More layers than a rainbow cake

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2016)

I really wasn't in any mood for a Disney cartoon. Somehow I can always see behind the sheen of the screen and notice all the usual Disney mechanics at work. Then it happened - the word of mouth is great and I kept getting shoutouts from friends why I haven't checked it out. So we did last night and this is the second good film I have seen this year. Notice I didn't use the words "good cartoon"?
The world of Zootopia is so meticulously designed with its own logic that mirrors our societies. I came out feeling that it is a world that is built on metaphors and it is a real place. The emotional beats are spot on and pitch perfect. Thematically, this is strong. Its themes of empowerment and the dangers of stereotyping so timely and so effortlessly delivered. Unlike all the other typical Disney cartoons, this latest outing is never preachy and laden with so many rapid spitfire puns. We laughed ourselves silly at so many inventive scenes and the unlikely friendship moved us.
This one has more layers than a rainbow cake. The kids will probably get it at one level but you know what? Over a MacDonald's happy meal you can start opening their minds to read into the other themes. It is time to educate them.