ZOOTROPOLIS - Film Review

Running Time: 108 Minutes

Release Date: Friday March 26th 2016

Disney’s triumphant second renaissance continues with the smarts and heart of latest release Zootropolis. And, where their celebrated return to form of the 90’s kept in line with the animation giant’s trademark fairytale-cum-lavish-musical formula, which the studio has demonstrated it can still do to nigh-ridiculous levels of success with the likes of Tangled and particularly Frozen, here is another House of Mouse release that joins its recent predecessors Wreck-It Ralph and Big Hero 6 in celebrating a wholly original concept adorned with plenty of millennial wit and attitude that still sacrifices none of the quintessential Disney magic and sentiment. 

It’s warmly topical, too; in a political climate of Donald Trumps, international refugee crises and other such divisive humanitarian woes, Zootropolis puts front and centre an earnest microcosmic study on the importance of diversity and acceptance, and of not allowing age-old prejudices and stigmas to cloud ones view of society. Here, in a world where animals of all shapes and sizes live relatively harmoniously, an underbelly of mistrust and paranoia is seeping into society, as a dastardly plot takes shape that is targeting, neatly, former predators and carnivores. It’s a smart twist, Disney clearly not wishing to be too atypical by having the victims of this conspiracy be the unconventional figures of Lions, Tigers and Bears, oh my! It’s all given a suitably accessible and family-friendly coating of Disney warmth and whimsy, marrying nicely with one of their more traditional tropes of aiming for your dreams regardless of who you are or what others tell you - as embodied by its central protagonist Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin), the ‘ZPD’s’ first ever Rabbit police officer, who has to battle prejudices of her own thanks to her small stature and first-of-her-kind pedigree. 

"In a political climate of Donald Trumps, international

refugee crises and other such divisive humanitarian woes,

Zootropolis puts front and centre an earnest microcosmic

study on the importance of diversity and acceptance."

Hopps, a new graduate from her animal policing academy, is at first sidelined with traffic warden duties when she reports for her first day of work at the bustling titular metropolis. Quickly, through determination and perseverance, she finds herself embroiled in a wider case involving the disappearance of the aforementioned predators. In the process, she ends up recruiting the street smarts and wiliness of hustler Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), a Fox who has also had his life shaped by stereotype and judgement. Hopps’ insistence to solve her case and be taken seriously offers echoes of The Princess and the Frog’s ‘You can’t just dream it, you have to work hard and do it’ mantra, with Wilde at one point even offering a knowing and decidedly unsubtle swipe at the studios former output, quipping “Life isn’t some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and your insipid dreams magically come true”

It’s all wonderfully re-affirming and empowering stuff - and mercifully the progression of the central plot line is rife with a slew of supremely entertaining vignettes and set pieces that range from charming and hilarious to thrilling and intense, and gives Zootropolis a whippy, characterful pace. From a visually inventive and adorable chase sequence which sees Hopps and her quarry momentarily supersized as they race through the streets of ‘Little Rodentia’ - a diminutive suburb housed predominantly by mice, a cleverly-observed trip to a new-age hippy retreat where animals - le gasp - do not wear clothing, to a fantastic diversion to the home of feared Gangster Mr Big, which drips in atmosphere, Maurice LaMarche’s perfect Brando impersonation and even a wonderful interpretation of the animals worlds’ answer to Frank Sinatra, it’s all positively erupting with some of the most assured, original and joyous writing the studio have offered.

There’s a recurrent cameo from singer Shakira in the form of music superstar ‘Gazelle’ (who is, naturally, a Gazelle) and, of course, there are the sloths - in the film’s funniest sequence, and one from which other studios would likely already be green lighting the spin-off for, Hopps and Wilde find themselves seeking urgent help from the decidedly less-than-urgent sloths of the City’s DMV. It’s funny, is of perfect length so as not to overstay it’s welcome, and is a testimony to just how much creativity and vision continues to go into every one of Disney’s ‘classics’. Any fear of creative burnout coming so soon after the likes of Frozen and Big Hero 6 is allayed almost instantly.

"By some measure the most gorgeous mainstream 

computer-animated feature film to date... it isn't difficult 

to imagine this being the film to finally, firmly convince

Uncle Walt and his 'Nine Old Men' of the merits of 

going full-CG."

Technically, it is by some measure the most gorgeous mainstream computer-animated feature film released to date. The environs and locations of Zootropolis’ stunning, expansive and diverse world tread a delicate balance between being borderline photo-realistic whilst still having both feet firmly planted in the films heightened art direction and styling. The titular City is breathtaking in scope and design, with an early arrival sequence which whizzes through its various main districts beguiling in colour and scope, and registering almost as a dream vision of what one of Disney’s own theme parks could be if writ almost Continent-large. From the broad, vast scope of the film - the story traversing rainforests to ice tundras, backstreets of the City to perilous clifftop hideaways - down to the tiniest of details, Zootropolis is a staggering visual achievement, and easily the hallmark for what Disney’s peers should be aspiring towards with future releases. The subtlety and precision of the character animation, too, is at a real apex here - this is potentially the first release where the performance of computer-animated characters is so naturalistic and nuanced that it eclipses even hand-drawn alternatives. It isn’t difficult to imagine this being the film to finally, firmly convince Uncle Walt and his ‘Nine Old Men’ of the merits of going full-CG.

Witty, funny, relentlessly inventive and entertaining, whilst also being an accessible parable championing diversity and acceptance, Zootropolis is in many ways the culmination of Millennial Disney output. Trudging through the early misfires and misfortunes of the likes of Home on the Range, Treasure Planet and Meet the Robinsons as they desperately attempted to compete with the cool new kids on the block Dreamworks and co., Disney gradually found its feet once again with dips into its traditional Princess/fairytale output, and the acquisition of major IP in the form of Marvel and Star Wars. Now, they are once again sitting pretty at the absolute peak of creative and commercial success, and it is fantastic to see, with everything Zootropolis is and represents, that they continue to place their animated classics output on a pedestal which few of their contemporaries can match. Whilst it may lack the obvious conventional stylings of Frozen or Tangled and isn’t quite as original or outside of the box as either Wreck-It Ralph or Big Hero 6, Zootropolis is simply a fantastic, funny and reassuring slice of cinema that continues to wave the flag of the House of Mouse loud and proud, and an indelible reminder that the third golden age of animation is here, and seemingly to stay.

Long may the renaissance continue.

RATING - ★★★★★

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