“ We may be evolved, but deep down we are still animals”
Turn on the TV today and everywhere you look there seems to be someone angry with someone else. With all the disagreement it would seem that any kind of Utopian society would be too far into the future to even really consider. The good news is the people at Disney believe we will get there, that is if our world were completely run by anthropomorphic animals. This “Zootopia” as they call it, is a place where predators and prey co-exist happily together, but something is rotten in the state of Zootopia.
While this version of the world is a place where a animal could be anything it wants, in the case of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) she want to be a cop. That might sound good, but since Judy is a bunny (a cute one at that) no one thinks she will ever do it. Well with a lot of effort and and a can-do spirit she achieves her dream. However just be because she gets the job doesn’t mean anyone still takes her seriously, and she is given the role of meter maid. Luck though is on Judy’s side as she is assigned a case to find a missing otter, in which she enlists the help of a fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). Together they follow the clues and uncover what exactly is making Zootopia so rotten.
If you have seen the advertising for this film, it looks like Disney has made another film that will be watched by kids and their parents at least a thousand times over the next few years. While the repeat viewings are definitely in store for you parents, the enjoyment factor might be not what you would hope for. The writers craft a good story about being whatever you chose, if you just put your mind to it, but in a little darker way. Sure there are plenty of cuteness, I mean the main character is a bunny. The film relies less on humor and more on story, and while it has its share of laughs (sloths running the DMV) it feels limited compared to other Disney films, or kids films for that matter. So while your kids are eating it up, the usual humor mixed in for the adults is a little lacking. Even if the message the film delivers is one that kids and adults should take to heart, it fails to go beyond that. Sometimes with these movies it’s about the cover of the book as much as the insides. With “Zootopia” its not just about the looks, and while you might not laugh as much, you will still enjoy it. At least up to viewing number thirty-two on video.
