Disney’s Zootopia is a movie about talking animals living under capitalism. It found a natural constituency in furries—people who identify (and dress up) as animals. One might think that would mean it has a fairly progressive, left-leaning audience, but the furry community isn’t monolithic, and it has a conservative side. And that’s how you end up with the whole internet abuzz over a pro-life Zootopia fan comic.
In William Borba’s “I Will Survive,” cartoon bunny cop Judy Hopps wants to get an abortion, but cartoon grifter fox Nick Wilde doesn’t want her to, because he thinks it’s a “premeditated sin.” The comic has gone hugely viral due to the unintentional humor of combining a straight-faced diatribe on a serious subject with … Disney characters. And it doesn’t hurt that Borba’s drawings are really good, which has helped him build a fanbase in the Zootopia community.
When the fansite Zootopia News Network posted the comic back in June, it called “I Will Survive” “the most controversial comic the fandom has ever seen.” But the controversy mostly stayed inside the fandom until this month, when it was posted on Twitter. (Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, whose tweet seems to have brought “I Will Survive” into the mainstream, is a staff writer at the Daily Dot.)
well folks i just found out about the pro-life Zootopia fan comic, so that's me done for the day. pic.twitter.com/h3yp7FXWTm
— Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (@Hello_Tailor) December 6, 2017
Once the pregnant bunny was out of the bag, there was no stopping the comic’s spread. Furries and non-furries alike shared it, mocked it, and produced their own fan edits. Borba’s art is stunning and well worth saving, he just took the characters in a direction that the fandom didn’t love and outsiders found laughable. So, what happens when you change up the dialogue? Memes!
Some people edited Judy and Nick’s argument to change the topic from abortion to some other controversial subject, like fixing the air conditioning. The characters are already sweating due to the stress of the argument, so this works surprisingly well:
https://twitter.com/Beatledude64/status/938682978930081792
There are also versions about video games and Arby’s, for some reason:
So I just discovered the Zootopia pro-life comic that everyone has been memeing and have decided to make my own contribution pic.twitter.com/6Ki08Oq6FX
— Heck I'm Old Now (@CatNamedKai) December 7, 2017
http://gamerphobic.tumblr.com/post/168278160894/d1rtypaws-this-is-ten-times-more-emotional-and
Some people just dropped established memes directly into the comic:
https://twitter.com/thorazos/status/939902399422005250
I made this now you all have to look at it #zootopia #ZootopiaProLifeComic # pic.twitter.com/nILo8VM4LQ
— KrakenSlap (@Load_of_Carp) December 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/w_igglytuff/status/938644211292934144
https://twitter.com/CobaltCerberus/status/938664691861278721
This is the only Zootopia abortion comic edit meme I need. pic.twitter.com/4NP6C29R1N
— Nadia Oxford (@nadiaoxford) December 7, 2017
Something that was once just a niche curiosity in the furry community and the Zootopia fandom is now a full-blown meme. It’s not so much that people are mocking the comic’s anti-choice position (although there is some of that), it’s more that they can’t believe someone would use Zootopia characters to address such a heavy issue. It’s like the 2017 version of a Jack Chick tract, those mini-comics that warned kids in the ’80s about the dangers of Dungeons & Dragons.
And then there are the little details that make it a masterwork. The fact that Nick and Judy’s apartment is modeled on Seinfeld, for one:
So, @rapidbeta4 and I are losing our shit over the fact that the Zootopia Pro-Life comic takes place in Jerry Seinfeld's apartment. pic.twitter.com/ccOM9enl5T
— JakeWhyman (@Jake_Whyman) December 9, 2017
Also, that the comic casually introduces the concept of bunny Jesus via this framed picture in the background:
https://twitter.com/startunnels/status/940277272958898183
https://twitter.com/DevorakFucker69/status/939371900798631936
“I Will Survive” is a sublime experience that rewards repeated viewing. You’ll find a new favorite frame every time. That is, if you’re in the mood to go down a weird internet rabbithole (sorry) and come out a week later wondering what’s become of your life.