Who’s In it:

Who Made it:

In case you didn’t already know, I really love animated movies. On top of being colorful, they’re made to inspire and are built on a foundation of deep moral values. I love the great movies Walt Disney Animation Studios has put out in the last few years. Since Wreck It Ralph, I’d say everything Walt Disney Animation Studios release has even Pixar put to shame. While nobody can step up to Pixar when it comes to the visuals of animation..I’m really starting to respect Walt Disney Animation Studios when it comes to a collective movie. I’m happy that WDAS continues to make movies that I can start to approach with Pixar-Level expectations. Zootopia is another great Disney film… with surprisingly relevant messages on race, fear, and even the police. Below are some of my favorite/least favorite parts of Zootopia:

MINOR SPOLIERS AHEAD if you see text written like this , avoid reading it if you don’t want to ruin the movie!

+ Clever… clefurr? (no.)

In Zootopia, all mammals have evolved into an intelligent anthropomorphic species (which basically means they’re shaped like we are and can walk on two legs). Everything from train stations to restaurants are prepared to accommodate species of all shapes and sizes… from mice to elephants. It’s interesting to see how things might operate if every intelligent beings on the Earth wasn’t a human being.

+ “Fear Always Works”

90% of the population is made up of prey. The other 10% consists of predators. In a society so numerically unbalanced, fear is a weapon used to keep the Zootopian citizens in control. The politicians in Zootopia recognize that fear can be an effective method of changing society. One one end, Mayor Lionheart tries to hide viscous mammals to avoid a panic… meanwhile Bellweather tries to force a panic by converting the predators of Zootopia into savage beasts to fear. Which would effectively destroying their reputation(s).

+ Pretty

The world of Zootopia is pretty. The movie was colorful, like… Monsters University colorful.

+ Race Shouldn’t Matter

Zootopia is a collection of races living together, not unlike the US…it’s a melting pot of varying culture. Disney takes a positive stance on discrimination in a clever way that resonates with kids (and “adults”, like myself.. yes I’m an adult). It’s good timing by Disney to release a film with a message like this when our nation could use a lesson or two on tolerance and acceptance. At the end of the day, race is only biology.

+ Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde

Although the two aren’t technically partners, Judy and Nick have a fun (if not somewhat cliche) buddy-cop relationship. The try-hard hare, and sly fox make a fun combo. And going back to the race thing…. it can’t be a coincidence that the duo is made up of two different species typically thought to be natural enemies.

– Nick Wilde gets really mad, and then gets over it really quick

After Nick finds out that Judy thinks it’s fair to judge him because any predator could go savage at any time…he decides NOT to join the Zootpia PD after all. This is obviously a big decision, made because Judy hurt him by bringing his character into question based solely on his biology. Judy knew Nick always wanted to be good but he wasn’t “allowed” to be good because society couldn’t trust a fox. As a result, Judy and Nick part ways

After some times passes, Judy figures everything out and runs to Nick. There’s no doubt that Judy’s heartfelt apology was genuine… but Nick seems to get over everything too quickly. I would have liked to hear Nick’s thoughts on the situation before he decides to accept the apology and move past it as quickly as he did.

However, as I just type this… I’m starting to wonder if this is actually a +. What good comes out of holding grudges? Good for you, Nick.

– “Savage”

It’s the right word, I won’t argue that. By definition “savage” is: (of an animal or force of nature) fierce, violent, and uncontrolled behavior. But I wish literally any other word was used to describe the non-evolved predator behaviors in Zootopia. The word “savage” has a new urban definition, and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

-Typical Characters / Villians

A stoner played by Tommy Chong. An “Itialian” mob boss. A mayor trying to cover everything up. In response to this, Redditor AlexReynard makes a good point: I think that may have been intentional too. We get just as many characters who break stereotypes as ones who live up to them. I thought that was intended, to send the message that, even though some people conform, you should be open to accepting those who don’t.

Overall Zootopia is great. The only things I didn’t like about it are pretty trivial. I loved the movie, I loved Nick and Judy, and I loved the all messages within it. I hope I get to see more of them… and preferable not in the form of a Disney X-D cartoon I’ll never watch. This is a day-one blu ray purchase for me.

9/10

Agree? Disagreed? Let me know @SecretAgentBERT