Zootopia+

For a world as rich and expansive as the one set up in Zootopia, it's a shame that we only got 6 ten-minute shorts in this TV series. It felt like there could have been much more to develop. However, what was here was at least enjoyable. I think I enjoyed the Godfather episode the best because it provided great backstory for one of the best side-characters in the original film. It is sort of a shame there wasn't more to see of Judy and Nick, although let's hope they save all that for a proper sequel that I'm praying will be announced soon. So, overall, I enjoyed this and it had some very funny moments, but this world created by the original film deserved a little more than an anthology.

Zootopia+ is presented in a similar format to I Am Groot which came out a little over 3 months ago, after seeing them execute that and since I'm a huge Zootopia fan I was excited for this, but I finished it ultimately feeling like I wasted my time.

Zootopia+ is the definition of hit or miss, literally only half of these shorts were worth watching, the dance episode, the dinner episode, and the wedding episode were all terribly disappointing and even the actually good episodes felt like they had something missing.

I know for a fact young kids, aka the target audience, will enjoy this, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

D+

Zootopia+(2022-) is a series my daughter and I recently watched on Disney+. The series is made up of short stories of the animals that reside in the town of Zootopia+. They all have different goals, ambitions and objectives and they're also all different shapes and sizes. We watch as the animals work to overcome various obstacles to complete various tasks.

This series is codirected by Trent Correy (Once Upon a Snowman) and Josie Trinidad and contains the voices of John Lavelle (Selma), Katie Lowes (Scandal), Joey Lawrence (Blossom), Alan Tudyk (A Knight's Tale) and Idris Elba (The Losers).

The animation for this series is absolutely out of this world. The depiction of the characters, universe and circumstances is amazing. Theres also great use of colors and shadows. There's some good lessons sprinkled in throughout the episodes and some fun humor too. The Godfather episode was me favorite and the Cheetah episode was hilarious. I do wish the episodes were longer than 10 minutes.

Overall, this is definitely a worthwhile series that is fun for the entire family. I would score this an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.

The remaining episodes featured characters displaying unintelligent behavior or being exceedingly dull, which was not in alignment with my anticipated and expected viewing experience.

I would strongly advise exclusively watching "The Godfather of the Bride" and "The Real Rodents of Little Rodentia" as, despite "Duke the Musical" managing to sustain my interest, it still constituted a substantial squandering of time.

Had I been exposed to the two commendable episodes initially, I would not have rendered it a rating of 5, and I would have been spared the encounter with the bathroom humor and infantile content of the first episode, the disappointment of the third, the idiocy of the fifth, and the profoundly monotonous sixth. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that all voice actors returned for pecuniary reasons.

Should a second season be produced, I sincerely hope for a marked improvement.

Six years after Zootopia hit theaters, Disney launched this miniseries to further expand the world of the film. Given that it was an animated film with an excellent reputation, it was only a matter of time before someone wanted to expand this animated work. Zootopia+ isn't a series that really adds much, since its short stories only offer a glimpse into what some secondary characters went thru during the events of the film, following the same formula as Saw IV. In that respect, it doesn't seem to have any reason to exist, but its stories are an addictive draw for fans of the original movie.

The first story is more of a very short gag that plays like a Looney Tunes short. It's fun to watch Judy Hopps' parents travel all the way to Zootopia just to rescue their baby aboard the train that's carrying Judy to Zootopia. This gives the rabbit couple an opportunity to have an exciting adventure, and there's not much more to say beyond that.

The second story reveals more about Fru Fru, the shrew whose life Judy Hopps saved. This chapter plays out like an episode of Jersey Shore and The Kardashians, with Fru Fru portrayed as a spoiled brat who wants everything to be perfect until her cousin Tru Tru arrives. Because of her life of luxury, Fru Fru doesn't understand the value of family until the scene where Judy saves her. The contribution of this story is that it shows how that event changed Fru Fru's perspective and she learned to be less selfish. Something important that later led her to save Judy from Mr. Big.

The third story reveals more about Duke Weaselton and how his arrest seems to be making him reflect on his life as a criminal. The story introduces what would already be the second musical number in the Zootopia saga, and here you can see quite a bit of Disney's habit of incorporating musical moments. This story presents a good idea of how a criminal can choose to change their habits, although in most cases they're forced to stay on the same path because it's easier to continue with the same habit than to change it. Given his situation, Duke doesn't seem to have the same opportunity that Nick Wilde had to change his habits.

The fourth story is the only one that really contributes much, because it reveals Mr. Big's past and how he became a mob boss. The contribution of this episode is that it shows how important Mr. Big was in establishing the small-rodent sector, making him a significant figure in Zootopia despite his criminal reputation. This is the only episode that touches on social issues, something that made the first movie a masterpiece. In this case, the issue of immigration by Italians who arrived in America is addressed. The most obvious thing about Mr. Big is that this character is heavily based on Don Corleone from The Godfather. In this account of Mr. Big's past, it's clear that the writers drew inspiration from The Godfather: Part II. Part II. That makes Mr. Big a pleasant homage to the iconic character portrayed by Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro.

The fifth story reveals Clawhauser's fanaticism for Gazelle. In the movie, he had already become an instantly charming character, and the miniseries was right to give him a chance. Clawhauser was already showing signs of being a fanboy, and that's evident in this story. There isn't much to say, since this story is more of a gag like the first one, but it's nice to see Clawhauser get his moment and learn about his dream of being a Gazelle dancer.

The sixth and final story is the only one to introduce a new protagonist who didn't even make a cameo in the film. In this case, it's about Sam and her attempt to get to Gazelle's concert on time, the very one with which the film had concluded. The humor of this episode lies in Flash and how his slowness becomes a torment for Sam. The movie had shown that sloths can drive Zootopia's residents to despair with their slowness, and this story confirms what anyone who interacts with Flash must endure. He couldn't be given a leading role because of his slowness, but he ends up being the best part of this story because his slowness becomes relevant to the comedy. Additionally, it offers a tiny, minuscule glimpse into the relationship between Flash and Priscilla to let us know they're not just coworkers.

The truth is, you can't expect much from this miniseries, since its stories are just extra and some of them might not go anywhere. But they maintain a strong connection to the film and are something made only for those who wondered what the supporting or background characters were doing during the events of the movie. What you can appreciate is the technical work of the animators, which remains at the same quality as the film. So Zootopia+ is a miniseries that offers little more than what can be explored in this animalistic world. The premise is good and could have been an excellent series if it had been longer in both duration and number of episodes to explore more characters. Even so, it's evidence that the world of Zootopia has a lot to offer. My final rating for this miniseries is 8/10.