Relevant to a fault and gives an important lesson to its young and adult viewers alike bundled in an entertaining package

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2016)

There has never been a dearth in good animated movies especially the ones catered to young audience and Zootopia makes no exception. Beneath its charming lead characters, kids friendly action and comedy, an interesting plot and top notch animation lies the premise which is designed to be too metaphorically equivalent to current society which I think could be the only downside to this entertaining romp. Any standard stereotype tag you name it, you got it here - underdog, buddy cop, judgmental society, prejudice, beyond all odds, **spoiler alert** projected-good-character-is-the-villain etc.
It is a world where animals of all species have evolved to shed their natural instinct and live harmoniously in the same society. Judy Hopps (voice by Ginnifer Goodwin) is a feisty young bunny from a small town who is determined to become the first bunny cop in Zootopia. Despite the prejudice and the physical limitation, she successfully enrolls and completes the Police training with top honors through sheer hard work and wit. When a sensational case of 13 missing mammals breaks the headlines, the Police Chief Bogo (voice by Idris Elba) overlooks Hopps and assigns her the traffic duty. Her judgmental view on fox species lets her catch a petty thief Nick Wilde (voice by Jason Bateman) a stumble upon a lead on the missing mammals. Clearing obstacle after obstacle she uncovers the abduction of all the missing mammals that points the Mayor Lionheart (voice by J.K. Simmons) as the chief accused. But is it the end of investigation?
There are many aspects that contributes to a good movie or story, either some more aspects or bettering the existing ones make them great. But the level of audience connect with the story makes them a classic. Zootopia falls short of the classic level but has everything to make it great. First and foremost, is the story interesting and entertaining? Full marks for that. Are you able to relate to setup and get involved in its plot? Sure. A lead character that you would want to root for, a wily fox that breaks your stereotype, a supremely entertaining Godfather- esque episode, a ROFL worthy extended sequence involving a sloth, a nude sequence that jumps on you, a thrilling chase through the rodent town and many more. It also has a moral on not crossing a limit to get even - which is very important for young viewers.
Despite its familiar premise, generous use of stereotypes and pop culture references and a Scooby-Doo style plot - there is a maturity and skilled handling of some sequences which results in winning moments and that's exactly what makes a movie successful. On top of its beautiful animation it is complemented by excellent voice performances and minimal and apt use of background score.
Relevant to a fault and gives an important lesson to its young and adult viewers alike bundled in an entertaining package.