anymore; it's the mannerisms and the human mindset lending them a certain relatability. Despite the appeal of voice actors like Jason Bateman, the infusion of human-like emotional depth is almost certainly the key, according to avid movie watcher Minjae Suh ’29, who stated, “Nick Wilde being a fictional animal allows me to not have a personal connection while appreciating his charisma and depth. When I close my eyes, he could be anyone. But because he is an animal, I can be attracted by his personality without forcing him to fit my standards for real men.” Whether it is the relatability or the safe distance these characters allow for people to explore their attraction without the messiness of real-world interaction, it is undeniable that this crafted blend of animal charm and human traits is turning innocent animal characters into objects of, shall we say, intense admiration.
Then there's Disney, seemingly stirring the pot with a wink and a nudge. Disney isn't shying away from teasing a romance between Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, practically begging the audience to ship them. Using their relationship to appease the grown-ups who are a little too invested in the love lives of cartoon animals is a calculated move, capitalizing on the emotional investment viewers have in these characters. This begs the question: Should movies aimed at children be subtly catering to adult desires? Throwing in a few adult jokes for parents’ amusement can be a harmless addition to kids movies, but there is a clear line when the humor becomes inappropriate outside of the theater, as seen with the TikTok user JudyHoppsL0vr69. This account gained notoriety for sexualizing the animated bunny character; the user went so far as to get a lower back tattoo of the character, commonly known as a ‘tramp stamp.’ Videos such as these turned what might have started as a joke into something disturbingly real and unhealthy, which is why the public cannot let themselves be fooled by human-like mannerisms; it’s disturbing and sets a terrible example for children when adults are fantasizing about an animated rabbit, plain and simple.
Online, artists are taking this phenomenon to a whole new level. Forget wholesome fan art, which has been around for as long as these movies; we're talking sexually suggestive edits and full-blown humanized ‘thirst traps’ of our favorite animated characters, mainly on the popular app, TikTok. This transformation is not simply physical alterations — it is the projection of human desires and fantasies onto fictional characters. It is morally and ethically wrong for artists to create sexually explicit content featuring characters like Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, especially given the disturbing example of the 2017 “abortion comic” created by artist William Borba, which spread across TikTok and DeviantArt like wildfire, detailing the characters’ false sexual relationship and subsequent abortion, highlighting how twisted it is for adults to even produce or consume such material. Additionally, this slander to the Disney franchise is easily accessible content for children, who could stumble upon it and have their innocent view of these characters irrevocably tainted. Even more unsettling are the comments left under these videos and other similar edits, ranging from ‘Hear me out’ to ‘#needthat.’ These videos are genuinely disturbing and pose a threat to people of all ages, but especially the children who easily bypass parental controls on social media platforms. All in all, if cartoon characters could file a harassment suit like human actors, some of these editors would think twice before clicking post. Allowing the sexualization of animated characters is a slippery slope, as it goes beyond innocent admiration for some and normalizes the exploitation of childhood icons, turning harmless jokes into potentially damaging media for children’s minds and the integrity of beloved brands. One has to wonder if mainstream media has inadvertently given people the green light to unleash their primal urges.
When conversation shifts from appreciating a character’s charisma, which a teenager might harmlessly acknowledge, to adults sexualizing the physical attributes of animated beings like rabbits or turtles, that is a tell-tale sign that society has gone too far in its appreciation of human-like animated characters. Viewing these characters as a canvas for exploring personal desires is one thing; losing sight of their original purpose and the audience they were created for is another. Not all animation is PG-13, as movies such as Sausage Party are sure to be produced and consumed by a select audience of adults with unhealthy desires. However, animation’s initial goal was children’s entertainment, a passion championed by Walt Disney in his early life. Although brands may now cater to adult desires due to modern greed in a competitive market, we as viewers retain the power to define these movies as sources of valuable life lessons and shared experiences of pure love, free from any uncomfortable sexual undertones. Otherwise, we might find ourselves in a situation where the next animated blockbuster comes with a parental advisory sticker and a longing for the innocence of childhood once more.
Skylar Toddings '29 is an Opinion Columnist and an English and Art History student in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her fortnightly column, Views from Sky, offers a sophisticated exploration of popular social culture, blending a fiction reader's imagination with the rigor of journalistic insight to deliver engaging and thought-provoking hot takes for Cornellians to dissect. She can be reached at stoddings@cornellsun.com.
