It's a Jungle Out There.

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2016)

Zootopia (2016): Dir: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush / Voices: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence: Fascinating and creative take on animals within a human society where they co-exist as one while interacting in a human like lifestyle. Judy Hopps is a bunny with big dreams. She desires to venture to Zootopia to become the first ever bunny recruit cop. She succeeds despite obstacles but is given the task of meter maid. Central plot regards missing predators and a conspiracy that regards them returning to their wild savage old lifestyles. Hopps is joined in her search by Nick Wilde, a con artist fox who reluctantly assists Hopps when she catches him within his own scam. There are animals abound every frame from biggest to smallest. Chief Bogo is a cape buffalo who barks orders and gives Hopps only a small amount of time to crack this case. There is the lion mayor and the lamb secretary, which makes for a great play on the opposite ends of the hunting scale that is non-existent in this culture. It is never clear what the predators eat but we do have an overweight cat at the front desk at the police station who knows where the donuts are. The animation is colorful and full of life and personality but the real surprise is a screenplay that is both entertaining for children while being extremely clever in terms of plot devices. The theme is tolerance and how we need to learn to accept others despite their faults just as Hopps learns when she must put away the fox repellant and just view Nick as another living creature with hopes and dreams. Score: 10 / 10