A buddy-cop noir addressing issues of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination, this anthropomorphic Disney film is a clear call for harmony and acceptance in the midst of diversity.
Zootopia is the metaphorical New York, a scary big city and a melting pot of highly evolved predators and prey. Although lions and sheep are coexisting in the same workplace, distrust, fear, and tension are still simmering.
Our heroine is the idealistic Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), who, determined to break stereotypes, pursues a dream career in the police force in predator-riddled Zootopia and prove that she can be more than a dumb carrot-farming bunny common among her "kind."
Arriving in ultra-modern Zootopia from the burrows, the rookie cotton-tail frustratingly finds herself still a victim of a caste system—and worse, prevented by her boss (Idris Elba) to exercise her police skills. But when accidentally given a chance to crack a major case, she reluctantly teams up with a wily fox, the con artist Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), who, unlike Hopps, consciously lives up to his stereotype.
Despite their giant differences, Hopps and Wilde get into a convoluted crime-suspense adventure, jumping hurdles of racism and physical danger— and pushing the boundaries of predator-prey tolerance. Will Hopps save Zootopia? Or cause more damage?
Zootopia's relevant issues in a modern-day society are thought-provoking and encourages self-examination. The detective story may be predictable and commonplace but the movie is obviously aimed to be more than that. An animated-comedy version of Crash, there's a strong and somber message underneath the humor and the cuteness overload of the animals.
The animation is superb and breathtaking, the characters' body language, personality, and facial expressions are deeply human and hyperrealistic, reaching a whole new level in anthropomorphic animated feature films. Also, the animators crammed Zootopia and its many districts with fancy designs, and when Judy Hopps travels in a super modern Skytrain and goes through each district, from a Dubai-like city to a dense jungle, to the snowy Tundratown, it's the present-day Disney fantasy meant to elicit "Wows."
Hopps and Wilde, with their playful banter and flirtations, have chemistry, achieving buddy-cop success—with the rabbit reminding you of Sandra Bullock and the sly fox George Clooney.
Zootopia is bright, relevant, funny, with jaw-dropping animation. The creators behind Tangled, Wreck-it Ralph, and Big Hero Six, this movie brings a matured and serious material more suited for grown-ups—but fast-paced, entertaining, and visually exciting enough for kiddos
3.5 out of 5 stars
Opens February 17, 2016 in Philippine cinemas
Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
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