A Great Reflection of Today's Society

Rating: 9/10 (21 March 2016)

With Pixar being owned by Disney, there seems to have been a nice amount of bleed over between the two, Pixar is more consistent with the quality of their films, but every once and awhile a movie of Pixar's quality comes from Disney. We should remember that Disney was once, and in many ways still is the premiere animation company, but not that long ago they had been struggling to put out great films. Zootopia is smart, funny, and is mature in its storytelling and in its message. It's very nice to see a movie directed at kids that has respect and treats kids as people who can understand complex themes, not mindless creatures that need simple clichéd messages.
In that respect Zootopia is more like a Pixar film, where Pixar has shown an understanding that complex messages can be the most emotionally powerful and while being complex can be presented in a simple, and straightforward way. Much like Inside Out taught us so much about using our emotions, especially sadness, Zootopia has a great message about fear and the treatment of entire groups of people because of that fear. It's ironic, because the movie indirectly latches onto an issue that is relevant today, with an air of innocence and purity. On top of that at a deeper level, the film is witty, in that everything ties together and that the audience is forced to think as the movie progresses.
The humor is witty as well, in particular the scene about the DMV which is so funny because it's spot on. The witty humor and complex messages make this film enjoyable for everybody, not just kids. Every character in the film is given a great amount of thought and development, making it so that they all have moments to grow, and are extremely relatable. Unfortunately the film's villain has good motivations, however at the end when they reveal who the villain is they come across as campy and over the top.
The movie does a great job creating an inventive world where animals from all different habitats can coexist in one city. The film then proceeds to partially waste it's inventive world on various scenes that are plucked straight out of other films, namely the Godfather. However, those scenes are only a small takeaway from the movie as a whole, because they don't last very long and are admittedly clever. That along with the overall maturity the screenwriters used still makes the film a great accomplishment.
Zootopia never really looked like a film that would be this good, but after seeing the amazing amount of craft and effort, it seems this may be one of the better animated films of the year. The film does what every animated film should do, it tells a solid story with a lot of emotional depth, and a message that can hopefully teach kids important lessons. The film is also funny, smart, beautifully animated, filled with great characters, and features great voice work. If you have kids, and they haven't seen this film yet, it's safe to say they'd enjoy it, but they may possibly take an important life lesson away from seeing it to.