Zootopia - a Review

SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers!

When I first heard about the movie Zootopia, I was a little apprehensive. The idea of anthropomorphic animals has been done countless times, even by Disney themselves.  I knew that in order for this movie to be successful, it's story needed to be unique to set it apart from all of the other anthropomorphic animal movies. I had high expectations of the movie from the very start.

I was not disappointed.

One of the first things I noticed about the movie was how contemporary it was.
There are CDs, cell phones, cars, voice recorders, apps, pop stars and the DMV. It reminded me of one of my personal favorite Disney movies, 101 Dalmatians. 101 Dalmatians was really the first contemporary Disney movie. It was set in the year it was released (1961) and featured technology of the time such as TV, radio and cars. Even the style of animation was based on contemporary art. While some people critized this movie for not feeling "Disney" enough, 101 Dalmatians is actually one of the most successful films Disney has ever done.
However, making a movie that is too of its time can be risky. For example, Aladdin, whose jokes are now lost on those who were born after the millennium.
The contemporary angle worked well for this movie! My favorite aspect of the movie being set in 2016 was the pop star, Gazelle. I loved the scene where she voiced her opinion on politics. It reminds me of how superstars nowadays will do the same, like how at the 2016 Grammys, Kendrick Lamar rapped about racial inequality and Taylor Swift made her acceptance speech about women standing up for themselves.

Buzzfeed wrote an article saying that the movie was about racial inequality. I skimmed the article before I saw the movie. Reading the article made me even more apprehensive about the movie. Racial inequality is a painful subject for a lot of people, and the Disney company has never really been involved in social issues. After I had walked out of the theater, I was surprised at how delicately Disney touched on the subject. And racial inequality is not the only thing the movie highlights. Judy also seemed to be the only women police officer in the city, as well as the only Bunny.  Nick made fun of Judy because of where she came from. This resonates with me because Americans tend to stereotype each other based on which geographical region they come from. Midwesterners are boring, North-easterners are too stuck up and Southerners are just ignorant rednecks. This is also a way that classifications and stereotypes can hurt people. And of course, the message of racial inequality was strong. Both predator and prey were oppressed throughout the movie, showing how reverse racism can be harmful, too. Judy was bullied by a predator, and Nick was bullied by prey. The mayor talked down to his assistant, and she threw him in jail. The only way to stop inequality is to really treat each other as equals, instead of lowering one or raising another. We all have to have equal ground in order to be peaceful.

My favorite thing about Disney movies is the character development. If I don't see it in the movie, I don't really like the movie. I absolutely loved Judy, the main character of Zootopia. Disney's female leads in recent years have gone one of two routes. They either try too hard to be bad ass (like Elsa) or they are too bubbly and ignorant (like Anna). Judy was the perfect blend of having a positive outlook and still being kick-ass. She reminds me of Mulan, in that way. Both have their flaws, but their strengths outnumber the weaknesses. They also are able to take their "weaknesses" and turn them into their strengths. Mulan is impulsive, and that's bad when meeting the matchmaker. But it's great to be impulsive on the battlefield. She doesn't stop to think about saving Shang, she just does it. Judy is looked down on by her coworkers because she is not as big as them. But she can hop to reach high places, as witnessed when she is writing parking tickets. I love Judy's character development. For the first time in almost a decade, we see a main character that messed up, admitted they were wrong and grew from it. The last time I remember a Disney character doing this was Stitch. Judy is an excellent role model for kids. She gets out of messes partly from her smartness, and partly from her kindness. For example, she runs into trouble with Mr. Big, the head of a gang. It just so happens that earlier that day, Judy saved Mr. Big's daughter. Because Judy was so kind to Mr. Big's daughter, Mr. Big becomes Judy's ally. It just goes to show you that kindness can get you far in life.

I also liked how Nick and Judy's friendship was just that - a friendship. Disney's romances can seem forced at times, like Pocahontas and John Smith. I'm glad they stayed friends. The romantic element would have been distracting as the plot already had a lot going on. 

The movie is hilarious. Even if you, for some crazy reason, are puke-warm towards the movie, you'll still get a good laugh. Everyone in the theater was busting up within the first 2 minutes of the movie.
I personally loved all the Frozen jokes. I think I was the only one who got the "Weaselton" joke and the "let it go" line. There is nothing better than an artistic company realizing its flaws in a funny way.

The movie is incredible, visually. Fellow artists will be making goo-goo eyes at the animation all throughout the movie. The flow of districts in Zootopia is reminiscent of how the themed lands in Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom flow together.

The sheep turning out to be the Big Bad (or should I say "Big Baaaaaad"?) was predictable, but the way they take her down was not. I knew from the moment Nick walked into the abandoned car with night howlers that he was going to be infected. I did not know that he was going to be FAKE infected. Clever fox. I, along with the rest of the theater, gasped when Nick bit Judy. And then we all laughed once we realized she was okay. 

Like any Disney movie, Zootopia was full of the feels. You will be moved by Nick's story, Gazelle's speech and Judy's apology. The Suburban Mom did a great article on how she is happy to have her kids learn from this movie. 

Everyone knows that Disney movies are not just for kids. The primary target, of course, is kids. But dare I say that Zootopia was directed more towards adults than kids? The adults in the audience were busting up over jokes about crooked politicians, the sexual nature of bunnies and of course, the DMV. And the message of Zootopia is well received by adults all over the world. We are not as innocent as Judy is when it comes to social exclusion. Adults have lived long enough to be affected by prejudice, like Nick was. That is why I believe Zootopia has been so successful. Everyone can relate to it. 

Zootopia did have one flaw. It seemed to drag out at points. It was very long. 
Zootopia is a very plot heavy movie, so of course with a plot that big it's going to be a long movie. I wonder if there were certain scenes they could have cut out or dialogue that could have been reworded to be shorter. 

I stayed to watch the end credits. I love watching Disney credits to look for familiar names. I did not recognize the writers, directors, animators or composer for Zootopia. There must be a new A-team in the Animation Studios, and I'm excited to see what they'll do in the future!

My prediction for Zootopia - 
I'm not sure if it's going to be a "classic". It's not a fairytale, and it's certainly not the kind of movie you think of when you think Disney. But it still pulls its audience in an a emotional way that only Disney can do. I'm sure it will be praised on its originality more than anything else.  It will, at the very least, develop a cult following, like Hercules or the Emperor's New Groove. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a nearly perfect score of 98%, while Frozen had only 89% (should've been lower, in my opinion). I can see Zootopia being added to the parks in EPCOT or Animal Kingdom (naturally). Maybe something Zootopia will even be put in Tomorrowland for Disneyland!