Zootopia
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman
Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
If you balk at the idea of enduring another animated flick featuring an inane song that will be stuck in pop culture’s collective head for the next two years, Zootopia might just be perfect for you. Mixing humour, heart, and a nod to film noir investigative procedurals like Chinatown and L.A. Confidential, Disney’s latest contains a surprising amount of topical social issues, like racism and gender equality, and wraps them in the guise of a delightful movie about talking animals.
The story centers on Judy Hopps (Goodwin), a plucky country rabbit who moves to a bustling mammal metropolis and becomes the city’s first ‘bunny cop’. Faced with immediate adversity, Hopps is relegated to being a parking enforcer until she pleads with her boss to solve a mystery involving missing mammals and enlists the help of a cunning fox named Nick Wilde (Bateman). Visually, Zootopia is resplendent with a rich, vibrant colour palette and a seemingly endless supply of intriguing set pieces that makes it seem like a Richard Scarry book come to life.
Yet, beneath the hilarious slapstick and carefree wonder of the film lies a seedy underbelly which serves as a cracking detective story that manages to examine several mature themes along the way. In fact, the movie may either be too frightening in some sections or too boring in other parts for very small children. However, this is perhaps Zootopia’s greatest triumph; the studio’s refusal to pander in order to enlighten marks another gem in Disney’s ever-admirable repertoire.
