Zootopia (2016)
"In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy."
- IMDB
I remember when they first released a Zootopia teaser, I probably cried. All of my childhood dreams & fantasies were basically Zootopia. Even playing Zoo Tycoon as a kid, I always pictured the animals like people living in their communities. Needless to say, when Judy enters the city and we get a lay of the land, my heart skips a beat every time.
What really took me by surprise is how real this movie is - as in it reflects reality in a way I didn't expect. The biggest theme in Zootopia is racism. Nick's story about joining scouts brushes on this, but the last third of the film hits the subject hard. What drives this theme is when Judy realizes that even prey could also turn "savage." So while predators are historically violent, prey has just as much potential of violence as well. The lesson that could be reflected in our own society is that there's always a good side and bad side to anything - individuals, groups of people, organizations, belief systems, and other miscellaneous points of view. Zootopia is all about the discrimination that comes with that and handles the topic really well.
On a lighter note, this movie is genuinely funny. My sister & I, both adults, recently watched this and laughed on multiple occasions. I appreciated the funny Easter eggs with Alan Tudyk's "Weaselton" and the Godfather. And the whole "sloths work at the DMV" gag is pretty clever. And Nick is always there for the jokes and entertainment and I'm all for it.
That being said, I'd like end by talking about our 2 heroes - Nick and Judy. First of all, the voice acting! Ginnifer Goodwin was perfect for the bubbly bunny, Judy Hopps, and Jason Bateman nailed the slick, charismatic Nick Wilde. Judy was such a heartwarming character who fought her whole life to break away from the stigma of her species. She was desperate to make a positive change to the world and persevered to make her dreams come true. But Nick Wilde... Dang, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have the slightest crush on him. I love that cunning little fox. He was the highlight of the movie for me for sure! He was very leveled and had a relatable back story, but also had such great personality & character development. One of my favorite Disney characters hands down.
Overall, Zootopia is one of the best modern Disney movies of the last decade. It won an Oscar for a reason. I would recommend the film to anyone, as we could all take away something different from this movie.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