Talk about a movie that just came right out of nowhere. When I saw the first trailer for Zootopia, I never expected the movie to be bad, but I just didn't think that it would be the next big thing for Disney especially after their amazing lineup of films like “Tangled” and “Big Hero 6”. When the time came for Zootopia to be released, it blew up like mad as everyone was praising the movie left and right from both critics and audiences alike. Hearing all this praise finally made me want to watch it in the theater and thank heavens I did because this movie was not only shockingly amazing, but in some ways, it may be one of if not the best films to come out of the Disney Revival Era.
In a world of anthropomorphic talking animals, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a rabbit living in Bunny Burrow who has had a dream to become a police officer in the big city of Zootopia ever since she was little. Despite facing troubles of being put down and limitations due to her small animal size. Judy eventually graduates at the top of her class and finally gets her lucky break after being hired to the Zootopia police force. However, Judy quickly realizes how she is treated unfairly by her co-workers especially Chief Bogo. Determined to prove herself, Judy takes a case on a missing otter, but unfortunately, she’ll be forced to team up with a scam artist fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) as he was the only witness who knows about the otter’s whereabouts. Plenty of hilarious hijinks ensue and both Judy and Nick begin to realize how the case may be much bigger than any of them realize.
There have been many talking animal movies that have been made in animation especially by Disney themselves. The way Zootopia manages the concept of a world where all sorts of animals from big elephants to small rodents live together is very fascinating. Its worldbuilding is off the charts as it can find many creative uses of how to use size and scope when showing how things like doors and buildings may need to be bigger or smaller depending on the size of the animal. One of the most surprising aspects this movie has to offer though would be its story as not only is it a well-written buddy cop movie with a great mystery That only keeps getting bigger and bigger until the final reveal, but it also features great messages about racism and personal biases. It does go pretty deep when telling those messages and hits a home run for a lot of people. I think the way they use Predator and Prey to teach that moral is genius and leads to a lot of unexpected heartfelt moments that did make me feel emotional from time to time.
The charcters we meet in Zootopia have loads of personality which help to make them memorable and even relatable. Judy has a determined yet optimistic outlook that is often challenged by the other characters she interacts especially with Nick as the fast-talking and sarcastic scam artist fox that tags along during the adventure. Their chemistry together makes them one of the most irresistible Disney pairings since Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Tangled. I love the way they work off of each other whether they are fighting or showing surprising moments of sincerity. The rest of the side characters that happen to come along the journey also leave memorable impacts and they got some great voice talent alongside them including “Idris Elba” as Cheif Bogo, “Jenny Slate” as Assistant Mayor Bellwether, and even “J.K Simmons” as Mayor Lionheart.
The animation is incredible and the level of detail they put into the world of Zootopia is beyond comprehension. Like mentioned before, the movie likes to play around with its size and scope to create Zootopia’s intricate design from the tiny little village of Little Rodentia to the wet and humid rainforest district and the frigid icy coldness of tundra town. The character designs are appealing and clearly take a lot of inspiration from old Disney classics like Robin Hood and The Lion King. The music was done by Michael Giacchino. You may recognize him as the composer for many Pixar films like “Ratatouille” and “Inside out”. The music features a lot of electric guitar beats and bass strums which help embrace the feeling of big city life. There’s also a featured pop song by Shakira called “Try Everything” and it plays itself out as an inspirational song that does fit the movie’s theme and everything it stands for.
This movie was such a surprisingly bold and fun tale that happens to feature messages that you’d think even a company like Disney would not dip their toes into. This is honestly what Chicken Little should have been like and the final product surely reflects that with its memorable and relatable characters, amazingly creative animation, a great deal of mystery with expertly done storytelling, and music that makes you feel like you in the big city following Judy and Nicks adventures. Both directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore have certainly created something very special that will speak to people of all ages on different levels and It doesn’t look like that feeling is gonna fade away anytime soon.
(Final Grade: A)