Zootopia Review

Zootopia shines in it’s message of anyone can be anything with superb results.

  Disney’s Zootopia is a family-friendly, thought-provoking, and entertaining animated movie and is a worthy entry in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ classics.

  Zootopia’s main plot revolves around Judy Hopps, a bunny with big dreams to become a officer in the city of Zootopia, where the motto is anyone can be anything, which already fits in the movie’s themes of prejudice and stereotypes being accepted. When arriving in the city, she is assigned parking tickets, disappointing her and possibly crushing her dreams. Hopps finally gets her chance to shine when she takes the job of solving the disappearance of 14 animals, with the consequence of dismissal if not solved in 48 hours. Her character blackmails con fox, Nick Wilde, into being her partner and form a bond along the way.

  The plot itself is an allegory for how we are not sometimes accepted as we are, or how people may view for being a different person (in Zootopia’s case, being a predator or prey). Social and political commentaries are thrown through out the movie, with a good example being Hopps delivering a speech in a way that avoids the questions and answers something else, which starts to cause friction within the city once her mistaken message spreads. The overall theme of anyone being anything in the city is metaphorical in the sense that a good guy could really be a bad guy, someone may appear to be, or everything may not be what it seems. An important theme that can be conveyed is to not judge a book by it’s cover, which is essential to the movie with citizens viewing a predator as a criminal or prey as being innocent (a racial issue in terms of the movie). Sometimes, it’s the other way around and the victims are the real criminals, or are using their status to manipulate other people into doing their wrongs.

   The characters are well done, with Hopps’ family background described as hardworking for growing carrots, in a style to farmers. Hopps and Wilde have great chemistry with a partnership similar to previous cop outings, such as Lethal Weapon, Men in Black, and Rush Hour. Movie references old movies with obvious dialogue to easily-recognizable sets/costumes. 

  The animation is incredible, with establishing shots of Zootopia when we are first introduced to the city, and locations establishing cities for other species, such as a small town for rats that view bunnies or other large animals as giants. 

  My overall rating is 10/10 due to fantastic storytelling, great themes presented, and one of the best animated films in the last few years.