Zootropolis (2016) Film Review

10 years ago, Disney released its final animated feature under the original regime of Michael Eisner, who had pushed the animation juggernaut through its first renaissance of movies and into a series of box office disasters with the turn of the millennium, Chicken Little – the studio's first computer-generated feature and the last picture before Zootropolis to be based around a full anthropomorphic cast of animals. The film in question was a critical disaster, made barely any profit and has since been forgotten as part of the dark Disney period that occurred before Pixar head John Lasseter took over. A decade on, and many are considering the company to be top dogs once again, thanks to the huge successes of Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Wreck-It Ralph, so naturally it's time for the studio to venture once again to the animal well which they'd had success with during the 20th century. And with not-so-secret subliminal undertones which may be more relevant than ever, Zootropolis (also known as Zootopia in most territories) may be needed more than ever. But as a film which sits in the high 90-100% area of the Rotten Tomatoes rankings? That can't be right...

Ever since she was a young bunny, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) has wanted to be a police officer, much to the dismay of her carrot-farming parents (Don Lake and Bonnie Hunt) and some of the more cynical people of Bunnyburrow, and fights through the various comments and hardships to be accepted as Zootropolis' very first rabbit officer. However, upon arrival she gets given the task of parking duty by Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) whilst the rest of the squad are placed on a large missing persons case. During her duty she comes across Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) - a conniving fox who manages to create a hustle with the unknowing assistance of Hopps – and stops a thieving weasel without the permission from her boss. Thankfully for the rookie, she gets given the opportunity to work on the missing persons case when she promises to find an otter who disappeared to his wife (Octavia Spencer) and the assistant mayor Bellweather (Jenny Slate), and is given 48 hours by Bogo to find him or else she's off the force. With no resources available and very little evidence on hand, she must resort with teaming up with one of the last people to see Otterton: Nick Wilde. 

Whilst from the initial premise it may sound like your stereotypical buddy comedy about a cop, complete with shouty boss and mockery from some of the other members on the force (her only ally being obese cheetah Clawhauser, voiced by Nate Torrence), it does thankfully manage to balance the otherwise clichéd aspects of this particular type of narrative with top-quality dialogue and some genuine intrigue as to what's going on, with its underlying racial allegory being a particular talking point due to how current it is and how it's played off. You get hints towards this angle to begin with, but as the film goes on it becomes more and more apparent that this is the intended moral to teach its young audience – and it's something which Disney deserving should be applauded for in how it's presented. Granted, it does lead to a conclusion which feels ultimately rushed in its conceit, with the last 10-15 minutes covering the entire 'friends break apart' angle which really could have been left out, along with a last minute 'bait-and-switch' which even the youngest viewer will likely see a mile away, but the entire set-up of this grand anthropomorphic world and the mystery itself makes for an ending which – while still thoroughly entertaining and filled with funny moments – does seem to have been affect by being cut down for time. 

And when I say the film is funny, I genuinely mean it. From its early onset jokes featuring the younger version of Hopps and her friends to the extended sloth sequence (which many will likely find a highlight of the film despite the earlier trailer which highlighted it) and even the little nods to pop culture icons which would be otherwise aggravating seem to be well-timed and charming. It’s a film where the jokes work for all ages and doesn't limit itself to simple slapstick or ill-natured characters such as recent animation outings Kung Fu Panda 3 and The Good Dinosaur, and while not every joke hits they are still admirable in their approach. 

Also worth noting is the animation, as the world building and design work administered to the film is glorious. With the titular city being split into separate districts alongside the main city where they congregate being made up as a better-looking iteration of the standard New York-esque baseplate, and with the inclusion of numerous aspects within these sectors such as the nudist institute (no doubt a highlight for the film's furry fanbase, who've taken quite a liking to the picture) and the DMV highlighting particular areas of the wide world these characters reside in. Even Bunnyburrow, which takes up very little of the film's screentime, has some memorable aspects to it despite being simply enough the countryside to further realise the 'small fish in a big pond' story that Hopps must go through. As for the character designs, they are fine advancements into the classic look of the Disney Animated Classics, although some creations (such as Shakira's Gazelle – a weirdly sexualised animal who seems there solely for the use of a good film soundtrack) which could have done with a few extra hours on the drawing board. 

With a film with such a large world involved, you'd be correct in thinking that there'd be a large cast of characters too. Leading duo Goodwin and Bateman are practically perfect for their respective roles of Hopps and Wilde, with genuine chemistry detected between the two and, forced break-up aside, remain a delight throughout. Elba's Chief may come across initially as one-note and a standard for the cop genre, but he thankfully gets some advancements as the film changes its focus from the mystery to the prejudice undertones; J.K. Simmons as the Mayor Lionheart may not be as expertly used as he was in Kung Fu Panda 3 but suits his character fine; Torrence as the typical fat cop makes for some easy gags but also makes for a lovable character; Slate is adorable as the small sheep assistant mayor with her little friendship with Hopps; Maurice LaMarche as a Marlon Brando-esque mafia boss is absolutely perfect and may be an inspired casting decision; Tommy Chong's nudist yak is on screen for the right amount of time to remain hilariously tolerable; Hunt and Lake are as delightful together as always; Alan Tudyk as Duke Weaselton (a nod to his character from Frozen) remains the Disney version of John Ratzenberger; and Raymond S. Persi's fast sloth is as great as you saw in the trailers. And this cast doesn't even include the likes of a group of wolves, the Otterton clan, Wilde's partner-in-crime and a limo-driver jaguar. With a world this big, It's hard to cover them all.

Many have said that Disney has been going through a second renaissance as of late, dating back to as far as 2009's The Princess and the Frog and being made prominent with the successes of Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, etc. But Zootropolis may be the studio's best feature since their often-forgotten 2011 iteration of Winnie the Pooh – funny, charming, and with some of the studio's best animation. The characters are instantly recognisable, the world a marvel to look at and explore, and its social commentary coming at the perfect time. This is the closest Disney has gotten to making a Pixar-quality movie, and it certainly delivers. 9/10.