The opposite of unpleasant... Pleasant.

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2016)

In 1992, cartoonist Art Spiegelman won the Pulitzer Prize for Maus, which appropriated cuddly, anthropomorphic animals (not at all unlike Disney creatures) for a parable about racism, discrimination, and survival, circa WWII. Flash-forward 24 years, and we finally have Disney's rebuttal. And those years have been good to the House of Mouse, now enough of a franchise super-giant to fire off quirky B-tier flicks like Zootopia, confident enough to surpass Disney's usual standard of impeccable visuals and emotional storytelling to also really be About Something. Zootopia is razor-sharp, outrageously clever, bustling with urgent thematic subtext, and heartfelt enough to reach the realm of Disney classics sure to be heralded as essential canonical viewing for generations of children and adults henceforth.
Following (the vastly inferior) The Good Dinosaur as the second consecutive Disney release championing a thriving societal infrastructure where humans don't exist (hmm...), Zootopia is a dazzlingly dense and textured realm almost too detailed to take in at first glance, forcing cinema viewers to acclimatize to the consistent unrequited urge to pause and contemplate. When our protagonist, earnest Officer Hopps (magnificently emotive, infectiously giddy Ginnifer Goodwin), arrives at Zootopia, the film is content to momentarily become a travelogue, drinking in, in a sweeping pan shot, the regions, and size/species/climate sub-communities of the city. Don't worry, though - we'll get to revisit them all later). Before you can think of a better pun than "face the yaks", Zootopia has transformed into a buddy (or should I say BUNNY - I thought of one!) cop mystery adventure. As Hopps pairs with irrepressible con-fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman at his most laconic, smugly hilarious), they dive into a romp full of hilarity, exhilarating sequences (including a slew of chases/tussles highlighting the unique physicality of each animal present), and thematic mediation on xenophobia, ideology, and societal power hierarchies. Y'know - kid stuff.
Zootopia isn't subtle about being just as issue-driven as story-driven, but nor should it be. Here, the parable of civilized mammals 'going savage' (an interesting contribution to the nature/nurture debate in itself) serves as the perfect catalyst to ignite age-old discriminatory tensions between tenuously co-habitating predator and prey (including some genuinely upsetting sequences), in a fashion perfectly suited to contextualize privilege, racism, and wage and influence-gaps to children - heck, even for adults. But in case that gets too heavy (and Zootopia, while jaunty and fast-paced, has its fair share of vintage Disney darkness), it's tempered with some on-point one- liners to snarkily soften the blow ("a bunny can call another bunny cute, but you can't"/"you can't just touch a sheep's wool!!"), with only the occasional clunky line reeking of kid-friendly rewrites to distract from the revelry. For the kids, there are more Frozen and other Disney nods than you can count (including a genius Alan Tudyk cameo I'll weasel out of spoiling here). For the adults: inspired nudist colony gags, and riffs on the Godfather and Breaking Bad. And yes: that sloth DMV scene is just as funny in theatres as in the umpteen trailers you've seen it in. Trust me.
Still, amidst all the ideas, heart, and cutting dialogue, the voice cast are what really hit home. Apart from the superb Goodwin and Bateman, who share delightfully sparky, and sometimes surprisingly emotional banter, the distinctive boom of Idris Elba and bark of J.K. Simmons lend welcome support, while Jenny Slate mumbles so many (yup, I'm going there) sheepish witticisms in the background she's almost worth a second viewing singlehandedly.
Zootopia doesn't quite hit the soaring, transcendent emotional heights associated with classic Lion King/Beauty and the Beast era Disney (though many of its smaller moments are just as poignant and well-orchestrated in their own way), as it's really its own (guffaw) animal. But, as a snappier, more expansive, socially conscious cousin, it's still an essential addition to the Disney family, and one that almost insists upon revisiting, if only to properly do justice to. Rich, vibrant, and clever enough to make audiences young and old (night)howl with laughter, Zootopia is the confident work of a peerless studio operating at the top of their game, and necessary viewing as cinema, far surpassing mere animated entertainment.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off trying to beat that stupidly catchy Shakira chorus out of my head. I moose be rid of it; I can bearly stand it!
(...I really otter stop now. But rhino want to. I'd say it's an ox-ident, but you're a shrew-d reader, and I know you wouldn't take that lion down.)
-9.5/10