Filmology Rating: 3.8 out of 4

Zootopia, a Disney movie written and directed by the people who have brought us Tangled, Wreck it Ralph, and Bolt, delivers what very well might be their best movie yet. Judy Hopps, a female bunny who has always dreamed of being a police officer in the big city of Zootopia, finally gets her chance. After Judy becomes the first bunny ever to complete police academy training, she is then off to pursue her dreams and make a difference in the world. However after arriving at the big city, she realizes that her dream will be a lot harder than previously imagined.

While this movie is marketed as a kid’s movie, it is so much more than that. Zootopia floored me in just how good this movie really was. Not only will kids love it, but it can truly be admired by adults as well. It has good clean humor throughout the film that ranges from jokes the kids will laugh at to parodies of The Godfather and Breaking Bad.

Alongside the humor, there are very obvious morals to be learned throughout the film. Judy is a bunny and typically bunnies aren’t police officers, let alone a female bunny. However, it is her dream to help the helpless and to truly make a difference so she doesn’t let societies gender or social norms get in the way of her dreams. Going against what her parents want, she pursues her dream and is off on her own. Following our dreams and going off on our own is something that many of us college students might be able to relate to.

When Judy gets to the big city of Zootopia, she is met with all of these prejudices with everyone telling her she can’t and won’t be able to make it as a cop. Alongside the prejudice that a lot of the animals hold, they are also segregated into groups of predator and prey. These two groups have learned to live peacefully alongside one another but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t stereotypes that follow. Everyone assumes that if you are a bunny you will are dumb or weak, if you are a fox then you are also sly, and if you are a sloth then you are slow. These are great lessons to teach throughout this movie; that we shouldn’t have preconceived notions as to who someone is and what they will be like.

Overall, this is right up there with the quality and the life lessons of Pixar’s Inside Out. It is fun for the whole family, perfect for a date, and great for anyone who admires a well-made movie. I would highly recommend seeing this movie.

Rating: See It 

-Nick

As a company, Disney has always been recognized as the primary pioneer and innovator in the field of animation. Although Disney has given us countless classic films, the company itself has often maintained a slight distance between the real world issues that plague our society. Their newest film Zootopia finally treads far away from the “comfortable” universe that most Disney films reside in. What Disney have given us is a refreshingly modern film noir that is brimming with love, humor, and relevance. 

Zootopia is the story of an optimistic bunny by the name of Judy Hopps. Even from an early age, Judy dreams of leaving her small town life with her large bunny family to become the first bunny cop in the city of Zootopia. In this world, predator and prey live together in harmony. The biological relationship of predator vs. prey is long forgotten in this society. Only after Judy arrives in the city of Zootopia does she realize how difficult her life and her job will be in the big city. Several cases of missing animals gives Judy Hopps the opportunity to prove her worth as an officer. Judy is only able to make progress on the case with the help of a sly fox by the name of Nick Wilde. The relationship that develops between Nick and Judy is complex since they possess opposite personalities. As the movie progresses the mystery of the missing animals grows larger and Nick and Judy must travel even farther down the rabbit hole. I will only take a moment to touch on the technical aspects of the film because it is virtually flawless. The animation is top notch and the voice cast is one of the best voice casts I’ve heard in an animated film. Disney truly spared no expense when creating this film.

In terms of structure, Zootopia is incredibly complex. Zootopia effortlessly blends humor, wit, drama, and mystery into a single entertaining film. While watching Zootopia I was taken aback by how easily the film shifted between humor and heartfelt emotion to produce what might be considered the most wholesome Disney film to date. Even more impressive is the balance between the classic story and the modern world. Disney has always held a firm grasp on the classic story, but they often avoid giving films a modern touch. DreamWorks animated films are especially fond of giving their films the modern touch, but they often go too far into the realm of pop-culture. Disney took great care in crafting a film that feels entirely modern, but also classic. The animated animal characters and city feel like a natural extension of the world we live in today. This natural extension of the real world is a crucial characteristic of the films message. Even in the relatively peaceful city of Zootopia animals are constantly stereotyped based on their appearance. A bunny can’t be a cop, foxes are sly, and sloths are slow. Each animal possesses a different set of stereotypes that define how they are treated. Zootopia carefully shows us these stereotypes and gives us reasons to look past them. Although the message in Zootopia is easy to digest, when applied to the real world it takes on a whole new weight. A film like Zootopia is exactly the type of film that we need to discuss the topics that plague our society. I cannot commend Disney enough for tackling a film that discusses race relations, gender equality, and our basic biological instincts. With Zootopia Disney has created an incredibly powerful films that also holds more relevance than any film I’ve seen in quite some time. Do yourself a favor and go see Zootopia several times.

Rating: See It 

-Tyler