While being kid friendly with beautiful animation and wonderful characters, Zootopia is the best movie that’s made for kids that’s not necessarily for kids. Disney isn’t afraid to dip their toes into tricky subject matter, even as divisive as it might be. Zootopia is a brilliant way to disguise itself as a political movie by virtually having every character as an animal, so while it’s still gets it’s points across for kids to understand, Zootopia is a unique and fresh attempt of tackling serious subject matter, while still being genuinely hilarious, witty and one that doesn’t feel restrained in diving into the politics of our own current issues that we experience.
From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a wily fox who makes her job even harder.
Zootopia is a political movie, whether you like it or not, but in the case for Zootopia, that’s not entirely a bad thing. Political movies can be impactful and understanding, just as long as it’s a perspective that one can get behind on. In the case for Zootopia, its attempt on focusing on the idea of racial profiling could come across has a bit on the nose or poorly developed. That said, the way that Zootopia executes its messages on racial profiling felt thoughtful, inclusive and well-rounded, overall. It makes us, as the audience, to start seriously reflecting our own ideologies and maybe our own philosophical problems, and the execution of all it makes Zootopia’s narrative expertly engaging and wildly entertaining.
Just like Pixar, with each Disney animated movie that comes out the animation is consistently knocking it out of the park. From the rainforest, the tundra or the desert, the animation in Zootopia is absolutely breathtaking, giving so much life to each character and each ecosystem. Say what you will about the quality of a Disney animated movie, but no one can argue that the animation and is wonderfully put on screen with each movie. A really great touch is that the animals in the film are all proportioned just as they are in our world, even though they also walk and talk, and a fantastic sequence makes use of this by having Judy follow a criminal into Little Rodentia, an area where all the buildings and vehicles are tiny for the rodents who live there, which suddenly makes Judy into a giant by comparison, crashing through the streets.
Zootopia is also tremendous with the talent of its voice cast. Voice acting may not get the credit that it truly deserves and it’s not that you necessarily need a big name to voice an animated character because the character is what really matters. That said, there are exceptions, i.e. Tom Hanks as Woody in Toy Story or Chris Pratt as Emmett in The Lego Movie, but for the most part there really aren’t many cases for an argument for getting a big name talent for voicing animated characters. However, there is an argument to be made that characters of Judy and Nick Wilde would join that conversation with Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman.
Goodwin as Judy Hopps is an incredibly optimistic, upbeat character and directors Byron Howard (Bolt, Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-it Ralph), Goodwin and the film’s talented animators make her an amazingly lovable, easy to root for hero. Her upbeat attitude can also make her naïve, which isn’t ignored in the film, as Judy misspeaks and screws up at times, but she’s always so endearing and likable, you root for her throughout. Bateman, meanwhile, is playing a variation on the con man persona he had perfected since he was a child actor in shows like Silver Spoons and It’s Your Move. He is, as always, excellent, playing a guy who’s able to humorously manipulate those around him, but the story does a strong job delving into what makes Nick tick and what has motivated him into becoming the less than laudable guy he’s become.
Zootopia is the perfect example on how a studio, like Disney, can mix its past and present together in a very cool, compelling way. It takes the the classic tropes that we would come to expect in an animation movie, but applied it applying to animals and giving it a modern spin, both in terms of its humor and animation style — while deftly showing how computer generated animation is able to look more fluid and lifelike than ever — and also in its themes, which are meaningful and fascinatingly topical. It’s a testament on truly entertaining audiences, while still accomplishing something bigger and greater.
My grade for Zootopia: A
Zane's take at the Cinema's 