Storyline
From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde, a wily fox who makes her job even harder.
Did You Know?
Trivia
Judy's cellphone provider, as seen on her screen, is PB&J. See more »Goofs
During the school play, one of the animals says when he grows up he wants to "find tax exemptions" and therefore be "an Actuary". While an actuary's primary job function is to assess financial and other risks, finding tax deductions in order to minimize financial losses is a part of their job. (Leaving aside, of course, that this is a small child talking about his dream job. Factual accuracy can be a bit erratic.) See more »Quotes
Chief Bogo: Life isn't some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and all your insipid dreams magically come true. So let it goSee more »
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
In that respect Zootopia is more like a Pixar film, where Pixar has shown an understanding that complex messages can be the most emotionally powerful and while being complex can be presented in a simple, and straightforward way. Much like Inside Out taught us so much about using our emotions, especially sadness, Zootopia has a great message about fear and the treatment of entire groups of people because of that fear. It's ironic, because the movie indirectly latches onto an issue that is relevant today, with an air of innocence and purity. On top of that at a deeper level, the film is witty, in that everything ties together and that the audience is forced to think as the movie progresses.
The humor is witty as well, in particular the scene about the DMV which is so funny because it's spot on. The witty humor and complex messages make this film enjoyable for everybody, not just kids. Every character in the film is given a great amount of thought and development, making it so that they all have moments to grow, and are extremely relatable. Unfortunately the film's villain has good motivations, however at the end when they reveal who the villain is they come across as campy and over the top.
The movie does a great job creating an inventive world where animals from all different habitats can coexist in one city. The film then proceeds to partially waste it's inventive world on various scenes that are plucked straight out of other films, namely the Godfather. However, those scenes are only a small takeaway from the movie as a whole, because they don't last very long and are admittedly clever. That along with the overall maturity the screenwriters used still makes the film a great accomplishment.
Zootopia never really looked like a film that would be this good, but after seeing the amazing amount of craft and effort, it seems this may be one of the better animated films of the year. The film does what every animated film should do, it tells a solid story with a lot of emotional depth, and a message that can hopefully teach kids important lessons. The film is also funny, smart, beautifully animated, filled with great characters, and features great voice work. If you have kids, and they haven't seen this film yet, it's safe to say they'd enjoy it, but they may possibly take an important life lesson away from seeing it to.