A Buddy Cop Film With A Lot of Heart

Rating: 10/10 (8 March 2016)

The buddy cop genre. It's seen a lot of unique takes over the years, but this is certainly one of the most memorable. Our main characters are a police bunny named Judy Hopps (played by Jenifer Goodwin) and a con artist fox named Nick Wilde (played by Jason Bateman). Judy has a tough and no-nonsense attitude while Nick is more careless and manipulative, so these two characters play off each other perfectly. The rest of the casting is perfect. I can't think of a single role that was miscast (I especially love Idris Elba as the police commissioner).
The story goes that Judy used to live in a rural town, where she dreams of moving to the metropolin city of Zootopia to become a police officer. The problem is that no one, not even the commissioner, takes a rabbit seriously as a cop. She is given the duty of meter maid and eventually encounters Nick, who later becomes an important source of information during a mysterious kidnapping plot. Although the film has many humorous moments, it also has some very emotional ones, especially during flashbacks. The stuggles that both these characters have to put up with feels very genuine and realistic, much like the problems that we have today with race, religion, and sexuality.
The only thing I thought could have used more work was the writing. It's not bad, and there are some memorable lines, but some jokes fall flat (like the Godfather spoof). Thankfully there are a lot more that work than those that don't. The action scenes are a lot of fun very creative, and the film itself is animated beautifully.
Do I recommend this film? The short answer is yes. The long answer is that it depends on what you're looking for. If you want a fun little buddy cop film with a few tear-jerking moments, then you'll love Zootopia.