For a company built and bred for tasteful and marketable animated movies, “Zootopia” was a potentially risky move for Disney. A movie of personified animals is nothing new for them, but with the 21st century shaping up as it is and their last few animated features concerning themselves with introducing children to important, relative issues of the time, this was a particularly politically charged addition to their roster that easily could have fallen short of its subject matter. And at times, unfortunately, it does.
In a world of anthropomorphic animals, the rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) dreams of becoming the first bunny cop, and after graduating from police academy is transferred to Zootopia, a sprawling metropolis where all animals live in peace and can be anything they want to be. There, she manages to quickly cross Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) who offers her an ultimatum — discover what is causing several predators in the city to disappear or retire early. With the help of vulpine con-man Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), Judy has to uncover the dark secrets of the various districts of Zootopia while trying not to start a class war between the predator minority and prey majority of the city.
The allegory to modern race relations is nestled deep in the movie’s core. Little tidbits like “cute” being an offensive term for bunnies or Judy’s parents supplying her with fox repellent makes it very clear who is representing whom. This gives the film a depressing sense of realism as the parallels to real life make themselves all the more visible. However, this in turn creates a gratifying hope in the audience as they leave the theater. Perhaps Bogo sums it up best when Hopps confesses she feels she has somehow broken the world. “Don’t give yourself so much credit,” he replies gently, “It was always broken.”
The animation is as flowing, fast and beautiful as is expected from Disney studios. The details in characters such as a mole godfather called Mr. Big (Maurice LaMarche doing a spot on Marlon Brando) are matched only by the stunning visuals of the city. Zootopia is a massive, epic place and the film isn’t afraid to show it. The animators explored the technical aspects as well as the aesthetics of a place where animals from all habitats could coexist. Hopps’ initial train ride through the city is worth the price of admission alone.
Most of the voice actors do a very good job, particularly Goodwin who brings an authentic enthusiasm to a small town bunny in the big city and Elba who I’m really starting to think can do no wrong. But Bateman feels like he’s just replaying his character from “Arrested Development,” and any film that uses Octavia Spencer and Alan Tudyk for three lines apiece needs to rethink itself. Thankfully adorable and almost imperceptible cameos from Tommy Chong and Kristen Bell are strategically placed to wink endearingly at the audience, and Jenny Slate as the put upon Assistant Mayor Bellwether is an example of Disney’s history of spot-on casting.
Unfortunately, just because they got good people to say things doesn’t mean they gave them good things to say. The dialogue is easily the weakest aspect of the movie. The humor is nice and well timed, but is surrounded by clunky phrasing and distractingly improper social cues. At times, it can severely remove the audience from the film and, along with an outright abuse of cop and kid movie clichés, can really detract from the overall quality of the movie. Scenes like Hopps reuniting with her childhood bully, and his first reaction being to apologize as if he were in an after-school special is too old school to fit in a film that was built for the 21st century.
Overall, should you see “Zootopia?” Yes. Not for the story, which is cute but confusing at times. Not for the jokes and references, though they are plentiful and hilarious. Certainly not for the Shakira pop song, which just reeks of corporate executives throwing darts at a wall full of kid-friendly singers. But the message of the film and the visuals are worth their weight in gold. Not only is this an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, but it is an important film that serves as a good way to introduce children and adults alike to the unfortunately real concept of prejudice and race-relations. It’s both a fun and informative way to spend your money. 4/5.
