Change Starts With Us

Rating: 9/10 (5 March 2016)

2016 has been a so-so year in film thus far. Sure, it's only the beginning of March, but there hasn't really been that knock out film to this point. I enjoyed The Finest Hours and Eddie the Eagle for what they were, but besides perhaps Deadpool, no movie has really been worth seeing more than once. Zootopia absolutely is that film for me. It's the next installment in Disney Animation Studio's resurgence of greatness and it can be enjoyed by everyone. It may be Disney's most colorful film to date, for a few reasons, but it also has the classic Disney moral message for viewers of all ages and backgrounds.
Zootopia takes place in a world where there are no humans and animals do everything as if they are humans. They have houses, police forces, and access to our type of transportation. Basically, this is the one film in Disney's canon where fans can't really make the theories that it takes place within the same universe as all of the other films. With that said, I loved the world building that Zootopia was able to establish. In many ways, this is the film I can see Disney making sequels to for several years to come. The characters are well realized and there are plenty of potential directions they can take the story.
Right from the opening scene I found myself attached the adorable, Judy Hopps, a bunny who dreams of becoming the first of her species to become a cop. Zootopia takes on many of the unfortunate tropes of our real world but the one most identifiable is discrimination and segregation. So of course Hopps is naturally not taken seriously as a determined officer of the law. The self-referential nature of the film doesn't stop there but I don't think it ever jumps the shark. As noticeable as some of the discrimination and prejudices can be when pointed out by several characters, it ends of serving as a good message to not judge or underestimate people's determinations and dreams.
On the lighter side, Zootopia is one of the cleverest Disney films to come out in recent memory. Its constant nods to pop culture including famous films like The Godfather or TV shows like Breaking Bad give the parents more than enough reason to take their kids to the theater. There are plenty of jokes that will fly over kids heads and the humor never gets too silly. It's a great balance that makes an animated kids films so great, and Zootopia is a good example of that.
More than anything, it's worth seeing for its fun characters and inspiring message. The voice talent is as good as it has been for Disney in a long time as Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, and J.K. Simmons all do a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. You will get attached to Hopps and her unlikely fox friend, Nick Wilde as they go on a journey to uncover a conspiracy that is plaguing Zootopia. Which brings up another brilliant aspect of this film which is its meticulous plot. Near the end some moments felt contrived and perhaps too far-fetched, but when you have enjoyed a film to the extent to which I had enjoyed Zootopia to that point, it didn't really bother me.
When an animated Disney film manages to bring to life several new and exciting characters while also implanting an intricate crime story in between, you know you have a gem on your hands. Zootopia may not be as memorable as some of the greatest Pixar films (hey what films are?) but it does have its fair share of thought provoking moments and endlessly re-watchable funny gags. A clever script and a thought provoking message makes Zootopia the best 2016 film to date thus far.
+Voice cast
+Well-realized world
+Something for everyone
+Likeable characters you can't help but root for
+Pop culture references
+Thought provoking message
-Some moments felt contrived towards the end
9.4/10