Animal Blues

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2016)

Pixar is booming again. John Lasseter, the producer behind Toy Story, the Incredibles, Wreck it Ralph and a long list of successful animated movies, has brought to life another cohesive story that continues the pattern of thoroughly wrapped up films.
Everything from the colours, the different styles and the voice direction works in harmony so well that you will quickly be caught up in the subtleties of Zootopia. Characters are fully realized, with compelling back stories that evoke empathy from the viewer, political motives provide a layer of intrigue and inspirational events will have you dreaming one minute, and shrinking in despair the next. It is this ability to tell a story with every element of the on-screen experience that continues to set this team apart.
If there is a criticism to be had, it would have to come from the unwitting power of that ability to tell a story. Considering the age of a typical animated film, Directors will often debate the value of added layers of effect; one for adults, and one for kids. For the most part, the balance is there, with some raunchy humour slipped in here and there, and some jokes that kids won't get but will have the adults doubling over when every worker at the DMV is, quite literally, a sloth. It is in the larger elements of the story that reveal its roots in classic cop films, setting itself with an uncharacteristic irresponsibility and some shock scenes that are designed to produce fear in children. These scenes would not be so effective if not for its powerful ability to convey a story.
An example would be the depiction of authority figures in the film. There are no positive leaders, and no restoration in the film of those leaders. Political leaders are corrupt, parents are backwater dream-killers and bosses are narrow-minded, unapproachable, and manipulative. This is part of a significant staging of a major conflict of the character's dream, pitted against "the machine". However, the conflict is never fully resolved as "the machine" is destabilized and then restored, but never truly changed.
An item of awareness for parents may come in the presentation of several classes living in Utopian harmony, represented by animals, but loaded with political and ethical undertones. To someone who shares these values, it may go unnoticed, but for people representing minority cultures or of a different ethical compass, the story lays it on pretty thick and could stimulate an interesting discussion around points of separation in the culture. For example, what makes it possible for predator and prey to live in harmony? Why are animals segregated according to size and their environment? Is it really a "Zootopian" society when everyone lives separately? This could be one of the most culturally influential movies in this decade due to its reach and appeal, and its ability to tell a story with a purpose.