Written by: Kevin Berge
In our world, we humans look at funny cat videos on our phones. In Zootopia, I expect animals look at funny human videos on their phones. (Image courtesy of: iamag.co)
Quick Take: Zootopia is a timely, engaging, and funny animated Disney film with a lot of heart. Its messages on cultural and racial profiling, xenophobia, and fear mongering are told with a degree of careful and honest critique while never taking away from an engaging kids movie that is fun for all ages.
***The review from here is spoiler-free, but allusions will be made to certain events that occur and character developments. If you do not want any additional information on the film before watching it, go see the film before reading. If you are unsure of whether you are interested in seeing the film though, read on.***
It's been a while since the last Walt Disney Animation Studios film, following major hits and Academy Award winners in Frozen and Big Hero 6. While Disney owns Pixar and Studio Ghibli (you will be missed), their original animated studio films have always been the bread and butter of Walt Disney Studios.
Despite the studio's pioneering success in animated filmmaking, the studio has been a bit hit and miss in recent years, lacking the spark of their Golden Age films from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Jungle Book. Even their most recent successes have been more solid than great.
Zootopia though is not just any other Disney film. In fact, it may be the best Disney animated film in two decades, rivaling some of the best that their partner studio Pixar has put out in that time. This film is a classic upon arrival with a message so openly relevant and honest that it feels almost impressively timely.
I know this sounds like high praise, hyperbole in fact, but I am honestly calling this one of the best animated films ever made that may actually appeal even more to adults than its younger viewers.
It's been a while since the last Walt Disney Animation Studios film, following major hits and Academy Award winners in Frozen and Big Hero 6. While Disney owns Pixar and Studio Ghibli (you will be missed), their original animated studio films have always been the bread and butter of Walt Disney Studios.
Despite the studio's pioneering success in animated filmmaking, the studio has been a bit hit and miss in recent years, lacking the spark of their Golden Age films from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Jungle Book. Even their most recent successes have been more solid than great.
Zootopia though is not just any other Disney film. In fact, it may be the best Disney animated film in two decades, rivaling some of the best that their partner studio Pixar has put out in that time. This film is a classic upon arrival with a message so openly relevant and honest that it feels almost impressively timely.
I know this sounds like high praise, hyperbole in fact, but I am honestly calling this one of the best animated films ever made that may actually appeal even more to adults than its younger viewers.
Yes, yes, yes, she's adorable, but don't call her cute. That's insensitive and likely to get your own fist kicked into your face. She can do it. (Image courtesy of: youtube.com)
Zootopia is the story of animals living like human beings, in a fragile but peaceful harmony. The world is actually explained to some length which feels unnecessary though is done with speed and light humor. More specifically, this is all about Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), the first bunny policeman, and her unlikely partner, a sly conman named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).
The two voice actors are fantastic as the leads and have an easy going chemistry that makes their buddy cop style story engaging. Beginning as two characters in opposition before slowly revealing their layered backstories and finding common ground, the two are perfect leads that made it easy for me to invest in their struggles.
The rest of the voice acting cast is a who's who of talented actors and stars from Idris Elba as the stereotypical tough police chief to Shakira as Gazelle, the biggest singing sensation in all of Zootopia. Despite their fame, you can quickly lose track of who is playing what characters as it is so easy to lose yourself in the world and just enjoy the variety of animals and their vibrant personalities.
As with most animated films, there's a lot of easy going fun to the proceedings. The film does a lot with scale, keeping every animal the same size as they are in the real world. This ranges from a chase scene through a small rat district of Zootopia to the simple humor of watching Hopps try to prove her worth while everyone towers above her in stature.
Making this world so similar to ours also lends to the benefit of many of the film's smaller jokes. Hopps basically has her own iPhone which comes into the mix in a number of ways. There's also some great situational irony with the way certain characters fit into their roles in the world.
Unfortunately, if you have seen the trailer for this film, you have seen what was the funniest scene in the film even though it is improved by knowing the full context. The film has a lot of sly humor that slips right by if you're not careful. While it is not as funny as it originally puts on, that is because it's more dramatic than you would expect.
The two voice actors are fantastic as the leads and have an easy going chemistry that makes their buddy cop style story engaging. Beginning as two characters in opposition before slowly revealing their layered backstories and finding common ground, the two are perfect leads that made it easy for me to invest in their struggles.
The rest of the voice acting cast is a who's who of talented actors and stars from Idris Elba as the stereotypical tough police chief to Shakira as Gazelle, the biggest singing sensation in all of Zootopia. Despite their fame, you can quickly lose track of who is playing what characters as it is so easy to lose yourself in the world and just enjoy the variety of animals and their vibrant personalities.
