Zootopia

Zootopia, the new animated film from Disney, is not just a fine piece of entertainment, but it also has something important to say that's been in the news a lot.  There’s a lesson in the film about the relation between fear and prejudice, and some surprisingly strong scenes that tackle this theme head on.  Before you think that this film might frighten young children or that it may go over their heads, don't worry.  The film is first and foremost a lot of fun, and often very exciting and funny.  It just may bring up some conversation with your kids when you see people on TV screaming and ranting about how people of a certain religion should be kicked out of the country, or that there should be a wall in Mexico.

The film is set in a bustling and beautifully designed metropolis called Zootopia, where animals of all kinds, both predator and prey, have learned to live alongside one another.  That's not to say everything's perfect, as some of the smaller herbivores still eye the bigger animals suspiciously.  Still, it's a marvel of design, filled with lots of visual animal-based gags, and just a brilliant overall look.  When the film's heroine, a tiny little bunny named Judy Hopps (voiced with wonderful enthusiasm by Ginnifer Goodwin), arrives in the city for the first time by train, and is looking around at all the possibilities around her, we can sense her excitement and even share it, because of the clever and beautiful imagery on display that introduces the audience to this world.  Judy has come to the big city to become the first rabbit police officer.  All of her fellow cops are much larger animals, such as elephants and bison.  She's managed to graduate at the top of her class at the police academy, now she needs to overcome the more daunting task of being taken seriously as an officer.

On her first day, while everyone else is assigned to investigate a rash of mysterious disappearances of different mammals (14 have gone missing seemingly all at once), Judy is placed on traffic duty, and is basically a glorified meter maid.  While on the traffic beat, Judy's cop instincts allow her to become suspicious of a red fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), who is running a popsicle hustling scam on the streets.  The two start off as adversaries, but when it turns out that Nick may have a small connection to the missing mammal case, they are forced to work together when the police chief (Idris Elba) gives Judy just 48 hours to prove her worth and solve the mystery.  What the two unravel is a surprisingly complex mystery dealing with corrupt government, and certain predatory animals that are somehow being reverted back to their former dangerous and meat-eating ways.  This leads to some images that may be frightening to very small children, but it also leads to a lot of big ideas and things to talk about, when Judy and Nick are forced to face their own prejudices against each other, and realize that even though animals of all kind co-exist in Zootopia, fear and suspicion is still powerful enough to destroy the city's ideals.

Zootopia is filled with a vast and imaginative world, as we not only get to see the bustling namesake city, but also deserts, tundras, and rain forests that make up the world.  We also get to see all sides of the world these animals inhabit, from the halls of government and law, to the criminal underworld represented by a Godfather-esque little creature who supplies some of the film's biggest laughs.  Directors Byron Howard (Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) keeps the narrative constantly moving, and successfully juggle the film's diverse tone, which ranges from pop culture and visual humor, to some surprisingly tense and serious moments, such as a flashback when Nick Wilde talks about the moment he realized people were never going to trust him.  There are even some clever nods to other Disney animated films, such as when a street criminal weasel is seen hawking bootleg DVDs that are animal-themed versions of past and future movies from the studio.  There's clever dialogue (Nick asks about a sheep, "I wonder if she counts herself to fall asleep..."), and more than enough fast paced action to keep the youngest in the audience enthused .

But the movie has its serious side too, and it's not just all about the political and racial situation that's going on within this seemingly peaceful city.  Both Judy and Nick get plenty of character building moments, and become some of the more endearing lead characters in a Disney animated film in recent memory.  Judy starts out optimistic and truly believing Zootopia's motto of "if you can dream it, you can be it".  But, she is forced to face some hard realities not just about the world around her, but also about herself.  There's a misunderstanding that brews between the two friends that seems to be wrapped up a bit too quickly, but it doesn't make the characters any less effective or likable.  The movie is mainly being advertised as breezy entertainment, but parents may be surprised to find that the film follows a lot of themes that have become dominant in the 2016 Presidential election year.  I can imagine that the movie can inspire some interesting conversation between adults and older children about what's going on in the world.

Of course, this movie has been in the works for the past few years, so there's no way Disney could have known about what the headlines would be saying at the time their film was released.  Nonetheless, it does help Zootopia stand out a bit more than it probably would if it came out at a different time.  Whatever the case, this is a funny, entertaining and heartfelt film, and that's really the most important issue of all when it comes to parents.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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