Zootopia

“Zootopia” is a wonderful animated film. You don’t have to be any specific age to appreciate the humour, the quality of the writing, or the beauty of the visuals. As a bonus, it even has some relevant and timely messages to say. This is my second time seeing it and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time around.

“Zootopia” is set in a world where humans don’t exist and animals (more specifically mammals) rule. They have jobs, take selfies, drive cars, etc. The film begins when Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), the city’s first ever rabbit police officer arrives to her precinct and is all but dismissed because of her height. Talking her way into being assigned a real case, she forces a sly fox named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) into helping her track down a missing otter.

I’m wary of talking animal movies. In a world where lions live next to gazelles, what do lions eat? Do they cry themselves to sleep every night thinking about the sentient creatures they ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Even if there’s a crocodile that manages to turn vegetarian, how can turtles not get nervous knowing that when he gets together for thanksgiving, all of his relatives are chowing down on fish, birds, turtles, etc. ? Not only does “Zootopia” address the problem, it’s actually a major plot point. First of all, this society is only composed of mammals. I’m assuming that you can go down the street and order a Filet-O’-Fish no problem and deep-fried lizard meat is probably popular among wolves. That doesn’t mean everyone lives in harmony though. A theme brought back repeatedly in “Zootopia” is that the way you look on the outside dictates what society expects of you. “Rabbits are small and good at growing carrots so that’s what they should stick to. ” There are different stigmas against herbivores and carnivores. It’s done very elegantly because it can be played both for laughs (tiny mice driving tiny cars receiving traffic tickets that look like billboards) or seriously (like when Hopps realizes how little faith her superior has in her because of her species) This film is the antithesis of those bad children’s animated films where everything is exaggerated to the point where it becomes alien. I don’t know if children will automatically associate Hopps as a woman inside a man’s world, or Nick Wilde as a black man and therefore guilty until proven innocent, or either of them as immigrants from a country branded by the media as containing only terrorists… but they will be able to relate to it because kids themselves are often assumed to be stupid and satisfied simply with colourful objects bouncing on the screen while catchy music plays.

You’ve got a strong subtext to this film and what’s on the surface is just as good. The animals you meet in Zootopia are iconic and interesting. The story they’ve been given is equally robust. It’s a detective story led by an underdog and her sly associate. The setup allows us to wander through varied and exotic locations in the city as we piece together what happened to this mammal. It makes for great comedy as they gather clues from outrageous characters. Officer Hopps and Nick Wilde are three-dimensional animals capable of change, of making mistakes and of rectifying them afterwards. They feel as real as any human being in a live-action picture. The whole world feels genuine. No detail has been overlooked as the artists built this city to accommodate everything from tall giraffes to tiny shrews. It’s the kind of film where I hope they include extensive special features that include posters, signage and props used by the various side characters. It’s the second time I’ve see this movie and because I knew where the story was headed and what the jokes were going to be, I was able to focus on what’s happening in the background. I still only caught about 75% of everything there is to see.

Obviously “Zootopia” is doing just fine at the box office so people are seeing it, but even then I want to encourage more people to check it out. It’s got lasting power, the kind of picture you’ll see at the theatre with your children, will buy on Blu-ray afterwards and keep watching even when everyone else has fallen asleep. Or maybe you don’t have kids. That’s no excuse to miss out on something good, just check it out. The tykes will be enraptured by the story and won’t cause any trouble. It’s a family film; a picture that anyone, regardless of age or parenthood status can enjoy and fall in love with. (3-D Theatrical version on the big screen, March 31, 2016)