Zootopia

"A little bit of kindness goes a long way" would be a perfect quote for this film.

When Judy Hopps, a country rabbit, shoots for her dreams as a part of the police force in Zootopia(Zootropolis), things weren't what she expected it to be. She was forced to face reality for what it truly was. Sound familiar?

It may have delivered a couple of messages that people have already heard dozens of times, but that doesn't take away the strength it gives to those who believe that what matters the most is trying to do things right in their lives and in society. I wasn't expecting to find this to be a source of encouragement and inspiration, but that's what it delivered. The "true" conflict presented was also as relevant as it was when this film was released. A divide that caused unrest among the ones that should be working towards improving society.

One small crutch from the plot was its use of circumstance to move the story along. But overall, this can be overlooked since after all, it isn't only with wits or pure strength alone that would allow a person to find solutions to the problems that they face in their lives.

Using cartoons as a medium to convey the kind of messages it did was also a brilliant move on the part of the producer and creators of this film. It would be a good and effective learning material for parents or older people to use to teach young people as a way to prepare and make them understand how the world works.

Brilliant movie.

How can someone not like this masterpiece!

the characters they created are awesome! the world they created is mindblowing! the story is good!

Everything about this movie is just awesome!

A staple of children's movies is to give animals human characteristics, whether it is our feathered friends in the "Rio" series or our furry friends in the "Alvin And The Chipmunks" franchise. What is different about "Zootropolis" - called "Zootopia" in the USA - is that this is not one breed of talking animals existing in a human world, but every breed of animal inhabiting a world in which there are no humans. The colourful representation of this world, the engaging variety of characters, and the clever script with a message of tolerance and inclusion make for a wonderful movie from Walt Disney Productions.

The basic story is a kind of "Lethal Weapon" pairing of two unlikely partners in crime- fighting: a female rabbit called Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and a shady fox called Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). In pursuit of a missing person (sorry, animal), they encounter all sorts of adventures and a cast of characters ranging from sloths who will not be hurried to a Mr Big who turns out to be a tiny version of "The Godfather" concluding with a singing gazelle (Shakira). I took my five year old granddaughter to see the movie and she loved it, finishing up dancing in the aisles.

I hadn't planned on seeing this film (I feel we are over-saturated with animated films these day, most of them mediocre), but I looked on as my kids watched it. This is a really fine film. It takes on issues of prejudice and cultural diversity. Zootopia is a city where animals live side by side, predator and prey. It is not a utopia because law and order is necessary. A little female rabbit messes with the male dominated police force. She is put on duty as a meter maid and realizes sexism along with her species is under attack. She is feisty and eventually hooks up with a con-man fox (the least trusted species) whom she enlists to help her solve a kidnapping case. Actually, it's otter napping. In the process, she reveals her own prejudices and hurts her partner. The movie has stunning animation and intelligent dialogue and lots of social references. Very good stuff.

Zootopia leaves all other Disney 3D animations in the dust. The plot, characters, styling, quality of animation and script are so spot on. I could watch this film a thousand times and not grow bored. If you haven't seen it, stop what you are doing and watch it.