Zootopia (2016)

[icewolf]

Disney's newest animated movie has been getting spectacular reviews so far.

[SeanC]

This film's Wikipedia entry classifies its genre as "computer-animated action buddy comedy neo-noir adventure", a mouthful if ever there was one (also, I expect this is the first Disney animated film that could plausibly be described as "neo-noir").  It has two directors and a "co-director", as well as seven credited writers involved in the story (including Jennifer Lee, who is perhaps responsible for the references to Frozen littered throughout), two of whom handle the screenplay.  If that sounds like a recipe for a hodgepodge, it's not, as it turns out -- this is terrific stuff. 

 

When differentiating between Disney and Pixar's approaches, I tend to generalize the former as specializing in stories about archetypal clashes of good and evil (The Lion King being probably the modern apex of this), while Pixar's stories are driven more by character development.  Those lines blur in places, and Zootopia definitely feels like Disney dipped into Pixar-type territory.  Based on the evidence so far (this, Wreck-It Ralph), I think Disney is better at doing Pixar than Pixar is at doing Disney (see:  Brave).  If society needs a kiddie primer on racial tension, I guess this is as good of one as you'd want.  Also a kids' movie that references both The Godfather and Breaking Bad.

 

I didn't know a huge amount about the film going in, but I saw a random line indicating that there was a surprise villain; if you go in knowing that, the identity of said villain is really easy to guess.  Not that it particularly matters, as there are some things I didn't expect along the way.

 

Great voice cast, even including some pretty decent line deliveries by Shakira (I'm sure the Academy is hoping to pencil her in for a performance at next year's ceremony; the Original Song category for this last one had to go without a Disney song).  Also, in a meta-reference with two layers, Kristen Bell makes a brief cameo, voicing a sloth.

 

My appreciation for this film was heightened further by having to sit through the trailer for Angry Birds, which concluded with an excruciatingly long joke about an eagle urinating in water the protagonists had just been frolicking in.

Edited March 4, 2016 by SeanC

[starri]

If that sounds like a recipe for a hodgepodge, it's not, as it turns out -- this is terrific stuff. 

Part of the reason for that might be the change in the movie's focus from the cynical fox to the good-hearted bunny.  Presumably it required a lot of reworking.

 

I'd love to see it, but being a man in my late 30s with no children, I can only imagine how creepy I would look.

[SeanC]

I don't think adults going to see animated movies is that unusual anymore.  Or I hope not, anyway, since I do that.

[starri]

It might be different if I was going with my husband, but that would require a lot of begging.

Edited March 4, 2016 by starri

[SeanC]

I see probably 98% of the movies I go to by myself.

Edited March 4, 2016 by SeanC

[Dandesun]

It's fortunate that when it comes to Disney or Pixar I can generally count on family to go with... whether it's just my sister or the various nieces and nephews. Some movies I have to sell a bit (my sister doesn't give a shit about comic book movies but she was all in on Deadpool). Otherwise, I just go on my own. After missing out on movies I wanted to see waiting on others to find time in their schedules, I just stopped giving a shit. "I'm going to this movie at this time. If anyone else wants to go, fine. Otherwise, whatever!"

 

It's also nice that my theater allows me to drink wine in whatever movie I'm seeing.

 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this one. And I'm pretty sure I'll have company. I did have to explain the joke about the sloths working in the DMV to my niece when that clip came out. I mean, she's nine. She's never been in a DMV in her life. "Everyone who has to go to the DMV complains about how slow it is... and sloths are the slowest animal around... that's why it's funny." "Oh! I get that!" But she already thought that Flash taking forever to laugh was funny.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Dandesun

[dkb]

It was really good. Everyone I went with loved Mr. Big the best but my favorite was Nick. All the animals were super cute especially the children.

Did anyone catch what Nick wrote as his strengths on the application form?

[Rick Kitchen]

Part of the reason for that might be the change in the movie's focus from the cynical fox to the good-hearted bunny.  Presumably it required a lot of reworking.

 

I'd love to see it, but being a man in my late 30s with no children, I can only imagine how creepy I would look.

 

I go to every movie by myself (nobody I know wants to go to movies in theaters) and I'm 65.

 

I loved it.  It's a really good movie, with a great plot.  (One reviewer I saw called it his second favorite cop movie of all time).  Lots of laughs.  Loved the Breaking Bad reference, and I haven't even seen Breaking Bad.

 

 

Did anyone catch what Nick wrote as his strengths on the application form?

 

I think, if I remember correctly, he mentioned excellent night vision and sales experience.

[dkb]

Thanks Rick Kitchen ^^^.

