Zootopia (2016)
Rating: 9.0/10.0
Nick Pick
Currently #1 on my Top Movies of 2016
Directed: Byron Howard and Rich Moore
Written: Jared Bush and Phil Johnston
Starring (Voices): Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Tommy Chong, Octavia Spencer, Shakira, and others
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zootopia
TL;DR – Surprisingly topical, containing socially conscious themes along with brilliant animation and character design.
Went and saw this one with Raechel because, as you may know by now, we both love animated movies. For me, Zootopia delivered in every way imaginable: great story structure, fantastic animation, and tons of laughs for both kids and adults. Early in the film, Judy Hopps achieves her lifelong dream of becoming the first rabbit police officer in the city of Zootopia (she is from a small rural town called Bunnyburrow). So right from the beginning, we get a strong and persistent female protagonist (yay feminism) as Judy faces many difficult challenges in order to attain her goal. From there, Judy encounters her very conservative police chief who assigns her meter maid duties instead of detective work. Again, Disney hints toward the topic of profiling as a female rabbit is not respected as an equal within the police force. Judy feels dejected, but maintains her determination to make a difference in the city. Eventually, she picks up a lead on a missing animal case, and the chief gives her an ultimatum to find the missing animal within a few days or else she will turn in her badge. At this point, the story unfolds as a buddy detective type film with Judy enlisting a con artist fox named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) to help her explore the Zootopian underworld and various parts of the city. Nick agrees to assist Judy with the investigation after she threatens to arrest him for tax evasion (she recorded a confession on her carrot pen that doubles as a recorder). Got eeeem. Anyway, I don’t want to reveal any more of the plot, but it just gets even better from there. Jason Bateman delivers a great performance as the witty, sarcastic fox with a heart of gold under the con artist exterior. Ginnifer Goodwin is also great as Judy who has a certain naiveté combined with a sharp mind and tons of determination to change the world’s perception of rabbits.
My favorite aspect of the film was the humor; it did a good job of mixing jokes for kids and adults. Some notable examples of humor targeting adults: multiple references to The Godfather (particularly a certain boss within the underworld), a blatant Breaking Bad reference, characters going to a spa where all the animals unabashedly walk around naked, and Judy’s great line after doing some math for Nick, “If there’s one thing we bunnies are good at, it’s multiplying.” Plus you get the amazing scene (you may have seen in previews) of Judy and Nick going to the DMV in order to run a license plate number, but the place is run entirely by sloths. Such a clever mocking of the long lines and slow service all adults have faced at one point or another at the DMV. But the movie contained plenty of jokes for the kiddos, and enough action sequences to keep them engaged too.
More importantly, the film touched on issues of race and discrimination at a time when xenophobic sentiments in the US are near an all-time high, especially during this political season (cough Trump cough). Late in the film, Judy’s latent bias and prejudice against predators (in the animal sense) causes her to unintentionally deliver a speech that causes widespread panic among Zootopian citizens. In that press conference, she accidentally makes all predators seem potentially dangerous after 10 different predator animals have gone wild and attacked other animals for no apparent reason. The fear of predators spreads rapidly causing some animals to be forcibly muzzled and others to be shunned from most private establishments. When watching, I instantly thought of Trump’s proposal to keep all Muslims out of the US due to a small minority of the population being radical terrorists. In addition, the way the predators were shamed and profiled brought to mind the gay community and how our country has tried to justify discrimination of this minority group. I believe Zootopia is an important film about acceptance, and how the strongest society incorporates the strengths of all its groups instead of belittling and attacking certain populations thus splintering peace and, as a result, halting progress. But I loved that the film was never preachy, and the heroine, Judy, actually caused (albeit unintentionally) the large conflict against predators before redeeming herself in the end by solving the broader mysterious conspiracy at play in Zootopia.
I loved this movie and how well it addressed social issues in a mature way, while not being heavy handed and relatable/understandable for kids. Also, the film was hilarious and had fantastic character design combined with impeccable animation quality. Disney has delivered another great film in a streak of great ones since The Princess and the Frog. Directors Rich Moore and Byron Howard directed Wreck-It Ralph and Tangled, respectively, and now they have followed up those wonderful films with another powerful and beautiful animated feature for the whole family. I hope Disney continues with this string of great works.