As with most animated films, there's a lot of easy going fun to the proceedings. The film does a lot with scale, keeping every animal the same size as they are in the real world. This ranges from a chase scene through a small rat district of Zootopia to the simple humor of watching Hopps try to prove her worth while everyone towers above her in stature.
Making this world so similar to ours also lends to the benefit of many of the film's smaller jokes. Hopps basically has her own iPhone which comes into the mix in a number of ways. There's also some great situational irony with the way certain characters fit into their roles in the world.
Unfortunately, if you have seen the trailer for this film, you have seen what was the funniest scene in the film even though it is improved by knowing the full context. The film has a lot of sly humor that slips right by if you're not careful. While it is not as funny as it originally puts on, that is because it's more dramatic than you would expect.
It is often said that patience is a virtue, but too much patience can cause someone to explode. You won't like Judy Hopps when she explodes. (Image courtesy of: hypable.com)
The whodunnit case of the film that Hopps while dragging along Wilde must solve is a rash of disappearing predators in Zootopia that no one seems able to piece together. This mystery brings out the dramatic side of the story, showing how quickly people can typecast and how dangerous a single message can be in affecting the public.
This film has been in production since 2013, so it is hard to say how much the writers and directors meant for this film to be a commentary on the current political and social climate particularly in the United States, but it's hard not to see the parallels today.
The film has a very endearing and honest message about the way we all need to live, and it never gets preachy. I'll honestly admit that I teared up a bit in a few scenes as the situation escalated and certain characters both made scary choices and had to admit their fault in their decisions.
This film's production and script went through a variety of hands. Byron Howard (Tangled), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), and Jared Bush (Big Hero 6) are all credited as directors for the film while 10 different writers are credited with work on the story/screenplay for the film including Bush and Moore. Their combined effort is a fantastic screenplay from start to finish.
The only real fault I have with the film is that it does not always hit the highest marks in any one category. It is funny but often memorably so. The dramatic content is on point but moves a little too quickly to always land as well as it should have. The film in general feels like it has a few pacing issues, struggling at times to balance all its parts.
The animation team also deserve a ridiculous amount of credit for making the best computer generated animation I've seen yet. The level of detail throughout is breathtaking at times with a variety of great locales. Each of the characters stand out as different despite having so many common characteristics with other animals of their species.
What ultimately was created with Zootopia is the perfect 2016 film. It was released when it was needed most, telling the kind of honest and engaging story that is easy to recommend to anyone of any age. I had to sit through this movie in a packed house with many talkative young children, and several of the adults in the theater were getting frustrated because they really wanted to hear the film.
While there may be better films released this year, I don't know that there is any movie that I would feel more comfortable recommending to any viewer. This is the perfect animated film, smart enough and engaging enough for all viewers with an educational and deep message that all need to hear.
This film has been in production since 2013, so it is hard to say how much the writers and directors meant for this film to be a commentary on the current political and social climate particularly in the United States, but it's hard not to see the parallels today.
The film has a very endearing and honest message about the way we all need to live, and it never gets preachy. I'll honestly admit that I teared up a bit in a few scenes as the situation escalated and certain characters both made scary choices and had to admit their fault in their decisions.
This film's production and script went through a variety of hands. Byron Howard (Tangled), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), and Jared Bush (Big Hero 6) are all credited as directors for the film while 10 different writers are credited with work on the story/screenplay for the film including Bush and Moore. Their combined effort is a fantastic screenplay from start to finish.
The only real fault I have with the film is that it does not always hit the highest marks in any one category. It is funny but often memorably so. The dramatic content is on point but moves a little too quickly to always land as well as it should have. The film in general feels like it has a few pacing issues, struggling at times to balance all its parts.
The animation team also deserve a ridiculous amount of credit for making the best computer generated animation I've seen yet. The level of detail throughout is breathtaking at times with a variety of great locales. Each of the characters stand out as different despite having so many common characteristics with other animals of their species.
What ultimately was created with Zootopia is the perfect 2016 film. It was released when it was needed most, telling the kind of honest and engaging story that is easy to recommend to anyone of any age. I had to sit through this movie in a packed house with many talkative young children, and several of the adults in the theater were getting frustrated because they really wanted to hear the film.
While there may be better films released this year, I don't know that there is any movie that I would feel more comfortable recommending to any viewer. This is the perfect animated film, smart enough and engaging enough for all viewers with an educational and deep message that all need to hear.