I feel safe going on the record and saying Walt Disney Studio's "Zootopia" is Disney's best animated, non-princess feature since Pixar's "Toy Story". The movie does a tremendous job of carrying an emotion-filled storyline without needing the typical love interest. Director Byron Howard, along with screenplay writers Jared Bush and Phil Johnston put together a cohesive script with animalistic realism. One of the most respectable things about this film are the real-world issues the cast tackled; underlying tones regarding prejudice, stereotyping, honesty and even incorporating elements of a corrupt government by using the animals as a realistic comparitive to modern day humans.
Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are two complete characters who come from different backgrounds, but become a power tandem. Wilde, the sly fox, helps this hard-working bunny throughout her adventure and is a re-assuring, motivating voice during Hopps' time in the mega-city known as Zootopia. Disney has always done a marvelous job of personalizing each of their movies and making each character relatable to an enormous demographic of viewers. The jokes and beautiful animation keep the younger viewers occupied.. while the sophistication of the storyline captivates older fans. Disney's newest film is jam-packed with Easter Eggs.. most of which paying homage to recent films. I counted 5 Frozen reference.. as well as a handful of other nods to other Disney flicks. If I had to think of a couple of reasons to knock this movie down a few pegs; I would have to point out the predicatability of certain parts of the film and the lack of an initial back story. What I mean by lack of initial back story is that within the first 6-10 minutes of the film, you whiz through Judy's early life and then, BOOM, you're in the heart of the Zootopia plotline. Although the beginning of the film moves quickly.. there are other parts throughout that go back and answer any questions you may have had. After seeing Zootopia only once, I did not sense any holes in the scripting, character development or plotlines. I would like to thank the Disney Parks Blog for the opportunity to see Zootopia before it was released nationwide. I would also like to thank them for getting the chance to meet Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps (pictured below); but that's a different post for a different day. Zootopia hit's theaters this friday, March 4th, and I will for sure be seeing it again. If you make the trek out to the theaters, be ready to have a "Wilde" time.