Identifying And Categorizing Narrative Twists: A Study Of Plot Structure In Disney’s Zootopia

This thesis, entitled Identifying and Categorizing Narrative Twists: A Study of Plot Structure in Disney’s Zootopia, explored how plot twists shaped the development of the story and influenced the direction of the narrative. The movie presented a complex storyline through the investigation carried out by Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, where several unexpected events changed the audience’s understanding of the main conflict. These twists not only created surprise but also revealed deeper issues related to prejudice, fear, and social division in the city of Zootopia. The purposes of this study were to identify the types of narrative twists found in the movie and to analyze how these twists functioned within the plot structure. This research used a descriptive qualitative method with a content analysis approach. The analysis was supported by Freytag’s Pyramid to examine how each twist contributed to the development of the plot of Zootopia. The findings showed that the movie contained several important narrative twists, which were categorized into five types: Revelation Twist, Reversal Twist, Perspective Twist, Misdirection Twist, and Anagnorisis Twist. These twists appeared in different stages of the plot structure, especially in the Exposition, Rising Action, and Climax. Each type of twist played a significant role in developing the conflict, increasing the tension, and guiding the story toward its resolution. By presenting narrative twists at key moments, Zootopia demonstrated how plot structure and storytelling techniques worked together to create an engaging narrative. This study highlighted the importance of narrative twists in building a dynamic story and provided insight into how films used plot development to deliver meaningful messages to the audience.