I'll admit that, when I first started hearing about Zootopia, my hopes weren't very high. Disney making a film consisting entirely of anthropomorphized animals is not a new concept for them, and it's resulted in movies both good (Robin Hood) and bad (Chicken Little). The advertising did little to sway me, with mostly unimpressive jokes being showcased and nothing indicating that there would be anything original or smart to the film.
This is a case where I was very happy that my expectations were wrong. I walked out of Zootopia not just feeling entertained, but in some ways shocked. This turned out to be one of the smartest major animated films I've seen in years, but doesn't do it in a way that will alienate the younger family members Disney cartoons typically draw. There are still a few drawbacks that prevent it from being a straight-up classic in my book, but it was honestly delightful how much the movie impressed me.
The prologue quickly and humorously sets up the fictional animals-only world, establishing that all the individual species have evolved from their traditional wild behavior to be civilized and cooperative, with predators and prey alike living in peace. Enthusiastic rabbit Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) has grown up desiring nothing more than to make a difference in the world by becoming a cop, despite skepticism from everyone she knows who doubt a tiny bunny can be effective in law enforcement.
Judy eventually defies the odds and lands a job in the titular city of Zootopia as the first officer of her species, but it's clear from the start that her grizzled ox chief (Idris Elba, getting to make use of his natural British accent) is dismissive of her, starting her off as a meter maid. While on duty, she encounters Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a street smart fox who makes a living as a con artist. While Judy is initially unable to get the best of Nick, she is later able to convince the chief to let her investigate the latest in a string of missing animal cases, and tricks Nick into helping her upon realizing he's linked to the victim. From there, the two visit various distinct districts of the city, learn more about each other, and uncover a threat bigger than they ever expected.
One of the most interesting aspects of Zootopia is the genre classifications it falls into, some of which are uncommon in Disney and animation in general. You certainly get a lot of expected jokes and plot points based on the unique characteristics of certain species, but Nick and Judy's partnership has echoes of a buddy cop film, and the ever-expanding mystery they're solving results in the closest thing to a cartoon noir since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It certainly helps that the leads are entertaining and play off each other great, with good voice acting, animation, and character growth to boot.
Let's get the big thing other reviews have stressed out of the way. Perhaps the most surprising and impressive aspect of Zootopia's story is the racial subtext. The film's prologue has characters stressing how the evolved animals have evolved and put their longtime fears and prejudices of certain species aside, but Judy is shunned by her superiors due to her being a smaller and weaker animal, and one of the key factors in Nick's past and present is how people view foxes as untrustworthy. Even the main threat introduced in the second half goes against the friendly, anthropomorphized characters both conceptually and visually, complete with the villain's motivations driven by prejudice.
It's to the film's credit that this aspect never feels too preachy nor understated, and is executed in a way substantial enough to work for adults and accessible enough to work for kids. The film does little to sugarcoat this aspect, too, with a flashback sequence showcasing just how nasty prejudices can get, and a general feeling that people will always have built-in views of others based on their race and background, but it's up to individuals to prove those thoughts wrong. The only issue I ended up having from all this is that it made the absence of minority voice actors for the main cast (Outside of Elba and Shakira in a superfluous background role) all the more odd.
I've noticed that some of Disney's more recent films have had the prerogative of fessing up to the unrealistic plot beats and morals of their older work. The Princess and the Frog took the wishing on a star cliche and firmly established that its heroine only fulfilled her dream by heavily committing to years of hard work, and Frozen had characters immediately calling out one of its princess leads for getting engaged to a man she barely knew. Zootopia's overall tone in terms of how its characters view and treat each other is along the same lines, though it feels more like a huge reality check than Disney poking fun at itself (Though there's plenty of that when it comes to individual jokes, but I won't spoil those).
Outside of the core story, Zootopia has many other merits. The animals are appealingly designed and animated, and the idea of the city being split into distinct districts, like a rainforest full of treehouses and a miniature town for mice where Judy looks gigantic, is great. The pacing is also marvelous. The movie reached a point where I assumed it was at least 2/3 through, but when I checked my watch, I realized it was only at the halfway point, yet there was no feeling of dragging at all. It's nearly impossible for me to find a movie capable of that.
Now that I've listed my praises, it's time to be more critical, because there is a big thing that holds me back from considering this a pure classic, and that's the humor. There are next to no jokes that fell flat for me, and I got many chuckles, but compared to other animated films, it's certainly lacking in the big laughs department. The scene with the sloths at the DMV that's been all over the trailers and ads is indeed hysterical, but it's the exception to the rule, and many have already had some of the impact robbed by seeing it beforehand. If Disney had been willing to commit to a more purely drama-driven film, this would have been a lesser issue, but as is, this aspect feels like one that wasn't a home run the way other parts were.
The climax to the film also feels unsatisfying. Disney seems to have committed to not properly revealing the villain in their movies until the last act since Wreck-It Ralph and especially Frozen's infamous twist, but it's less shocking here as a result, especially considering that there weren't many characters who could be the villain as well as the culprit's relatively limited screen time beforehand. I'm definitely ready for Disney to go back to the Jafar or Ursula template and give us a great villain from the start.
Also, without going into spoilers, the climax ends very abruptly. There's a decent action scene that still feels like the best is being saved for what comes afterwards, then a moment with Nick and Judy trapped in a bad situation by the villain. Most movies would have them figure a way out then have a big showdown, but the moment they have a solution to this predicament, things are wrapped up in an instant. Frozen and Big Hero 6 had climaxes that offered good buildup, spectacle, and emotional resonance, and it's a shame that this couldn't follow suit.
Spending three paragraphs discussing my big problems of the film may sound very harsh, but considering that this is already one of my longer reviews and I've had nothing but praise otherwise, I think it's a fair assessment. Zootopia is still a true achievement for Disney in terms of storytelling and both writing and art direction, with a timely subtext and some genre elements I haven't seen in mainstream animation for ages. This is one of those animated films that truly can appeal to anyone.
Final score: A high 8 out of 10
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