Rating: 9.0/10.0
Nick Pick
Currently #1 on my Top Movies of 2016
Directed: Byron Howard and Rich Moore
Written: Jared Bush and Phil Johnston
Starring (Voices): Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Tommy Chong, Octavia Spencer, Shakira, and others
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zootopia
TL;DR – Surprisingly topical, containing socially conscious themes along with brilliant animation and character design.
Went and saw this one with Raechel because, as you may know by now, we both love animated movies. For me, Zootopia delivered in every way imaginable: great story structure, fantastic animation, and tons of laughs for both kids and adults. Early in the film, Judy Hopps achieves her lifelong dream of becoming the first rabbit police officer in the city of Zootopia (she is from a small rural town called Bunnyburrow). So right from the beginning, we get a strong and persistent female protagonist (yay feminism) as Judy faces many difficult challenges in order to attain her goal. From there, Judy encounters her very conservative police chief who assigns her meter maid duties instead of detective work. Again, Disney hints toward the topic of profiling as a female rabbit is not respected as an equal within the police force. Judy feels dejected, but maintains her determination to make a difference in the city. Eventually, she picks up a lead on a missing animal case, and the chief gives her an ultimatum to find the missing animal within a few days or else she will turn in her badge. At this point, the story unfolds as a buddy detective type film with Judy enlisting a con artist fox named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) to help her explore the Zootopian underworld and various parts of the city. Nick agrees to assist Judy with the investigation after she threatens to arrest him for tax evasion (she recorded a confession on her carrot pen that doubles as a recorder). Got eeeem. Anyway, I don’t want to reveal any more of the plot, but it just gets even better from there. Jason Bateman delivers a great performance as the witty, sarcastic fox with a heart of gold under the con artist exterior. Ginnifer Goodwin is also great as Judy who has a certain naiveté combined with a sharp mind and tons of determination to change the world’s perception of rabbits.
My favorite aspect of the film was the humor; it did a good job of mixing jokes for kids and adults. Some notable examples of humor targeting adults: multiple references to The Godfather (particularly a certain boss within the underworld), a blatant Breaking Bad reference, characters going to a spa where all the animals unabashedly walk around naked, and Judy’s great line after doing some math for Nick, “If there’s one thing we bunnies are good at, it’s multiplying.” Plus you get the amazing scene (you may have seen in previews) of Judy and Nick going to the DMV in order to run a license plate number, but the place is run entirely by sloths. Such a clever mocking of the long lines and slow service all adults have faced at one point or another at the DMV. But the movie contained plenty of jokes for the kiddos, and enough action sequences to keep them engaged too.
More importantly, the film touched on issues of race and discrimination at a time when xenophobic sentiments in the US are near an all-time high, especially during this political season (cough Trump cough). Late in the film, Judy’s latent bias and prejudice against predators (in the animal sense) causes her to unintentionally deliver a speech that causes widespread panic among Zootopian citizens. In that press conference, she accidentally makes all predators seem potentially dangerous after 10 different predator animals have gone wild and attacked other animals for no apparent reason. The fear of predators spreads rapidly causing some animals to be forcibly muzzled and others to be shunned from most private establishments. When watching, I instantly thought of Trump’s proposal to keep all Muslims out of the US due to a small minority of the population being radical terrorists. In addition, the way the predators were shamed and profiled brought to mind the gay community and how our country has tried to justify discrimination of this minority group. I believe Zootopia is an important film about acceptance, and how the strongest society incorporates the strengths of all its groups instead of belittling and attacking certain populations thus splintering peace and, as a result, halting progress. But I loved that the film was never preachy, and the heroine, Judy, actually caused (albeit unintentionally) the large conflict against predators before redeeming herself in the end by solving the broader mysterious conspiracy at play in Zootopia.
I loved this movie and how well it addressed social issues in a mature way, while not being heavy handed and relatable/understandable for kids. Also, the film was hilarious and had fantastic character design combined with impeccable animation quality. Disney has delivered another great film in a streak of great ones since The Princess and the Frog. Directors Rich Moore and Byron Howard directed Wreck-It Ralph and Tangled, respectively, and now they have followed up those wonderful films with another powerful and beautiful animated feature for the whole family. I hope Disney continues with this string of great works.