Zootopia – A world where humans never existed and anthropomorphic animals live in modern and civilised world. But it’s not just about animals wearing clothes, Zootopia delivers a rich world filled with not just characters, but personality.
Last year, Disney introduced us to the world inside our head with what with Inside Out – the animated (but much better ) version of ‘Herman’s Head’. While some will disagree with me (including people in the justsaying team) The Good Dinosaur, in my opinion however, was uninventive and flat – kinda like a poor man’s ‘Land Before Time’.
Zootopia feels big, with loads of potential. We see animals take to the world as humans would have but at the same time they have the benefit on relying on their natural gifts. It feels like they’ve taken the best out of the ‘Lion King’, ‘Cars’ to put the world together and a dash of ‘Police Academy II’ for the plot.
It can be easy to overplay stereotypes, however Zootopia intelligently uses those same stereotypes and characteristics in a way that makes it easy for viewers to relate – a DMV fully staffed by sloths? Yes, we’ve all been there.
Jason Bateman easily slips into the role of Nick Wilde, a fox who’s resigned to the fact that it’s impossible to change society’s perception so better to play the role they expect instead – a cunning hustler. In stark contrast, Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Judy Hopps, a bunny that’s not content with the norm and wants to chase her dreams instead.
The movie is a little bit of everything – an underdog story, a narrative on the divisiveness of society and a lesson that we can be more than any label – but it’s not easy. It comes with knuckling down and proving yourself even when everyone else does not believe in you.
Zootopia will definitely be Disney’s next big hit and I can’t wait to see what they do for a sequel. The world has been introduced well and the platform is set for a buddy-cop sequel.