A Beautiful Movie with Great Messages

Is Zootopia a great movie? Yes, yes it is, for several reasons. Several reviews here have raised concerns that it might be a little too scary for young children; I believe it's no scarier than many of the Disney movies we typically let small children watch (personally, I thought Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty were all scarier). It does have a few moments that will make you jump. Ultimately it depends on how sensitive your child is to moments like that; also, of course, if you have a little child who's scared of animals, this might not be the best.



But please don't worry too much about that. This hardly a 'scary' movie. And it has some really great points. For instance, the message that bullying is bad is pushed very strongly in this movie. I think that's good-bullying is all too prevalent a problem in schools today. I also love the message that you can be whatever you want to be-but you've got to work your butt off to achieve it. The main character, Judy Hopps, is a wonderful role model. She goes after her dreams with tenacity, wants to make the world a better place, and is not discouraged by others' skepticism and meanness.



There's a lot of great humor in the movie, and like many of my favorite animated movies, there are jokes that kids will get and jokes that adults will get, so it's a great one for the whole family. There are a lot of "quotables", if (like my family) half of your family's conversations involve movie quotes.



Finally, this is obviously a perfect movie if your kids love animals. I'm an animal lover and I really enjoyed the diverse kinds of animals that are characterized in Zootopia, as well as the way their world has differences to accommodate them (like different-sized doors on the train for giraffes and mice). The soundtrack is exquisite, and the overall impression is of dazzling energy. One of my new favorites. Highly recommended.