Zootopia
by Bobby Blakey
Disney continues to churn out some of the best animated films out there. With the exception of a few recently they typically feature a great variety of memorable characters and heartwarming stories for all aged fans. The latest Zootopia delivered one of the best trailers of their films in some time, but does the finished product live up to the hype or will it be too wild to be able to tell a civilized story?
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Zootopia follows a fugitive con artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work together to uncover a conspiracy in a city of anthropomorphic animals. Once again Disney has delivered on just about every level. This film manages to pack in a ton of humor, heart and an important message all wrapped up in a furry bow. Much like most of their films this one features a great voice cast including Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira, with each of them bringing their character to life with perfection. Goodwin and Bateman have great chemistry with their characters of Officer Hopps and and Nick Wilde. They are easily two of the most likeable animated characters to come along in a long time. As great as they are, this film is packed full of even more great characters that will have you laughing and beaming with delight. Although the film is in the computer style animation the feel and vibe harkens back to the early Disney films featuring animals in place of the humans, but here somehow manages to work better than ever. They have cleverly used all the animal characters in some fun unique ways that will have you begging for more.
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The attention to detail in this world is amazing and features so much eye candy, there is no way you will be able to soak everything in on one viewing. It’s not just the animation designs, but also the creativity of the writing that purposefully places the various animals in different situations and environments that make this film so much fun to watch on every level. From the first scene of the film to the last frame you would be hard pressed not to find something you love. The story is not only packed full of all the humor you could hope for, it features a fun little mystery storyline with some fun action packed in to keep it moving along at a quick pace. This would have been enough for this movie to be perfect, but there is also a clear message of acceptance and unity here that is right on the forefront that you cannot avoid it, but never feels like they are trying to be preachy. With the state of the world this message could not be coming at a more perfect time and will hopefully resonate with those willing to listen.
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This is one of those great instances where the trailer sets up some fun, but the film itself takes it to the next level and manages to deliver perfection. Everything here works and with the vibrant visual treat of the animation and awesome voice work Disney once again has a great film on their hands. This is one of those movies that really needs a follow up as there is so much more to explore in the various cities and characters it would be a shame to leave such an awesome world unexplored. In addition to this awesome film this release includes a ton of bonus features including deleted scenes, featurettes and so much more taking fans further behind the world of Zootopia.
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Join officer Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on their case with Zootpoia available now on Blu-ray, Digital HD, and Disney Movies Anywhere from Disney Home Entertainment.