Stern Warning About Hop's Racist Treatment of Hispanics
On March 23, 2012, Universal Pictures will release the Easter-themed film, Hop, on Blu-ray and DVD. Although some hail Hop as a family-friendly Easter classic, the message of this film is something far more insidious. Akin to the worst examples of racial and ethnic stereotyping found in twentieth century film, the not-so-subtle message of Hop is that those who speak with a "Spanish" dialect do not count in American society. Put another way, Hop depicts Hispanics as deluded and dangerous for believing that they can ascend to a position of employment beyond that of menial labor.
Despite public controversy surrounding the film's initial release on April 1, 2011, Universal Pictures has decided to move ahead with a home video release of the film that they describe as a "comic tale" that blends "state-of-the-art animation with live action." Universal's cheerful press description omits the offensive subplot that revolves around the actions of Carlos (Hank Azaria), a possible heir to the Easter Bunny mantle.
In fact, the majority of the press about the film ignores the Carlos character and instead dwells on the relationship between EB and Fred O'Hare. EB (Russell Brand) is the son of the retiring Easter Bunny. Unwilling to follow in his father's footsteps, EB flees to Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming a rock drummer. Back in the live-action world, the audience meets Fred O'Hare (James Marsden), the unambitious and irresponsible son of Henry O'Hare (Gary Cole). Despite his pattern of unreliability, Fred gets the opportunity to housesit a multi-million dollar home. Predictably, Fred encounters and injures runaway EB. "Hilarity" ensues as EB ransacks the home, plays his rock drums, and slowly wins the friendship of Fred.
Meanwhile, the picture is much less rosy in the animated Easter world. EB's father is beside himself with worry about his missing son and fears that he will have to cancel Easter. Carlos, a loyal factory supervisor, steps forward to offer his assistance to EB's father. He articulates a compelling case for why, in the absence of EB, he should become the next Easter Bunny. After all, he has worked in the factory for years, knows the entire production process, and is familiar to the workers. EB's father scoffs at the idea and informs him that a chicken can never become the Easter Bunny.
Regardless of his tireless loyalty and ample qualifications, Hop boldly ridicules even the suggestion that "Carlos" can become the Easter Bunny. Admittedly, it would not seem racist, or even far-fetched, to suggest that the Easter Bunny should in fact be a bunny. However, the consistent negative portrayal of Carlos and the film's denouement ultimately reveal the true reason Carlos cannot become the Easter Bunny: his ethnicity.
Inexplicably, the filmmakers choose to racialize the character of Carlos. Throughout the film, Carlos speaks in broken English with a strong mock-Spanish dialect. Imagine how this film might have been received had the Carlos character been renamed "Chang" and unable to discern his "Rs" from his "Ls." Likewise, what if he had been named "Darius" and spoke with a mock, African-American dialect?
Hop doubles down on persisting stereotypes of Hispanics in American film and television. First, Carlos is not depicted simply owning or transporting chickens (as is often the case in American television and film), he literall
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Overview
Jobless slacker Fred James Marsden discovers that hares make horrible houseguests after injuring the Easter Bunny Russell Brand and agreeing to nurse the little hopper back to health in this animated comedy from the writers of Despicable Me, and director Tim Hill Rocko's Modern Life, SpongeBob SquarePants. For the past 4,000 years, the Easter Bunny has brought joy and candy to kids all across the globe; however, the time has come for a new Easter Bunny to take over the tradition. But while EB is the next in line to receive the official title, he couldn't care less about becoming the official bearer of chocolate eggs and jellybeans. Escaping to Hollywood in a bid to find fame and fortune, EB hops in front of an oncoming ...