Disney can be accused of many things—cultural appropriation, setting unreal expectations for children, censoring the brutality of old folk tales for mass audiences and thereby dulling their messages—but one thing Disney has mastered in recent years is maximizing the potential of its acquisitions. If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you have Disney’s acquisition of Marvel to thank for taking the risk on such an insanely ambitious project. If you liked The Force Awakens and are eagerly awaiting future installments, Disney was the crowbar that pried that property from George Lucas’ suffocating stranglehold on his own creation. And the irresistible charm of 2014’s Big Hero 6 would never have existed had Disney not permitted members of the Pixar crew to dig into one of Marvel’s most obscure properties.
Zootopia builds on the open affiliation established by Big Hero 6, but this time Pixar’s John Lasseter and a crew of Disney writers tackle an original story that utilizes the best aspects of both brands, simultaneously socially aware and emotionally mature while remaining lighthearted and fun for the whole family. The film’s eponymous city, Zootopia, is a supposed paradise where all mammals, predators and prey alike, defy biological expectations and coexist with the promise that any animal can be anything it wants. Yet like any social mythology, there are clear cracks in the application of these lofty ideals; distrust remains between prey and predators, certain species are expected to behave certain ways and remain in a particular part of town, and all the citizenry needs is one reason to be afraid before the entire system fails.
Our rabbit hero, Judy Hops (Ginnifer Goodwin) of rural suburb Bunnyburrow, dreams only of becoming a police officer in the big city, a notion that invites panic from her parents and bullying from those who remind her that there has never been a rabbit cop in history. Judy is determined, though, and thanks to a diversity program led by Mayor Lionheart (J.K. Simmons) she finds herself issuing parking tickets. But her optimism carries her through all the obstacles in her way, and she is soon on the path to solving the mystery of missing predators throughout the city with the assistance of a streetwise, hustling fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).
Zootopia is an ideal mix of Pixar and Disney DNA, bringing clever storytelling and tight visuals to the tiresome animated animals genre. Its metaphor for racism and prejudice is far sharper than one would initially anticipate, tackling both systematic and social discrimination in a society of supposed legal equality. But this is not so on-the-nose to be didactic; the animals’ prejudice comes from the world of animals more than from that of humans. Familiarity with the tropes of buddy cop films and numerous references to decidedly adult franchises (The Godfather, “Breaking Bad”) will help to amplify a grown-up’s enjoyment, but will not interfere with the upbeat attitude and silliness that permeates the world of Zootopia.
Zootopia
PG, 109 minutes
Violet Crown Cinema and Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
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