[SeanC]

I hope they make a Zootopia 2 about Judy getting busted by Internal Affairs for her close ties to organized crime.

[Ruby25]

I loved this movie! I seriously think this is Disney's best movie since...I don't know, maybe Tarzan? Or maybe even before that, going back to the original early 90's Renaissance years? For me, while they've definitely improved lately, starting with Tangled, I still don't think the movies, as popular as they've been, have been quite as good as the great heights they had reached in the past, but this one was terrific. To me, Wreck-it Ralph was the best of the new era, now it's this one by a mile.

 

Great characters, entertaining and ambitious, and some incredibly timely political commentary. This is essentially a buddy cop movie placed in a parable about racism and sexism. I want to see a sequel that tackles even more, and maybe gets to intermarriage issues (or maybe that's going too far, given actual animal biology, but I don't care. I want Judy and Nick to be a couple, lol).

 

Such a great film, and one that can definitely be seen by anyone, not just kids. Best movie of the year so far, for sure.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Ruby25

[nilyank]

 

I want to see a sequel that tackles even more, and maybe gets to intermarriage issues (or maybe that's going too far, given actual animal biology... but I don't care- I want Judy and Nick to be a couple, lol).

 

I should not be shipping an animated bunny and fox, but Judy and Nick had such great chemistry, that I am totally am.

 

Great film.

[Ruby25]

I should not be shipping an animated bunny and fox, but Judy and Nick had such great chemistry, that I am totally am.

 

Great film.

Yeah, and I can see her bringing him home and her family disapproving and everything. Interspecies relationships could be the theme of the sequel!

[Rick Kitchen]

I'd love to see Gideon's reaction to Judy bringing a fox boyfriend home.  :)

[Dandesun]

Believe me, the furry community has been way ahead of you guys.

 

Hint: Be warned when searching on Tumblr.

[Shannon L.]

I took 4 teenagers to see this today and we all loved it.  I think the adults in the audience laughed more than the kids!  I thought the Breaking Bad reference was great, but I'm also convinced that the 5 of us are the only ones who got it. I didn't hear anyone outside of our 5 seats laughing. 

 

I honestly considered just dropping them off and going back to pick them up later, but decided to give it a shot and I'm glad I did. 

[Rick Kitchen]

Believe me, the furry community has been way ahead of you guys.

 

Hint: Be warned when searching on Tumblr.

 

I saw a review online where the reviewer said he went to a showing where there was a large group of furries, and it was ... interesting.  He especially mentioned the howling that happened in the theater when the wolves started howling.

[HoodlumSheep]

Zootopia was fantastic!

My theater was almost full (I live in a small town) and it was basically a bunch of parents and their kids.

Oddly enough, it was quite obvious that the parents enjoyed the movie way more than the kids. There was this one dad that would not stop laughing. It was very entertaining. I think the style of humor (the few references, the sarcasm that many prople tend to hone in on as they grow up) hit home with the adults a lot more.

It was a good movie!!!!

If people can ship a frog and a pig together, they can ship Judy x Nick.

Edited March 8, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[tennisgurl]

LOVED the Breaking Bad reference. I laughed my head off, and I heard a couple behind me laughing too, so I was glad to see I wasn't the only one getting it in my theater. 

 

Really great movie, it might even be my new favorite of the modern Disney animated cannon. I was really impressed by how funny this was, and how smart it was. The writers were not at all screwing around with the anti racism and anti prejudice message, and I think its great to put things like that in a Disney family film, so parents can talk to their kids about these issues, or so that adults can talk amongst themselves, while also enjoying the laughs, the creative designs, and the characters. One message I really liked from this was that good, well meaning people can be accidentally offensive, or can have their own prejudices. Its something everyone can work on. 

 

Loved this movie, and I have already been recommending it to people. I appreciated it extra hard after seeing the trailer for that awful looking Angry Birds movie. Talk about the highs and lows of kids movies. 

[SmithW6079]

I'd love to see it, but being a man in my late 30s with no children, I can only imagine how creepy I would look.

I hear ya. That's why I take along my nieces, unless it's playing at night when kids are less likely to be there.

[Bruinsfan]

Considerations like that cease to matter if you don't give a damn what strangers think. Woe to the overprotective soccer mom who says something to me about attending an Aardman or Laika movie without a kid in tow.

[DrSpaceman73]

I enjoyed it, definitely had its good moments. Kids enjoyed it as well. I did like the Breaking Bad References. Heck the "blue" pills I assume were all based on breaking bad. I don't think it was a necessarily better than some of the recent cartoon movies, but certainly a hit more than a miss.

