The world of creatures and crime comes full circle in the land of Disney’s newest feature called “Zootopia”. The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together. A place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when rookie Officer Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. She passes her difficult training and is introduced to the city as Zootopia Police Department’s latest recruit by Mayor Leodore Lionheart (J.K. Simmons), and assigned to Zootopia Police Department’s 1st Precinct. Her daily routine consists of constant disrespect and shenanigans in a job that she takes very seriously. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery. “Zootopia” is rated PG for rude humor.
Disney Pictures has been on a role as of late for animation. After successes in 2015 with “Inside Out” and “The Good Dinosaur”, the studio presents possibly its most socially-impactful film in its history. “Zootopia” offers some deep issues, and they are much needed during a time period where racial equality keeps getting spread out. The movie introduces two different kinds of species who are most commonly referred to as “Predator” and “Prey”. What’s important about this setup is that this city serves as a peaceful co-existence for both sides. No longer are people picked on for being different. This magical place proves anything is possible, and it really gives the younger audience that mentality of all things are possible, similar to the Disney films of my youth.
The film’s mood usually proceeds on the goofy side, but offers a little bit of real life situations to establish great crossover value with adults. To be honest, the laughs will be their for children, but I felt like some of the jokes don’t always hit their marks. That’s not to say that “Zootopia” never made me laugh, because it did. One scene in partiuclar that everyone who has seen the teaser trailer at this point is the famous sloth in the DMV scene. It is a wonder of brilliant comedic timing and patience that rewards the joke off to its fullest potential with everything being slowed down. Amazingly enough, I have seen this scene no fewer than seven times now, and it still had me laughing out loud. That’s more than I can say for most R-rated comedies that don’t do that once in a two hour sit. My biggest complaint overall with the comedy is that too much is more in the facial reactions instead of the dialogue, and I will get to that more later. Besides the comedy, there is great straight-forward reflectionary material in the way people view one another. In our own society, we treat someone different by color of skin, sex, and even religious lifestyle. “Zootopia” packs enough intelligence into its script without beating it over the head of the audience. The compelling comparisons are easily there, but the movie wants to see how much you pick up on.
The voice work is supplied by an all-star cast of Hollywood A-listers, as well as vocal veterans who complete a range of every kind of character. Ginnifer Goodwin was outstanding as our main protagonist. Her character is a dreamer, and that is perhaps what makes her likeable as well as someone we can relate to. The friendship between her and Jason Bateman’s character transpires beautifully in front of our eyes, and it does so without ever changing anything that we loved about their characters. Hopps is still a by-the-book kind of officer, and Wilde is still a jokester who can’t always be trusted. Their opposing views and lifestyles make their initial clashes enjoyable, but also heart-warming when the ice is broken and they finally do learn what’s underneath the stereotypes. Bateman gives so much charisma in a voice alone. His sarcastic tones fall in-synch perfectly with the kinds of facial visuals that we get from Wilde, and I couldn’t imagine another voice playing this character. In addition to these two, I was quite surprised to see Idris Elba play the overbearing police chief. His English accent is almost unrecognizable as this brute, commanding presence. Alan Tudyk, Kristen Bell, Shakira, and Jenny Slade are also a few in this film who prove that no role is too small to make an impact. Canton native Nate Torrence steals more than one scene as an over-eating cheetah who is always just a bit too nosey.
The animation looks beautiful in design. Everything in the city is given such detail. My only complaint is that when we are introduced initially, we don’t get to really slow down and enjoy everything around our characters. The film stays pretty focused on Hopps, and some establishing shots of the landscapes would’ve pushed the detail work even further. One thing that does stand out is the facial reactions of every character. From random fur sprouting, to the eye movements during a conversation, art designer Matthias Lechner presents such an eye for detail that really makes the film pop colorfully. Lechner’s work is given in a rich and imaginative tapestry that really pushes the limits of 2D animation.
Overall, “Zootopia” is a welcome addition to Disney’s ever-growing library. The biggest crossover value for any animated film is how we relate to the philosophies and messages that transpire in the material. Honestly, I don’t think a film will come out this year that breaths the concept of art imitating life as much as the 97 minutes of familiarity enveloped in this film. A smart presentation structurally, and a beautiful presentation visually make “Zootopia” an entertaining brilliance not only about where we’ve been, but where we are going forward.
8/10