‘The Real Housewives’ Could Learn a Thing or Two From ‘Zootopia’

I’m not a Housewives fan, but I do have several of Those People in my life. I respect them, even if I don’t share their affection for a franchise that centers deeply unlikable, affluent people and their unrelatable, largely banal dramas.

That said, I’m now inching closer toward understanding the Housewives lovers that I can’t stop running into. My education comes from an unlikely source: Zootopia+, the new Disney+ series of shorts based on the animated feature film, which does an adorable parody of the reality TV franchise in its second episode.

I love Zootopia more than might be appropriate for a 28-year-old, especially one who firmly subscribes to the maxim A.C.A.B. (Judy Hopps, I love you, but you’re still a dang cop.) What can I say—I love anthropomorphic animals that have human jobs and wear human clothes and say funny things! Zootopia+ focuses on the stories we missed out on during the actual movie, filled with even more fun mammalian characters.

The episode was seemingly created in a lab to give my Housewives-loving friends and me some rare common ground. “The Real Rodents of Little Rodentia” is an 11-minute parody of Bravo’s mantlepiece franchise, a fun take on the rich ladies and the poorly shot shows they all get even richer from starring in.

The quintet of rich ladies starring in this parody is a group of shrews: Fru Fru, who’s obsessed with her big hair; Brianca, who’s generically sassy; Christine, who introduces herself by saying she hates cooking but loves “stirring the pot;” Charisma, who just texts all day; and Mandy, who says she “just got out of prison.” Already, I’m more invested than I ever can fathom being in a human Housewife.

We’re told that, in the previous episode of Real Rodents of Little Rodentia, Fru Fru got engaged. Now she’s planning her wedding and named her Shrew of Honor. Turns out her cousin Tru Tru, who’s a bigger, louder, cooler version of Fru Fru, has had that title in the bag since they were six. This is despite Fru Fru and her cousin having almost no contact in years—and probably because, as Tru Tru tells the camera, the ratings have been dropping and the producers want a little drama to spice things up.

The six ladies head out to Klawfeld’s—the mousey version of the bridal shop from one of my actual favorite reality shows, Say Yes to the Dress. Fru Fru tries on dresses, each of which her friends immediately tell the camera in confessionals is ugly. Tru Tru goes the extra mile to say that “it looks like it’s trash day,” and that she’s found something better. Unsurprisingly, and to the delight of the producers, this sets Fru Fru off.

But Tru Tru comes in with the real clincher: “This show is fake, your friends are fake—I bet even your hair is fake,” she tells her spoiled brat cousin. This is what we call speaking truth to power.

BravoCon Wasn’t Just a Chaotic Fan Convention. It Was a Wellness Retreat.

A Housewives parody is nothing without a good fight scene, and Real Rodents of Little Rodentia is happy to oblige. With the whole episode animated as if filmed on a handheld camera, it’s fun to see off-kilter camera angles and dizzying close-ups as the cousins yell, claw, and roll into each other. (Fru Fru literally smashes a folding chair over Tru Tru’s head; shockingly violent!) It’s cut a little short, probably because of said over-the-top action—or because these are shrews, and the giant polar bear security guards could easily just kick them out of the store.

But Zootopia+ is not beholden to the typical Housewife trappings. Snarky confessionals, spendthrifty behavior, and high-pitched shouting aside, this episode is still destined for a happy ending. Tru Tru and Fru Fru make amends after Fru Fru has a near-death encounter with a giant donut-shaped sign. (This is plucked straight from Zootopia, which is a cute way to give some more context to what’s going on.) Family is more important than overpriced wedding dresses, Fru Fru realizes in her tear-stricken confessional. “I told you, when I get married—” Fru Fru begins, with Tru Tru finishing her thought: “You wanted a simple wedding like your mother had.” No one knows Fru Fru like her favorite cousin, no matter how much wealth has warped their minds.

There are rarely reconciliations like this one on a show like Housewives of Boise, or whatever city Bravo’s zeroed in on now. A sincere admission of wrongdoing precipitated by serious self-reflection (and a potentially fatal donut accident)? Perish the thought! But Fru Fru and Tru Tru are not typical housewives, not least of all because neither are married. That’s for the next episode—Fru Fru’s wedding, according to the little episode-ending teaser, is not without some juicy drama. Tru Tru picked Night Howlers for Fru Fru’s bouquet, which makes all the guests become rabid upon a single whiff. Zootopia viewers may remember that flower as the toxic plant that made animals across the entity city become savage.

Oops! Ah well. At least we know that the Rodentia ladies aren’t above hugging things out.

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