Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for the film 'Back to the Outback'.
The animated film Back to the Outback uses talking animals to deliver a powerful message on the inclusion of diverse species in wildlife conservation. The film follows a group of 'ugly' and misunderstood Australian endemic animals as they escape a zoo and embark on a journey to their home– the Australian desert area known as the Outback. This plot mirrors that of the 2005 hit animated film Madagascar, and is used to examine how societal perceptions of certain species as dangerous or unattractive have led to human hostility and disregard for their well-being. Thus, Back to the Outback encourages audiences, especially children, to look beyond surface-level judgments, appreciate the value of all life on land, and challenge the commodification of "cuteness" in nature. This is why Back to the Outback is relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Life on Land.
The film opens with Maddie (Isla Fisher), the zoo’s resident taipan snake, and her debut at their live educational show. Maddie has been hand-raised at the zoo’s reptile and insect department with love and care, hearing only praise from the zookeepers. However, her reality is shattered when audiences on the live show recoiled with disgust instead, as taipan snakes are frequently identified as the most venomous snakes on the planet. Almost immediately after, a child falls into Jacki’s (Jacki Weaver) enclosure, a giant saltwater crocodile, who also happens to be a mentor figure for the reptiles and insects at the zoo, the so-called 'ugly' animals, according to the zoo visitors in the film. Jacki tries to save the child from drowning, but her intentions are perceived as a threat. Zookeepers and security forces strike her and force her into a cage, and that night, despite the child remaining unharmed, Jacki is removed from the zoo to be presumably euthanized.
These events trigger Maddie to lead other 'ugly' animals to revolt. She asks them to join her in escaping from the zoo, so they can taste freedom in the Australian Outback, where she imagines their long-lost families await their return. She doesn't count on the fact that a series of unfortunate events means that her group has to bring along Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin), the zoo’s well-loved koala, on the quest for freedom.
Pretty Boy’s presence adds another layer of complexity to the film as people quickly turn on him, treating him inhumanely the moment he steps out of the zoo. Here, the film critiques people’s anthropocentrism, the belief that human beings are inherently superior to other beings in the animal kingdom, despite biologically being a part of them. This shows that while there is preferential treatment towards animals that do display traits humanity finds favourable, at the end of the day, humankind as a whole still treats the planet's biodiversity recklessly.
Back to the Outback ultimately reveals that the real journey is not to a place, but towards understanding. By championing nature’s so-called 'misfits'—the venomous, the scaly, the unnerving—the film gently untangles deep-seated biases against the world’s less 'adorable' creatures. In a culture often obsessed with commodifying cuteness, this animated adventure serves as a reminder that conservation is not just about saving the cuddly koala, but every being that shares our planet.
Find out more about Back to the Outback on Netflix/Back to the Outback.