A really entertaining couple of hours for the whole family!

Rating: 8/10 (21 April 2016)

I have now had 2 viewings of Zootropolis (UK name for Zootopia) in 2D and I was really surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. It was effective in balancing out humour with a serious storyline, packaging it in a way that is presentable to people of all ages. Similarly to many successful animations, the story includes several cameos and pays homage to popular culture and film but includes a deep lying political and ethical theme that drives the plot from beginning to climax.
The cast deserve a great deal of credit for providing a uniquely and enjoyably varied set of accents. Jennifer Goodwin's voicing of main character Judy Hopes is the best performance for me as she manages to convey an array of emotion and never goes over the top when great deals of excitement and sadness are being portrayed. I found Jason Bateman's deeper and clear voice favourable for his character Nick Wilde as it made it believable that this was an older and wiser character in relation to Judy.
No review can be complete without mention of the quality of the animation and the vast scenery and landscapes that have been created for this film. The merger of each animals unique mannerisms with human ones including standing upright on two feet and complex facial expressions are highly crafted. I would love to see a second film where we spend more time in the locations that did not get much exposure including the desert and ice landscapes.
My only criticism of the film is the main theme by Shakira. It will stick itself inside your head and the chorus will be stuck on repeat. The worst part is while the sound of the song fits well with the film, it is rather awful without that context with lyrics that rival Limp Biscuit's My Way for worst written song of all time! (That being said I'm a big fan of My Way)
I didn't feel that I missed anything by avoiding the 3D screening of the film as it succeeded in entertaining me due to its high quality story telling. I was looking forward to a re-watch which it was successful in being just as good second time around. I'm now looking forward to a potential third viewing which is more than I can say for Batman V Superman; I paid the big bucks for the IMAX 3D viewing and saw a film that has everything it needs to succeed: casting, themes, budget, advertising etc but then makes a dog's dinner of the story!