A socially and politically conscious film from an unlikely source

Rating: 8/10 (7 March 2016)

Disney's 55th animated feature film is a lively urban romp with great comedic timing and a mysterious, slightly neo-noir flair. In a nutshell, it's a lot of fun. However, Zootopia is somehow simultaneously one of the most seriously and politically relevant films of the year, greatly unexpected within a children's film from a studio built on dreams and magic. Disney leaves the magic, so to speak, at the door. Instead, we get the story of a little bunny's first time in the big city where she has to handle various characters, their differences and all the positive and negative ideals therein.
The film does a fine job of blatantly dealing with current social issues that might normally be given a subtle nod or completely swept under the rug in a mainstream, animated film. Here, the idea that minorities are predators capable of being savage because of where they come from or that people from a certain area or background don't exactly get a fare chance in life is what actually makes the film. There is extreme prejudice and intolerance and even someone who believes they are fighting against it can still be prejudiced themself without even realizing it. There is a rampant and uncontrollable drug problem within the urban communities of the city, as well as missing people who are seemingly deemed unworthy of being found. And, of course, there is mob-like corruption within the ranks of the delightful animals. But there's a red herring. The film also shows that characters with naturally gruff demeanors can still be on the side of the good and characters that are innocent can still hustle and stand up for themselves.
While the design of the film is indeed well done, from its characters to its locations, and the animation is top notch as usual, nothing visually stands out as being incredible. Disney is no stranger to anthropomorphized animals. In fact, some of the character designs in Zootopia borrow heavily from previous characters within the company. But, whether intentional or not, this all works to effect for the film. Having a city scape and characters that don't immediately stand out because they are seemingly familiar grounds the film into reality. This is any major melting pot of a city that these indifferences are happening in. And these are, symbolically, the same characters we come into contact with during our everyday.
Having a DMV run by sloths shows that Zootopia does its fare share of playing up stereotypes as well, although it tries to break them by doing so. Some minor jokes, such as not touching someone's hair or using certain words that are only acceptable within a certain group of people, or even using a certain dialect, are included for specific audiences and the fact that they are there creates a feeling of specific inclusion. It is interesting, though, that in a film that speaks to the positive nature of opportunity and diversity, the voice cast still boasts typical actors in the major roles. Don't get me wrong, Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman as Judy and Nick respectively are great and definitely get the job done. Idris Elba, Tommy Chong, Octavia Spencer and Shakira, among a handful of others, are equally enjoyable and round out the diversity of the film's cast, but all in mostly minor roles.
That is to say, it would be nice if a studio of Disney's caliber and reach could tell an animated story just like this, but without hiding behind furry animals that could be voiced by anyone, instead actually showing the differences and struggles of humanity with actual humans of difference races, creeds and backgrounds that we don't often get to see in animation. It's understandable, though, to use fuzzy bunnies and foxes to lighten the load of some of these harsh, real world themes in a children's movie. They also help in getting the movie to hit a bigger audience, which is important for this kind of story. Disney has indeed taken a major step forward with Zootopia, a socially and politically conscious film that probably no one ever expected from the mouse.