For predators and prey alike, the city of Zootopia is an animal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she learns how tough it is to enforce the law when her species is holding her back. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case involving disappearing predators. To do so, she has to team up with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a smooth-talking, hustling fox.
Zootopia is the other Disney animated film that was released this year, and it's by far the superior one. While Moana followed the template of a Disney princess film exactly, Zootopia exists as a very original and very non-formulaic story. The uniqueness of the film's world, how it tells it story, and the distinct and memorable characters elevated it far beyond my expectations. While Frozen gets a lot of praise, I think that Zootopia is legitimately one of the best modern animated films, and deserves to be recognized alongside the classics we all know and love.
What makes Zootopia work as well as it does is how the world of the film, or more specifically the city of Zootopia, is presented. The film takes advantage of every possibility, using different environments and sizes of city districts for different animals to great effect. Comedic effect especially, as I found this to be one of the funniest movies of the year. Whether the jokes were based on social issues or just small, clever references, almost every joke landed, and they land really well. There are a few jokes that make direct reference to the tropes of other Disney animated films, which is a fun trend that Disney films have been doing more and more lately. The entire sequence at the DMV with the sloths is brilliantly executed. The world works because it and the characters are presented very realistically, even though it's obviously not a very realistic scenario. For example, one of my favourite details of the film is how biological aspects of different animals are incorporated to how they act. The city has multiple different districts, and the sequences in environments like the rainforest or the snow are animated with such detail that it makes them seem all the more real.
Zootopia is a very politically and socially-charged film, which I didn't really expect, but it's one of the film's most distinct features. A major theme of the film is the relationship between predators and prey, and how they view each other. Stereotypes and predispositions are what hold this film's society back more than anything, and how certain animals are viewed are direct parallels of our world. It was also interesting to see stereotypes actually be proven to sometimes be correct, rather than the film just trying to say that "you can't judge a book by its cover". It adds a lot more weight to the story, because Zootopia is presented as a real city, where it's not just a magical, perfect place. There's a dark side to how the city operates; it's not presented as simply black-and-white, The story and characters very much exist in shades of grey, which only makes the film more nuanced. Because of all this, I don't how well Zootopia functions as a kids movie, because the main points of the film would likely go over younger viewers' heads. At the same time, they would likely find an appreciation for it later.
The mystery that the film presents is very interesting, and yet another reflection of race relations in the real world. The story is very well-written, which is something that a lot of animated films don't focus on. Some films just try to portray great animation, or try to be funny more than anything else, but the story of this film is an essential part of what makes it so memorable. The mystery is well-paced, there are a few twists and turns that work really well, and the eventual reveal is very satisfying. I really liked how small story elements and characters were re-incorporated as the film went on, because nothing was ever wasted. These might seem like small things to be impressed by, but it's not the sort of thing I usually see in Disney animated films.
The characters are also a very strong element of this film. Judy is a fantastic protagonist, mainly because she's so driven and capable, and likable as a result of her dedication. Nick Wilde is also a lot of fun, mainly because Jason Bateman plays the straight man to other characters very well. The other voice actors all fit their characters perfectly, and bring the various species to life exactly as they should be. Idris Elba and JK Simmons fit the larger, more imposing characters, Josh Gad fits a more lovable, bubbly character, etc. How some species were portrayed was interesting, and the stereotypes they portrayed felt strangely fitting. My favourite side character in the whole film is Mr. Big, mainly because he's a perfect parody of The Godfather, but also because in terms of characters who only exist for the sake of a joke, he works surprisingly well. Almost every character doesn't exist just as sight gags, though, and every character has an important role to play in the story.
Zootopia is just fantastic from start to finish. I'm not a big fan of the idea of a sequel, even though the world is so sprawling and detailed that they'd have endless opportunities for more stories to tell. The real world's social issues certainly aren't getting any less complicated, so there'll surely be more material to work with there. On the other hand, because this film works so well on its own, they don't need to continue this story. I do hope that Disney can continue to create movies of this quality, and maybe including some social commentary could be a new storytelling element to explore. It certainly works for Zootopia, and that - along with pretty much every element of the film - is why I'll remember it as one of my favourite animated films from recent years.
