Zootropolis ★★★★ ½ | Movie Review

Synopsis


In the city of Zootopia everyone lives together in relative harmony. Judy Hopps has always wanted to be a police officer there and despite being told it's a daft dream she aims for it anyway. As the first bunny officer she's got a lot to prove and a strange missing person's case could mean bad things for her career at ZPD.


Review


Zootropolis will always be one of those films you can just throw on the TV, there's a bit of everything in it and a lot of hidden nods to keep even the most anti-kids film adults engaged.

Judy Hopps has just become an official member of the ZPD, it's a dangerous job, or it would be if she'd been given any other duty than traffic warden. It's not what she hoped for but she still puts in all of her effort to be the best at it, even if it does make her unpopular with the residents of Zootopia. A missing person epidemic is sweeping the city and despite being told to stay away Judy volunteers to look into the latest case of a missing Otter. She's got 48 hours or it's the end of her very short career. With no resources and no real leads she enlists the help of Nick Wilde, a hustler she's crossed paths with, and the unlikely pair start their investigation.

The cast is littered with big names but my favourite is Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde. It seems like the role is very him and I'm so there for the cheeky fox ruling the roost. My other top performance is from Alan Tudyk as Duke Weaselton (spotted the nod?), every time I watch this though I get flashes of Steve Buscemi. Ginnifer Goodwin, star of Once Upon A Time, features as our main character, Judy Hopps. There's nothing particularly wrong with her performance but it's just a bit normal, that sounds like a ridiculous comment even as I write it but there's nothing in it that makes Hopps stand out in the crowd, especially when she's surrounded by a lot of other talented people.

One of the best things about this movie is the animation, it backs up the storyline so well. If we take Nick as an example, his expressions are always spot on and his body language perfectly conveys the situation. When he's in the DMV with Judy and tells Flash a joke the look of wide-eyed joy he has as his actions take on a life of their own just wins the scene. That bit gets me every time. They also manage to capture the enormity of Judy's situation when she joins the ZPD, the angles show you perfectly what she's experiencing as a small bunny in a big world.

While I'm talking about the animation I also have to wonder if this is the cutest character Disney has ever created...


Can you hear the toot? Can you?!

Zootropolis has a really strong message about society and at times you do notice it, but I can't say that I necessarily agree with the reviews that label it pushy and excessive. It is entirely possible to watch this movie purely for the entertainment, the animation is fresh and vibrant, the story has great comedic moments and it's all accompanied by some great tunes... why are you not watching it right now?!

What you should do


"Toot toot." That means watch it now in Elephant.

Movie thing you wish you could take home


Do I really need to say? See gif above...

Comments