Review: Zootopia (2016)

My ratingIMDbRotten Tomatoes
CriticsAudienceCriticsAudience
9/1076/1008.1/10100%Not available yet.
Numbers obtained from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes on February 29, 2016.

A city divided into particular neighborhoods tailored to each type of its inhabitants, slight prejudice in the air, bullying and division of the population between “us” and “them”. It could be a drama or a news report, but it’s the new Disney movie. And it’s a comedy! I swear! And it’s great!

Zootopia focuses on Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), an adorable and determined bunny who wants to be a police officer since she was in school and she genuinely believes that “you can be anything you want in Zootopia.” There’s one problem: no bunny has ever become a police officer before, so she encounters many obstacles to follow her dream. After finally becoming one, she’s assigned to parking duty and meets Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a fox who believes “you are what you are”, so there’s no use dreaming about changes. Due to a series of events, both have to work together to solve a mystery in 48 hours.

Filled with funny moments and references to other characters from pop culture (ranging from The Godfather to Breaking Bad, even making fun of Frozen), Zootopia is a clear sign that Disney is completely capable to make movies talking about current issues and aimed to people from all ages – as opposed to fairytales targeting mainly small children.

It’s hard to choose a favorite scene, because it’s so rich of good moments and great lines, but the one that probably got the most laughs from the crowd involves sloths running a plate number at the Department of Transportation.

It’s also interesting to point out that this is Disney’s longest animated movie – excluding 1940’s Fantasia. However, I didn’t feel the time passing! There’s so much going on all the time that you can’t help but be glued to the screen. I also loved the soundtrack, with Shakira’s new song “Try Everything”, which summarizes Judy’s life on the film.

Finally, as I mentioned before, I was really glad to see how Zootopia really talks about inclusion in a way that is very familiar to our realities. There’s even a town celebrity taking sides during a confrontation, something I didn’t expect in a Disney film. But it was a wonderful surprise! Go see it!

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