Movie Review: Zootopia

Zootopia/Disney Animation Studio/Dir. by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush/Rated PG

Anthropomorphic animals have been a regular fixture in animation since Gertie the Dinosaur stunned audiences in the 1910's.  They've talked, they've sung, and they've fallen in love.  They've become kung fu masters and gourmet French chefs.  Animals are so entrenched in the world of animation that yet another movie about yet another group of animals acting like people seems beyond indifferent.

When I first heard the premise of Zootopia, my expectations were low and my apathy was palpable.  "A metropolitan city inhabited by animals instead of people!  What?  There are cops and gangsters and the movie is a tribute to movies like The Godfather?!?  That has literally never been done before!"  Except, of course, by Shark Tale, which was an hour-and-a-half of fish puns held together flimsily by lazy references to movies that no kid in the audience would know.  Also, Cars tried a similar "it's just like our world, except with (fill-in-the-black) instead of people" strategy as well, with stronger, but not fantastic, results.

So, yes, it's fair to say that I was not sold on Zootopia from the beginning.  The trailers didn't help.  Even the popular 2nd trailer involving an admittedly hilarious sloth working at the DMV still seemed like too little too late.  Well, I'm here to say that the reviews are right and the hype is justified.  Zootopia is a marvel.  It's endlessly inventive, consistently hilarious, surprisingly thoughtful,  and contains one of the most important and timely messages in animation history.  Seriously.

Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a small-town rabbit with big-time dreams.   Since she was a small bunny, she was determined to become a police officer, in spite of the fact that no rabbit had ever been one.  After working through the police academy, she gets assigned to the police force in Zootopia, a metropolis in which predator and prey have been living side by side in harmony for eons.  Viewing Zootopia as a place where "anybody can be anything", Judy approaches her assignment with unbridled enthusiasm, even as her parents (Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake) worry about their little baby moving to the big city.

In her first day on duty, she meets a fast-talking con artist fox named Nick (perfectly voiced by Jason Bateman).  Eventually, the two end up working together on a missing persons case which, of course, goes deeper than it initially seems.  Also, not surprisingly, they become unlikely friends who learn to see each other's strengths in spite of their own bigoted views of the other's species.

For having a basic premise that seems, in all honesty, pretty "by the animation book", Zootopia displays a dazzling amount of ingenuity and imagination.  Unlike other similarly themed films, which made their cities look just like human cities with ridiculous car or fish related puns taking the place of genuine humor, the city of Zootopia is uniquely, delightfully animal based.  There are different boroughs with unique climates for a variety of species.  The buildings have beautifully organic designs that make many areas of the city resemble jungles.  There are even mini-neighborhoods for the rodents.  Every frame contains another 10 or 20 reasons to smile at the extreme amount of thought put into backgrounds that fly by with colorful glee.

Beyond the frequently surprising humor and the visual splendor to be found in this, one of the very best films from the John Lasseter-era of Disney animation, there are several messages that could not have been more timely.  If motivated by kindness and determination, we can make a difference.  Judging a group of people by the actions of a few is ignorant and dangerous.  It's better to get to know people than it is to simply believe rumors that we've heard about "their kind."  Most people are capable of surprising you with their depth and decency.  What hopeful and empowering messages for children and adults alike.

For parents considering this as a family outing, the only misgivings you may have involve a visit to a nudist yoga facility (of course, non-anatomically correct, but a few jokes about yoga positions au natural are still a bit on the crude side for a Disney film) and two instances of taking the Lord's name in vain, an increasing trend in family films, but still disappointing to those of us who are devout Christians.  Also, the plot involves some darker bits involving some animals "going savage" which may frighten very young children.  It's not the most "adult" of the Disney animated films, but it is more grown-up than anything they've done for a while.

However, these issues do not change the fact that this is an outstanding film and an early front-runner in the Best Animated Feature Oscar category.  The animation is uniformly stunning, the vocal performances filled with energy and warmth, the writing brilliantly nuanced, the music (by the terrific Michael Giacchino) alternatively gonzo and poetic, and the messages are head and shoulders above typical animated fare.  The directors, the minds beyond the terrific Wreck-It Ralph and Tangled have taken a premise that could have just been a rehash of the worst instincts in animation over the past two decades and created a complex, funny, and poignant reminder of the best of what it means to be human, even if it is a talking rabbit and fox that teach us about our own humanity.

Grade: A