Review: ZOOTOPIA

I don't know how Disney keeps getting away with this. Ever since the Renaissance, they proven to make successful movies out of risky concepts. Movies like FROZEN and INSIDE OUT have given themselves a big challenge, but at the same time gives a wide array of ideas and depth and meaning, proving that these simple kids movies can resonate the same way, if not more, to adults. Now in ZOOTOPIA, the Mouse House have given themselves their boldest endeavor to date: creating a world entirely inhabited with anthropomorphic animals while also throwing jabs at an abundant supply of social commentary. The result is a lot smarter, more insightful, and even a lot darker execution than we ever expect from Disney, while also being as charming, creative and at times heartwarming. And I will be damned that, even considering some missteps, this may not turn out to be one of the best movies of the year.

The story centers around a rabbit named Judy Hopps who wishes to be a cop while being discouraged by the fact that they do not allow innocent prey as cops. Despite this, she proves to be cunning and willing enough to prove the world that she could save the world. She then earns her badge and is deployed to Zootopia, a New York esque city filled with animals. Along her journey to rise above the ranks, she meets Nick Wilde, a sneaky fox who makes a living causing trouble with a personal scarring almost parallel to Hopps. While solving a case of a missing otter, they both team up to find him, all while delving into a much bleaker and more complex story that honestly needs to be seen rather than further explained.

As expected with a premise like this, this movie goes full-force in its social allegory that resembles the world we live in today, an endeavor almost too risky to contemplate. In their universe, the predators and prey used to be on opposing sides until an act that makes them equal. Unfortunately, the predators now face overwhelming prejudice from a paranoid society, preventing them from shopping or being free from ridicule. Seriously! And it is quite apparent in his backstory that Nick evidently lived his whole life with this.

But that doesn't stop there. Without spoiling too much, a certain moment that might just be yet another forced conflict to transition to the third act, the movie then pulls out a wild card and turn this into a bigger issue: inventing said third act where the movie commentates on segregation, racial profiling, law enforcement with a compromised moral code, corrupt politicians, drugs, dirty secrets, and even the issues on mentally instability.

WOW!

Say what you want about Disney, they do NOT hold back on this. So much of this conflict is almost too rampant in our real world to bare, even for a kids movie. Thankfully, the movie knows its limits and keeps it accessible to the attended younger audience. That may be the strongest secret to this movie: It commentates on these issues while also tying into a rather coherent story and not have it over dominate the proceedings, thus making it preachy. And it all comes together in the finale, hopefully promoting a better future of equality, kindness, and everything else Martin Luther King preaches, thus benefitting itself into somehow being a more potent wake-up call than the utterly preachy and jumbled objectivist circle-jerk that was last years TOMORROWLAND. 

Now this may sound wierd, like how the predator-as-minority might allude to minorities in the real world used DESERVED to be ridiculed in the first place. However, since it is Disney, I highly doubt they make this intentional, more or less leaning toward the "sure they're savaging beast, but are they also just like us" angle.

Even not considering all that though, the movie is also bursting with charisma and creativity that hovers. The movie brings extra detail into the practicality of how these animals inhabit Zootopia, thus creating a bunch of clever jokes as well. Hopps determined natured paired with Wilde's sly, quip-talking nature seemed too played out in other buddy-cop movies, but thankfully the script, however juvenile (it is a Disney movie after all), is tight enough to breathe these tropes onto its own. And yes it is worth noting that the voice acting from Idris Elba, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, etc. are all top-notch. 

There are a few missteps, though. It has been well-known that the new Disney movies like to play around with certain tropes of their own (FROZEN especially). Here they do quite a few of them, and some skews a little too on-the-nose. (see the movie to know what I am talking about). Even they do well with invoking some clever commentary with the animals, one in particular plays on for too long and serves little more than a DMV joke. The writing, however tight as usual, remains just enough to grasp for kiddies but fairs a little too obvious for me. To be fair, I expect that going into this movie, but I cannot shake occasional exposition that repeats plot points I already know. But probably the most off-putting is the Pop-reference pandering (Shakira as a Gazelle, movie references, the whole 9) which sadly puts the rating down a little.

Small gripes notwithstanding, ZOOTOPIA is quite simply a revelation! A type of movie that turns the tired "buddy-buddy cop" story into something more thought-provoking than this company would usually allow. A movie that will both leave kids with their minds nourished and their parents' eyes open, it is smart, charming, and inspired. Finally, 2016 has its first great movie!

Rating: 8/10 (GREAT)