“Zootopia” Review: Not Just a Story About Animals Wearing Clothes

Zootopia Judy Hopps

Zootopia Review: Not just a Story about Animals Wearing Clothes

You’ve probably heard that Disney has released a new family movie about animals who walk, talk, and live like humans. In true Disney form this is not just another movie about animals wearing clothes. My son and I were invited to a screening of Zootopia before it hit theaters and now I’m letting you in on the movie’s plot and message.

Zootopia on the surface is a family friendly movie about a bunny named Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) who has big dreams. Judy wants to be a police officer in the big city of Zootopia, where all the animals have evolved into coexisting despite their differences. Zootopia is a modern city where predators and prey live in harmony together.

When Judy arrives in Zootopia she meets a sly (surprise) fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) who “hustles” for a living. She is determined to put her police badge to work and catch him in the act of breaking the law, until she is handed a bigger mystery. Judy has 48 hours to solve a missing mammal case.

Sounds like a great movie for the kids, right?

Judy Hopps arrival in Zootopia is where the movie gets really interesting. From an artistic point of view I was struck by the immense creative thought put into the details of the city of Zootopia. I can only compare the details in the movie to those you see when riding an attraction at a Disney theme park. The city of Zootopia is divided into habitats for the different animals that live there, though the animals themselves go between habitats freely. Ice berg people movers and piped in tropical rain are just a couple of the creative details movie goers see in the city of Zootopia.

Zootopia

Unfortunately, even in the evolved city of Zootopia, not all animals are treated equally. This is where some very adult world situations come in to play. Stereotypes, segregation (elephants only ice cream shop) and corrupt city leaders are all part of the plot. Kids will understand that the animals are being treated unfairly based on how they look, and adults will understand the deeper significance.

In what could be a very serious mystery movie for kids about missing mammals, a sly fox, and the bunny that saves the day, Disney somehow made it all a little more light-hearted and entertaining. I left the movie thinking about how Zootopia relates to our own world, so the message definitely wasn’t lost in the mix. And my son? He can’t stop talking about the pint sized community built for hamsters and the hilarity of the sloth named Flash.

Zootopia Rated PG

Runtime 1 hour and 48 minutes

Opens March 4, 2016

This is a guest  film review by Rebecca West who blogs at CraftCreateCalm.com. She’s a contributor for Mamarazzi Knows Best.