Film Review- Zootropolis

Zootropolis (or Zootopia as it's known stateside) is the latest effort to hit the big screen from the Disney Animated Studios. Starring Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, the film is set in a fictional world where animals have gained human intelligence and attributes and live in multicultural society called "Zootroplis". The film follows newly appointed police-officer Judy Hopps and her reluctant con-man partner Nick Wilde as they investigate the disappearance of missing predatory animals throughout the city. However, the deeper they look into the case, the more it appears that something far more sinister in going on in Zootropolis.

First off, the animation in Zootropolis is stunning. Pixar's positive influence on its sister studio is very clear throughout, with the colourful world of Zootropolis looking like it could have been taken straight out of Riley's brain from 2015's "Inside Out". However, it is the attention to detail that the studio truly deserves credit for. Each strand of fur is perfectly animated. Each texture has its own distinct look. Each and every character's movements are right on the money. It is one of most impressively well-animated films that has come out in the past couple of years, particularly when you take into account the challenges that they must have had bringing these anamorphic creatures to life. The voice acting work in this movie is also right on the money. Once Upon a Time's Ginnifer Goodwin really brings everything to the table as the peppy Hopps. The energy is her voice puts across Judy's eternal optimism in a crystal clear way yet it is in the film's more emotional moments that she really displays her depth, as she conveys Hopp's lingering doubt effectively without overplaying it. Jason Bateman is also great in his role as sly fox Nick Wilde. Bateman's voice oozes sarcasm and condescension, and he is the perfect pessimistic counter to Ginnifer's happy-go-lucky rabbit. A perfect cinematic screen pair, proving the the trope of the "odd couple" has some life in it yet.

However, it is Zootropolis' exciting plot and mature themes that puts it ahead of other family film's you will see in the cinema this year. The neo-noir type plot line will keep both parents and kids engrossed throughout, yet it is the film's commentaries on diversity and discrimination in society that is very timely and hits home. In a world driven by hatred, Disney has released a movie that teaches children not to focus on our physical or social differences, but who a person is on the inside, and I think it's a lesson many adults could learn from in today's political climate. Props to Disney for tackling this issue with such grace and so well at a time where this film was very much needed.

Overall, Zootropolis is Disney Animated Studios true return to form. It's a film that could hold a candle to the studios classics such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast in terms of its pathos, while also combining a new-found technical glamour it has inherited from its cousins at Pixar. Disney have outdone themselves with this absolute gem of a movie, providing us with an on-the-money social commentary that you won't see in most big blockbusters of the modern era. A great cast of characters and a fun, colourful vibe add to this film's acumen, yet it is the film's strong plot and mature themes that will mean Zootropolis is remembered as one of the finest Disney films of the modern era.

Score: 8.6/10