Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 11:08PM

Each year we throw an animated movie into the mix of our Best Shot season. It's a handy reminder that Best Shot is about more than just camera work and lighting actors and sets but how filmmaking teams choose to tell the stories they're telling. But even if we think of it only as a celebration of cinematography, animated films have been upping their game there, too, famously hiring high profile cinematographers as consultants as CG animation really took over the world in the last 20 years.

Since we're counting on Zootopia, one of the year's most beloved films, to be one of the nominees (though it's too early to say "frontrunner") for Best Animated Feature we give it pride of place here today now that it's out on BluRay and DVD. My own choice will come tomorrow due to a last minute screening. But please do enjoy these Best Shot articles from around the web today.

ZOOTOPIA

Directed by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush

Production Design by: David Goetz and Dan Cooper

Lighting: There are over 45 people listed in Zootopia's credits with "lighting" in their title.

There are so many great things about this film, but it's its world building I'd like to focus on...

-Sorta That Guy

People say the messaging is too heavy-handed... I would like to introduce you to something called a FABLE!

- Rachel's Reviews

It's so damn noir...

-Antagony & Ecstasy

Despite how simple and brief, it still manages to be the defining moment of the film...

-Conman at the Movies *new participant*





The film’s lesson of appearances vitally works in both ways...

-Film Mix Tape

Judy and Nick’s arc is great. And for me, it culminates here...

- Storyphile

I have a lot of feels about this masterwork...

-Anna, Look! *new participant*

Next Week's Special Party (Monday-Friday)

1977's Cinematography Nominees. Pick one of the five films and join us. Details here!