Zootopia

Voices of: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Bonnie Hunt, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Nate Torrence, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, Alan Tudyk, Shakira, Kristen Bell
Directed by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A bunny cop (Ginnifer Goodwin) and a con artist fox (Jason Bateman) must team up to discover why animals are reverting to a savage state.

Review:

Tim: Zootopia proved to be one of the biggest hits of the year for Disney and added in another victory in their long line of animated film successes. We once again get anthropomorphized animals, but this time they're in the big city. The main character is a cop, who partners with a con artist to solve a mystery. It's an unexpected set up for an animated movie, but it works. It lends the film a refreshing quality. I like the idea of taking a premise from more adult-oriented fare and turning it into a kid's movie. While I didn't love the movie, I had fun watching Zootopia and consider it a success.

There are a few big strengths to be found in the film. The first is the character of Judy Hopps, who is a perfect representation of those overly positive, energetic people that you have to admire, even though they get on your nerves on occasion. It was great fun watching a character like this enter into the big, cynical world of Zootopia. That dynamic is at the heart of the movie and it's a worthwhile one to build a film around. The next big strength was having Jason Bateman voice Nick Wilde. I didn't love Nick- he was a little too forgettable. I don't love Bateman, but he was the perfect actor to bring this character to life. It was ideal casting. The third big strength are the sloths. That scene was widely used in promotion purposes and I'm sure significantly helped the film's box office. It was just a brilliant use of sloths in a scene ripping on the DMV. It was cute but subtly biting. It really had nothing to do with the larger plot of the film, but it was a beautifully marketable, hilarious scene.

A few of the downsides- I already mentioned Nick Wolfe not being a memorable enough character. I honestly struggled to remember his name. He's fun to watch on screen, but there's not enough substance there. He'll never reach that upper echelon of unforgettable Disney characters. That can be said for most of the supporting characters. Judy was good, but there is a quick drop off from there. Ideally, there would have been one supporting character who really stole their scenes and emerged as a fan favorite (besides the sloths, who work as a group, but not necessarily individually). The story itself felt a little convoluted for an animated film. I'm not suggesting it be watered down, but it jumps around from character to character, sometimes with the most tenuous connections between them. On the plus side, we did get a sense of the enormity and complexity of Zootopia. It was just a lot to take in, which resulted in the many characters feeling a bit shortchanged. It would have helped to focus on fewer but dive into more detail. Still, I give the film credit for immersing us in this thriving metropolis.

Zootopia was entertaining, but besides the sloth scene, it was really devoid of any truly memorable, incredible sequences. You had a few intense moments with the savage animals and a few humorous exchanges between Nick and Judy. Those were good and the movie does enough of the right things for me to consider it a solid, entertaining film. It's absolutely worth the time to watch it. I can't quite call this one of the better Disney animated movies, but it was certainly popular. It's a middle tier film, but significantly better than some of the misfires they've had. I wouldn't put Zootopia on my top 10 list of 2016, but this is a solid hit and an entertaining movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Big Hero 6, Frozen, Robin Hood