 Tagline: Welcome to the urban jungle. In the animal city of Zootopia, a fast-talking fox who's trying to make it big goes on the run when he's framed for a crime he didn't commit. Zootopia's top cop, a self-righteous rabbit, is hot on his tail, but when both become targets of a conspiracy, they're forced to team up and discover even natural enemies can become best friends. Storyline: From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde, a wily fox who makes her job even harder. Written by Jwelch5742 Critics Consensus [98%]: The brilliantly well-rounded Zootopia offers a thoughtful, inclusive message that's as rich and timely as its sumptuously state-of-the-art animation -- all while remaining fast and funny enough to keep younger viewers entertained. Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, June 2, 2016 Disney Animation is on a roll. Hot on the heels of the monster success that was Frozen and the lovable Big Hero 6 comes Zootopia, a hilarious, tender, and action-packed animal-centric movie that's about individuality, acceptance, and co-existence. The movie's themes aren't really new, but they're interwoven into a pleasing package rich with well developed characters existing in a fun, colorful, and extraordinarily detailed world. Co-Directors Byron Howard (Bolt, Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-it Ralph) leave no stone unturned, crafting the movie with a near perfect blend of humor, heart, characterization, and detail. The story, themes, and laughs all play in harmony, yielding a seamless and enjoyable film that's sure to hold up for years to come and be remembered as an integral part of Disney's current run of success in the digital animation era. Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) wants to be a cop. It's her one and only dream, but she's told "no" at every turn. She's too small, they say. No rabbit has ever gotten into law enforcement. Her parents (voiced by Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake) want her to continue on in the family business of carrot farming. But she's a determined little cottontail, goes to the police academy, defies the odds, and not only graduates, but graduates at the top of her class. She heads out on her own, for the first time in her life, to Zootopia, where she hopes to fulfill her dream of busting bad guys and keeping the world safe for animals of all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, she's treated to her size. None of her co-workers, including her chief, Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba), believe in her abilities. She's relegated to meter maid duty, but she becomes determined to be the best meter maid she can be. That leads her to a chance meeting with a sly fox scam artist named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman). She falls for his ploy but quickly learns the truth about who he is. She also finagles her way into real police work: a missing person's case. Bono gives her 48 hours to solve the case or turn in her badge for disobeying orders. If she's going to work that fast, she'll needs help. She turns to Nick, blackmailing him to her cause. The two develop a friendship as they unravel a mystery that could have dire consequences and unseat the harmonious balance between predator and prey animals. Zootopia doesn't really explore new and exciting themes, so the movie is better enjoyed for its characters, locations, and, to a lesser extent, its technical qualities. The story is more than adequate in framing the movie's quirky fun and setting a stage through which it can explore those themes, but the film shines brightest elsewhere. Judy and Nick are strong characters, more similar than one would think going in, with largely parallel arcs that move apart but come closer together again as their adventures reveal who they are below the surface, particularly as Nick's backstory is revealed. There's no shortage of supportive thematic imagery -- the fox repellant Judy's parents give her being the most obvious -- that helps prop up the movie's overt themes that it chooses to wear on its sleeve rather than more subtly woven into the story. That's arguably the movie's biggest weakness, but there's at least enough fun around it all to make up for the central bluntness and parallels to today's headlines (xenophobia, personal identity, adherence to societal norms vs. individuality, etc.) that adults, for sure, will grasp early and often. But the story and themes allow the movie to journey through some really great moments and have a lot of fun exploring its world, a world that, even physically, is all too familiar but reworked for the contemporary, clothes wearing, headphone listening, car driving, busy-busy-busy biped animal kingdom. Zootopia's richness in detail is its primary strength. Few, if any, digitally animated movies feel this alive, involved, and lovingly assembled. With all the diversity in the movie -- the animal kingdom is represented widely and fiercely -- there's no shortage of opportunity to exploit every last little bit of potential zaniness, which the movie does with confidence, keen insight, and aplomb. Characters are very well drawn, and scope and scale are used to excellent effect, implemented not in one-off gags but made integral to most every scene in the movie, in some form or fashion. Judy's diminutive size next to her fellow officers -- who are elephants, lions, buffalos, animals much bigger than she -- is certainly one of the film's central focuses, but several scenes are built around other characteristics, such as a chase through "Little Rodentia," a sealed-off section of the city where Judy is as proportionality large as Godzilla and must avoid trampling on scurrying residents and toppling over rows of buildings while chasing her bad guy. Little touches throughout the Zootopia universe keep it fresh and enticing with usually perfectly designed and executed touches that have a recognizable center but an animal-centric, and often species-specific, construction. Then there's the DMV sequence, one of the absolute funniest moments in Disney movie history. It's a perfect storm of perfect timing, excellent use of a particular animal, and a clash between urgency and slow motion. Never has a slow sequence been so wonderfully executed and begged to stay on the screen as long as possible, and it's sure to leave the audience in tears and stitches. Zootopia may not be the new standard bearer for 21st century Disney digital animation, but there's no mistaking the movie's proud place as another top-notch picture in a growing list of instant classics from the acclaimed studio. The film has it all: great characters, a wonderfully detailed world, overt but well integrated themes, plenty of laughs, and lots of colorful and enticingly designed digital areas to explore. It's well paced and proportioned, too. And that DMV sequence...goodness! That'll leave a smile on the face for weeks. Disney's Blu-ray 2D release of Zootopia yields the expectedly gorgeous 1080p video and top-notch 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Supplements could stand a little more depth, including a co-director commentary track, but what's here is fine. Highly recommended. [CSW] -4.8- The directors of Wreck it Ralph and Tangled brings us an exquisitely animated and utterly enjoyable animated tale of equality, determination, and friendship. Bateman and Goodwin are absolute magic together and the supporting cast is just as magnificent. With stunning cinematography and a thrilling story filled with action and humor; this may end up being one of Disney's finest. A few hare-raising moments, but overall, every bunny in your family will be very hoppy to see it...and yes, I went there. So clever and funny! This has to be one of Disney's best animated movies in the last 10 years. Better than Frozen....way more tolerable than Frozen. And it had a lot of fun stuff for adults. It is worth watching again and again. Cast Notes: Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps [voice]), Jason Bateman (Nick Wilde [voice]), Idris Elba (Chief Bogo [voice]), Jenny Slate (Bellwether [voice]), Nate Torrence (Clawhauser [voice]), Bonnie Hunt (Bonnie Hopps [voice]), Don Lake (Stu Hopps [voice]), Tommy Chong (Yax [voice]), J.K. Simmons (Mayor Lionheart [voice]), Octavia Spencer (Mrs. Otterton [voice]), Alan Tudyk (Duke Weaselton [voice]), Shakira (Gazelle [voice]), Raymond S. Persi (Flash [voice]), Della Saba (Young Hopps [voice]), Maurice LaMarche (Mr. Big [voice]). IMDb Rating (06/08/16): 8.2/10 from 537,897 users Top 250: #136
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