Zootopia is the other Disney animated film that was released this year, and it's by far the superior one. While Moana followed the template of a Disney princess film exactly, Zootopia exists as a very original and very non-formulaic story. The uniqueness of the film's world, how it tells it story, and the distinct and memorable characters elevated it far beyond my expectations. While Frozen gets a lot of praise, I think that Zootopia is legitimately one of the best modern animated films, and deserves to be recognized alongside the classics we all know and love.
What makes Zootopia work as well as it does is how the world of the film, or more specifically the city of Zootopia, is presented. The film takes advantage of every possibility, using different environments and sizes of city districts for different animals to great effect. Comedic effect especially, as I found this to be one of the funniest movies of the year. Whether the jokes were based on social issues or just small, clever references, almost every joke landed, and they land really well. There are a few jokes that make direct reference to the tropes of other Disney animated films, which is a fun trend that Disney films have been doing more and more lately. The entire sequence at the DMV with the sloths is brilliantly executed. The world works because it and the characters are presented very realistically, even though it's obviously not a very realistic scenario. For example, one of my favourite details of the film is how biological aspects of different animals are incorporated to how they act. The city has multiple different districts, and the sequences in environments like the rainforest or the snow are animated with such detail that it makes them seem all the more real.
Zootopia is a very politically and socially-charged film, which I didn't really expect, but it's one of the film's most distinct features. A major theme of the film is the relationship between predators and prey, and how they view each other. Stereotypes and predispositions are what hold this film's society back more than anything, and how certain animals are viewed are direct parallels of our world. It was also interesting to see stereotypes actually be proven to sometimes be correct, rather than the film just trying to say that "you can't judge a book by its cover". It adds a lot more weight to the story, because Zootopia is presented as a real city, where it's not just a magical, perfect place. There's a dark side to how the city operates; it's not presented as simply black-and-white, The story and characters very much exist in shades of grey, which only makes the film more nuanced. Because of all this, I don't how well Zootopia functions as a kids movie, because the main points of the film would likely go over younger viewers' heads. At the same time, they would likely find an appreciation for it later.
The mystery that the film presents is very interesting, and yet another reflection of race relations in the real world. The story is very well-written, which is something that a lot of animated films don't focus on. Some films just try to portray great animation, or try to be funny more than anything else, but the story of this film is an essential part of what makes it so memorable. The mystery is well-paced, there are a few twists and turns that work really well, and the eventual reveal is very satisfying. I really liked how small story elements and characters were re-incorporated as the film went on, because nothing was ever wasted. These might seem like small things to be impressed by, but it's not the sort of thing I usually see in Disney animated films.
The characters are also a very strong element of this film. Judy is a fantastic protagonist, mainly because she's so driven and capable, and likable as a result of her dedication. Nick Wilde is also a lot of fun, mainly because Jason Bateman plays the straight man to other characters very well. The other voice actors all fit their characters perfectly, and bring the various species to life exactly as they should be. Idris Elba and JK Simmons fit the larger, more imposing characters, Josh Gad fits a more lovable, bubbly character, etc. How some species were portrayed was interesting, and the stereotypes they portrayed felt strangely fitting. My favourite side character in the whole film is Mr. Big, mainly because he's a perfect parody of The Godfather, but also because in terms of characters who only exist for the sake of a joke, he works surprisingly well. Almost every character doesn't exist just as sight gags, though, and every character has an important role to play in the story.
Zootopia is just fantastic from start to finish. I'm not a big fan of the idea of a sequel, even though the world is so sprawling and detailed that they'd have endless opportunities for more stories to tell. The real world's social issues certainly aren't getting any less complicated, so there'll surely be more material to work with there. On the other hand, because this film works so well on its own, they don't need to continue this story. I do hope that Disney can continue to create movies of this quality, and maybe including some social commentary could be a new storytelling element to explore. It certainly works for Zootopia, and that - along with pretty much every element of the film - is why I'll remember it as one of my favourite animated films from recent years.
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