Fun-filled movie with a thought provoking & very relevant message

Rating: 10/10 (5 April 2016)

**The first thing that struck me,before writing this review was the 8.3/10 rating at IMDb.I have often wondered why some great movies lose 'ratings' after starting very strong.The culprit is probably the high expectations,with which the new movie watchers go in.Its not just a movie now,its a movie which your friend has suggested as a "must watch" or "just go watch it" type movie.**
Zootopia tells the story of an ambitious and determined kid,Judy Hopps(OK,she is a 'bunny') She wants to grow up & become a police officer.She is laughed at,and discouraged by her parents.Her childhood is not great either,sprinkled with some bullying.However,she manages to fulfill her dream and lands a job in ZPD(Zootopia Police Department) However,the dream soon starts to crumble as the enthusiastic Judy reports on her first day at ZPD.She faces resistance from her boss who denies giving her a good enough post in the Department.She is barred from an investigation into the current crime & made a traffic cop!
The underlying themes are easy to identify: rigidity of the society,sexism,bureaucracy,vote bank politics.But the movie hits a bigger Achilles Heel,which is the insane urge of people to judge on appearance(yes,we are all guilty here) If someone is fat,can he/she never be an athlete? If someone is tall,should he/she only play Basketball? And so on.The movie tells us how these prejudices come to become a part of our thinking & 'common sense'.It turns out that inspite of all her Heroism,even the protagonist is flawed.This makes the movie great.Not only does it reflect on the society,but it does so,in a very non-invasive & almost fun way.A message loses its audience,if its preachy.Here,its just presented as a chain of events that stems from one single line at Judy Hopps' press conference.
The film boasts of great voice acting,great animation and some kick- a** music(yes,there's a Shakira song too!) The humour is mature at times,but will appeal to children as well.The jokes are good,the situations realistic,the story is great & the salvation believable.This is more than you expect from an animated movie.It tackles a very mature subject and hits the right notes.The pace is breezy and it ends up,making you want more.So,a big thumbs up to the team at Disney.I enjoyed it and recommend it highly.