Disney has made a lot of great movies over the years. Whatever a person's opinion on an individual movie, the Disney Animated Canon is so large at this point that I think it's safe to say that everyone has their own personal "gems" from the Disney vaults. Even movies that have had disappointing box office and critical reception upon relese (Ducktales The Movie, Fantasia, The Rescuers Down Under, The Black Cauldron, Treasure Planet) have developed large cult followings over time.
In my personal opinion, Disney has made around at least 30-35 good movies in total. So when I tell you that that the studio's latest feature, Zootopia, is easily one of their best, that is saying A LOT.
Yes, I used ALLCAPS to convey to you that I am 100% serious.
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Ok, ok, fine, it's a kid's film, 95% serious, tops. But still, yeah, this movie is great. But the greatest? Can I really back that opinion up? Well, let's see.
First, let's deal with a couple of things. This is not the first "talking animal" movie Disney has made, we all know that. This is not the first Disney movie that has tackled complex ideas. This is hardly the first Disney movie with a message behind it (all Disney films have morals, some are less subtle than others, like Pocahontas), this is rguably not even the first talking animal movie to talk about hatred and the cycle of violence; The Fox and the Hound did it long before I was born, way back in 1981.
For non-Disney films, Cats Don't Dance covered racial segregation in Hollywood's Golden Age using talking animals as a visual allegory in 1997, well after I was born and also the film's target audience
What separates Zootopia from all these predecessors is that it's the first talking animal movie in a fresh and sleek modern setting, and it's very smart in how it tackles the issue of racism, sexism and how fear can tear civilization apart. Avatar wishes it was this smart. Subtlety and nuance was never that movie's strong point. Anywy, let's ignore that controversy and concentrate on this one.
Zootopia starts off by introducing us to naive small town girl Judy Hopps, a rabbit (er, I mean bunny) with dreams of becoming a police officer in the eponymous city's police department. Not only does she succeed in her training program, she is also has the honor of being the first ever rabbit officer on the force. Moving away from her small farming town (with a population of over 8,000,000, how does it count asa town by that point?!) she sets out for the big city, visions of glory in her head and stars in her eyes.
The movie introduces us the city in the best way possible, by following Judy on a subway ride through the metropolis. We get to see first hand how so many vastly different species can live together in a modern setting. Zootopia is split up into separate areas, each one catering to the needs of several different groups of animals. For example, there's a neighborhood we get a short glimpse of called "Little Rodentia", where everything is built to scale for small rodents. Obviously a lot of thought and care went into the design of the city. Really impressive stuff. But we're just at the tip of the iceberg.
We are soon introduced to our second main lead, Nick Wilde. A smooth-talking, quick-thinking con-man (er, I mean fox), who has made a living by taking advantage of others for years, even though "everyone knows" in Zootopia that you can't trust foxes, they're born thieves and tricksters, apparently the lowest of the low among predator species in the city.
Nick oozes charm and a cocky devil-may-care attitude in almost every line of dialogue he says and movement he makes. Jason Bateman plays the part to perfection; Ginnifer Goodwin is equally superb, managing to be chipper, snarky, vulnerable and earnest in her pursuit of doing the right thing. They're both great characters, and hey play off one another extremely well.
Judy gives us the first big surprise of the movie. Stuck in a thankless role of meter maid and unwittingly becoming a part of Nick's latest scam all on her first day, she bounces back fast and becomes part of a big missing person's case, forcing Nick into helping her, and expertly manipulating her positive PR points to get her boss to assign to the case.
Judy may be new to the city, and a bit too idealistic for her own good, but she is far from stupid and never ever helpless. She runs from predators several times, but it is a completely understandable reaction. She is shown to be very competent and uses her speed and agility to her best possible advantage. Never in the movie did I find her to be the least bit annoying or overly saccharine. Not since Tatianna in The Princess and the Frog have I been so impressed by a Disney heroine.
However, she is not immune to doubt or prejudice. When she first sees Nick walking down the street, she becomes immediately suspicious of him without any proof or reason. In one of the movie's most heartbreaking scenes, when Nick makes threatening gestures at her, snarling in anger, she instinctively reaches for her "fox repellent" spray before she can stop herself. To her credit, a fox bullied her in elementary school and she immediately regretted her actions when she realized she was wrong.
By far the movie's biggest strength, and this cannot be stressed enough, is how nuanced and subtle the portrayal of racism is.
Judy is our hero. Is she wrong to mistrust all foxes? Yes. Is the root of her mistrust understandable? Yes. Is Nick also in the wrong for embracing his species stereotype and making everyone else's assumptions seem justified? Yes. Do we still like these characters and want to see them succeed despite these above issues? Abso-frickin'-lutely.
It was be so easy to make just one minority in this story the blameless, innocent victims of oppression and bigotry. But hatred and bigotry can go both ways. Everyone and anyone can an oppressor or a victim. Prejudice can still exist even if we think we all live in an "enlightened" society. The movie's portrayal is almost shockingly realistic in this regard (no lynch mobs, but there is a riot scene shown on a news broadcast at the story's darkest point).
Let us not forget that desegregation and mixed marriages remained social taboos long after slavery was abolished.
The movie refuses to oversimplify or exaggerate the problems the characters face (both internal and external), and the plot is constructed so well, filled wit so much symbolism, layers and twists, that I found myself comparing Zootopia, not to other Disney movies, but really good adult films like 48 Hours, L.A Confidential and Selma. The movie is clearly an homage to these movies as well as past Disney films. If it wasn't for the lack of gore or swearing, I would think this was a movie aimed at adults, no children.
As Nick and Jody begin to get involved in a dark conspiracy, the movie kept me guessing most of the way through. Unfortunately, since the last few Disney films have done a big twist in the third act, I knew one was coming. Kudos to the writers to making the villain's plan make disturbing sense, and for using the same Chekov's gun multiple times and have it be equally satisfying each time. Also, they include a Breaking Bad reference in the best way possible.
The only other flaw I can think of is at the very end where Judy basically tells us what we should take away from the story and what she has learned (because of course we need to be sure that the kids "get it"), but besides that minor gripe, I left the theatre feeling very satisfied. The characters had changed over the course of the story, the plot was wrapped up nicely, and there is a ton of room left for sequels (which considering the movie's critical and financial success is almost a certainty at this point),
But is it the best Disney movie ever? Honestly, believe or not, yes, it very well might be.
Great Disney movies of the past like Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin & Frozen are really good adaptations of timeless stories fused with the imitable Disney magic. Movies like The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are kid friendly versions of very dark and complex classic literature.
Zootopia, by contrast is a (mostly) original, inventive, creative, funny, heartwarming and thought-provoking movie. It is so well constructed, and it's message is so powerful that I think it has a universal appeal that everyone can recognize. Now keep in mind we're talking about Disney here! The fact that it is good should not be a surprise. But the movie goes well beyond what Disney has done in the past.
In the history of animation, this will go down as the Citizen Kane of animated talking animal movies. This is an experience that should not be missed. If any fans still had any doubts, even after Frozen, this will put them to rest.
The House of Mouse is on top of the world again.
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