The Hilarious Zootopia Fan Theory That Will Have You Looking Twice At Flash
In 2016, Walt Disney Animation unveiled what would soon become one of its most beloved films to date: "Zootopia." The animated feature from directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore offered moviegoers a look at human society — specifically race relations and the role of law enforcement — through the lens of the animal kingdom. To do so, Disney enlisted a bevy of high-profile stars to bring the project to life, with Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman as the film's leads, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. However, despite his little screentime, Raymond S. Persi stole the show as Flash Slothmore.
Flash is a three-toed sloth who works a desk job at the DMV (Department of Mammal Vehicles), keeping to his own sluggish pace. His inability to get anything done in a timely fashion causes the fast-paced Judy some mild irritation, which Nick exploits and manages to make even worse. He tells Flash a joke, who takes his sweet time both reacting and passing it along to his co-worker, Priscilla Tripletoe (Kristen Bell) — inadvertently testing Judy's patience. Nevertheless, he's a kind, helpful guy that appears to mean well, even if he's prone to wasting other people's time with his slow-moving nature.
He doesn't have a whole lot to do in "Zootopia," but that hasn't stopped fans from coming up with a fun theory about him that explains one of his few scenes in the film.
Flash's need for speed speaks to his slow reflexes
Sometime after Judy and Nick meet with Flash at the DMV, the now-police duo apprehended a speedy street racer. Much to their surprise, the individual behind the wheel was none other than Flash, making for a funny moment designed to catch audiences by surprise. Around two years after "Zootopia" premiered, Redditor MrSchroedingerCat elected to dig a bit deeper into this scene and came up with a hilarious reason why Flash was so keen on putting the pedal to the metal: his slow reflexes make it so that's the only way he can drive.
"Being a sloth, he can't take off the foot from the accelerator fast enough and press the brake," they wrote, joking that his propensity for speeding makes him a shoo-in for the "Fast & Furious" family. In response, Reddit user AlchemistFlux questioned, "Too slow to brake/ease up on the gas, but fast enough to steer?" which led to several funny rationales that factored in Flash's generally unhurried movements.
Delving into the deeper meaning behind Flash's joyride, Watts51 wrote, "It wasn't just a joke. It was to further show how stereotypes were wrong." They go on to list off the many instances where "Zootopia" successfully broke down stereotypes and explain that a slow sloth being a fast driver fits that trend perfectly. Additionally, Demokirby posited a theory of their own that Flash's sweet car is a result of sloths using their slowness to their advantage in the labor force as union members, securing great pay and benefits.
Though he didn't spend much time on screen, Flash was a highlight of "Zootopia" — one that apparently you wouldn't want to end up in a drag race with.