Zootropolis

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2016)

Let's face it, "Zootropolis" was released at just the right time. I know Disney has no control over current affairs, but think about it; the US Presidential Campaign, the refugee crisis. The events in Brussels occurred only a week after the film's release in Ireland. The socio-political commentary in "Zootropolis" is going to hit home for many people.
Thankfully, "Zootropolis" succeeds on it's own merits. Here we have a beautifully animated, funny and incredibly smart film. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwinn) is a rabbit, who dreams of being the first police-rabbit in Zootropolis, a city populated by anthropomorphic animals. However, despite being valedictorian of her police academy, and being assigned to the first precinct by the mayor, she is ostracized for being a bunny, and is therefore placed on parking duty by her prejudiced chief. Determined to prove her worth, Judy teams up with con artist fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), in order to crack the case of a missing otter. With only 48 hours and Judy's job on the line, she and Nick have to race to solve the case, while at the same time uncovering some unsavory truths about the supposed harmonious city they live in.
The film is gorgeously detailed. The architecture, background animations, and little bits and pieces added for the different species of animals; from the frigid Tundra Town, to the drizzly humidity of the Rainforest District. The animation is sublime; the character quirks, the expressions, the eye movements and subtle facial changes. The fur looks so realistic; the way it sticks out over clothes, how it moves in the wind and matts in the rain. Using the camera to show size differences, How, despite walking on two legs, the animals' anatomy was exactly spot on. The canines had hocks, for God's sake! It's so genuinely smart, and hard hitting at points. With dark allusions to days gone by and of present times, the current affairs of Zootropolis are eerily similar to our own. From racial discrimination (even though we see that Hopps is scorned due to her species from the get go, there is a surprising scene where Nick is cast out of an ice cream café for being a fox) to work place racism, to political corruption and mass paranoia. There's a montage scene where there's panic over the predators going savage; a mother pulls her child away from a tiger on a train, and a polar bear is muzzled after mauling a colleague. There is some heavy stuff in this film, and it's funny that, despite it being about animals, it seems more human than our own world.
The films is funny; there are plenty of well thought out jokes and one liners, the typical pop culture references. One funny gag is that involving a sloth, which hist home with a powerful home run. The characters are all immensely likable; Hopps and Wilde have amazing on screen chemistry. Thank God they weren't paired together; it's nice to see buddies being buddies. The side characters are all so pleasant and charming. The voice acting is fantastic, even though I will say I was aware that the actors were in a booth the whole time.
My only issues came in the last third. We have that stupid falling out scene that always leads to the friends getting back together. yes, it's done well enough and the montage scene after is great, and Hopps' emotions are well portrayed, but it's still cliché and stupid. Also, the twist villains are getting old. I will admit I knew of the villain and bait and switch before going in, but it still seems overused. The villain was society, was that not enough? The bait and switch didn't bother me at all, but the emphasis on Nick's eyes did; it was established earlier that the Nighthowler made the predators eyes go wild. Nick's didn't. That's a nitpick, however, and my flaws are minimal.
This is one of the rare times I want a sequel from Disney. Nick and Judy are so likable and fun together, and the world is so imaginative and realized, that the possibilities animate themselves. A lovely film.