Not that subtle of an allegory they went for as the central theme. In fact it was so overt it was a bit uncomfortable, in my opinion. Could have toned it down a bit and made the same points.

I thought the Sloths were the funniest part.

I am sure there will be a sequel.

[Aliasscape]

It might be different if I was going with my husband, but that would require a lot of begging.

It's 100 times funnier for adults than kids, and not because of any mature humor  just because it references so much stuff kids have never seen or experienced. Ha, the kids seemed fidgety. Meanwhile the DMV scene had a guy in his 30s in the near front row of our theatre laughing harder than ANYONE else in the whole thing. He was LOVING it.

 

Absolutely was a wonderful movie.

[johntfs]

I thought the relationship between Judy and Bellwether was kind of interesting.  For the first two-thirds of the movie or so, they're essentially friends, or at least allies as they both want the same thing, the return of the missing mammals, albeit for differing reasons.  When the mammals were found and Bellwether became, I thought her offer to have Judy be the face of the police force came from a somewhat sincere place.  I think Bellwether liked Judy and respected her for choosing the difficult path of becoming a cop.  She wanted to help Judy and mentor her.  The fact that a bunny cop was a big "fuck you" to the predators and stronger animals would have been a bonus.

[Spartan Girl]

I finally saw it today and I'm so happy that the hype was right on the money! After all the years Disney used talking animals as racial sterotypes, they make a movie using talking animals to EXPOSE stereotypes and turn them on its head! LOVED IT!

The second that it was revealed that tams (Walter and Jesse -- ha!) were the ones infecting the predator animals, I knew it was Bellwether! Rule number one of Disney movies: never EVER trust the benign authority figure!

The nudist colony was a hoot. And Tommy Chong as the stoner yak was gold.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[Shannon L.]

 

The nudist colony was a hoot. And Tommy Chong as the stoner yak was gold.

The nudist colony alone was worth the price of admission.  The fact that they could get so many laughs from simply saying "they're naked" and then have them continue with ordinary things, while our imaginations ran wild, was pure brilliance, imo.

 

With the way that people tend to rant against certain movies and Hollywood trying to "indoctrinate" our children, is anyone else surprised that nothing was said about this one?  I mean, it did get a little preachy (but in the best possible way--again, imo).

Edited March 26, 2016 by Shannon L.

[bluwater]

Loved it, and so did my boyfriend. Judy is my new hero! I ship her and Nick too. Hehe.

The animation was gorgeous and the animals were all so cute. I wanted to pet them. LOL The scene with Judy on the train into town was wonderful to watch.

I was cringing along with Judy at the DMV. When Flash wanted to tell the joke, I internally screamed.

Terrific movie that I would love to see again.

[Crs97]

We took our boys, and we all loved it!  They immediately asked if they could go back and also get it on DVD when it comes out.  We spent a lot of time saying things like, "Remember when . . .!"  

 

One of my favorite parts was watching how hard she had to work to get through the academy.  "Perseverance" is our family motto, and that scene will be talked about in the future.

 

I remember getting settled into my first job and feeling just like she did, especially on days that weren't so great.  I had family close by, but still the feeling as you come home alone to your new place that doesn't feel like yours yet. . .  

 

I shipped Judy and Nick.  The biggest laugh in our theatre was Mr Big's first lines.  I have no idea what he said because everyone exploded with laughter.

 

So much great stuff in there!

[Steph619]

I went with my family to see this movie and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Most kids movies and shows nowadays just have dumb jokes to get cheap laughs, but Zootopia was actually funny and smart. I liked how Disney went down the Pixar route and touched upon adult themes like racism with the whole predator vs non predator issue.

I loved the partnership between Judy and Nick and Mr. Big was great. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and I would definitely go see it again.

[thuganomics85]

Finally saw it and really enjoyed it.  Made me laugh out loud quite a bit, but I also liked the underlying issues, and I thought they did a fine job at paralleling the predator and non-predator issues with real-life racism and prejudices, and not going to overboard, although maybe there was one or two times it slightly crossed the line.  But I actually really respect them for having even Judy have some of those prejudices, and the scene when she and Nick realize this, was very powerful.  The animation and both Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman were spot-on in that moment.

 

I want a sequel just to see more of all the places and sections of Zootopia.  Loved the section were all the rodents lived, and how Judy's chase with the perp turned into a monster movie almost.

 

The adult humor sure was all over the place and I loved it!  Especially the Breaking Bad reference.  Only thing that would have made it better would have been them getting Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul for those roles.

 

Knew that Goodwin and Bateman were in this, but I liked the supporting cast too like Idris Elba (speaking of adult references, kind of bummed there wasn't any ones to The Wire, since he was playing the chief), Jenny Slate, Octavia Spencer, Bonnie Hunt, and J.K. Simmons.  Even Shakira served her purpose (I did love how everyone was obsessed over Gazelle.)

 

I guess the only complaint was that I found a lot of it predictable (totally knew Bellwether was going to be bad), but that's perfectly fine when the film is as entertaining as this.

 

Interesting to hear that originally is was going to be Nick-focused, until test screenings revealed that Judy was more relatable.  I liked the Nick character, but they made the right call.  Judy was a much better lead, and I found her and her flaws very refreshing.

[biakbiak]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I went with my best friend, her five year old my boyfriend and all of us loved it.

I adored the fact that even though she only had one line, Kristen Bell was the voice of the female sloth!

[AimingforYoko]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I went with my best friend, her five year old my boyfriend and all of us loved it.

I adored the fact that even though she only had one line, Kristen Bell was the voice of the female sloth!

You might want to throw an extra comma in there, or you could be getting a visit from Chris Hansen.

[dusang]

Finally saw it and totally loved it.  I mean, I grew up loving Robin Hood (1973) so I was predisposed to love Nick but the whole thing was just delightful.  And whoever animated the sloths (especially the "Flash gets the joke" facial change) deserves every award.

[Just Here]

And, just in time for its Blu-Ray/DVD release (which was today, June 7th), Zootopia gets the Honest Trailers treatment:

[Schweedie]

Heh. I love how they commented on the lack of genitals on the naked animals. I mean, I get that making them visible would be, well - a no, but I thought the same thing when I first saw that scene.

[Chaos Theory]

Lately I have been looking at animated movies a bit differently.  Its not just about if I like them anymore.   I don't have kids of my own but I have a nephew who I want to be able to take to the movies as an excuse to see these kinds of movies in the theater.  This is PG with a "common sense rating" of 8yrs old and he isn't 8 yet but I think if he was I would be more then comfortable with taking him to see this.  It was a little on the political correct side but I think an 8 year old would be more interested in the animals then the message and I have watched waaaaay to many cartoons with creepy surupy messeges anyway.   Plus the friendship between the rabbit and the fox was fun.   The storyline was predictable but for an animated feature that isn't a bad thing.  I enjoyed the songs and the DMV scene was fantastic.   So this is definitely something I would have put on my yes list to see with my nephew if he was eight.  (In another five years or so)  I am so looking forward to it.  

Edited July 17, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Morrigan2575]

I loved this movie and, that Honest Trailer video was hilarious 

[johntfs]

I just can't wait for a sequel.  I want to see more of the city, more of the world and more of Judy Hops, who was just adorable.

[paramitch]

I absolutely loved this. I thought it was smart, witty, charming, and ultimately about some very deep and complex issues that the Zootopia cartoon-world handled with delicacy and honesty. My favorite thing about a movie like this is when it actually improves upon rewatch -- as this one has done for me.

The voice performances were as good as the beautiful animation, and the script was terrific and never cheated.

And yes, I now totally ship a determined bunny and a wisecracking fox to find true love. 

[nicepebbles]

I love this movie so much that I made the kids be Judy and Nick for Halloween! And for like 2 months, I kept saying, "I'm just a dumb bunny." I just love Judy. I absolutely agree with paramitch about the movie being smart, witty, charming and deep. It was definitely one of my favorite movies of the year.

[Luciano]

I've seen this movie at least ten times (it had to have been more - I lost count) because my cousin's 2-year-old daughter is OBSESSED with it and during one long stay, it was on every few days. Thank God I find it entertaining or I would have gone insane. The DMV scene is still hilarious even after watching it over and over and over again.

Cousin's daughter doesn't understand much of it, but she loves the visuals. She (and I, if I'm being honest) gets entranced during the scene where Judy is approaching Zootopia in the train and she goes through the different sections. Our other favorite scene to watch together is when the wolves all start howling. She starts howling, I start howling, and Larry is right:; that Gary starts a howl.

[paramitch]

It's definitely my pick for best animated film of the year. I always judge those by:

• How good the story was (including subtext, adult themes as well as those noticed by children, etc.)
• How much it moved me
• How entertained I was
• And by (as a bonus) how surprised and delighted I was with what I watched.

For me, Zootopia wins for 2016 by a mile. Just so clever and perceptive and I'd watch a series about Judy and Nick (and Judy's adorable family -- Bonnie Hunt needs to act more, darn it!) in a heartbeat.

[Mark Webb]

My favorite anime of last year..

[VCRTracking]

Loved that!