Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore
Written by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston
Premiered March 4, 2016
108 Minutes
Rated PG
Since she was a kid, bunny rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginniger Goodwin) has wanted to be a cop despite her diminutive size. When she's old enough, she fulfills that dream by moving to Zootopia, an all mammal metropolis, and being added to the force by Mayor Lionheart's (J.K. Simmons) "Mammal Inclusion Act". However, Judy is relegated to parking duty by Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) who does not believe in her. On her first day, Judy meets cynical sly fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) who takes advantage of her kind nature and naïveté. Judy decides to make something of herself by taking on one of the 14 missing mammal cases and sets out to find a Emmitt Otterton...but she realizes Nick can be a help to her after all.
Before We Begin
This is my second ever viewing of Zootopia, which is far more forgivable than my second ever viewing of Big Hero 6 considering this movie only came out eight months ago (on my 28th birthday to boot!) I did not see it in theaters but a coworker of mine let me borrow her superfluous DVD copy--which I watched on my GD laptop. Keeping an open mind, I found that I quite enjoyed it and I am excited to watch it again...this time on Netflix.
Zootopia, if only for having a bunny protagonist, is going to be put in at least the Fondness category. But remember, I have not seen this movie 800 times like most of the others so my comments may be...erratic.
Mötley Müsings
• I love bunnies. Adorable.
• Is that the sheep from later.........Nope...that woulda been neat tho.
• "Today I can hunt for tax exemptions. I'm gonna be an actuary."
• Judy. That's a very non-2010s name. I don't know what to think about that...I guess I'm glad her name isn't Kaedynn or Kynsleigh or Keratin. (Or should I say Carrot-tin...haha. The Disney Doxy will judge your baby name.)
• "Judy, you ever wonder how your mom and me got to be so darn happy?"
"Nope."
"Well, we gave up on our dreams, and we settled. Right, Bon?"
"Oh, yes. That's right, Stu, we settled hard."
• 275 brothers and sisters!!!
• Kick in the face! Damn.
• I know it's predators vs. prey...but he's a BOY beating up a GIRL and that seems downright shocking in a kid's movie.
• Mammal Inclusion Initiative. Why are they all mammals? You could do stuff with crocodiles and eagles and bullfrogs. Why?
• "When is there not a need for a fox taser?"
• Fuck. This. Song. Seriously...it plays at my work everyday. I did not like it even when I had no idea where it was from. Maybe if I didn't hear it every fucking day for the last seven months, and if it was sung by someone who didn't sound like she was gargling testes...then it would be okay. Sorry, Shakira. I'm sure you're a lovely person. But I just can't with you.
• Bloody smart phones. Trends and Disney don't always work...
• Gazelle is totally unnecessary. Is she supposed to be Beyoncé or something? She does not work.
• "A bunny can call another bunny cute...but when other animals do it..." All right, we all know what Disney is going for here, and I am going to point out that this sort of thing is bigger than race. For instance, a woman can compliment another woman's appearance ("Your hair looks cute today") but when some rando guy does it, it comes off creepy as fuck. So really...just replace the word "bunny" with "girl" and it's true.
• Are there any other girl cops? Oh, Francine the elephant. Okay.
• Otters are predators? Like for fish, right?
• "I'm not just some token bunny."
• Are foxes really the WORST
• Fifteen dollars for a popsicle! WTF!?
• Jason Bateman can be smarmy and charming. Smarming.
• "A real articulate fella."
• "Hey Little Toot..." I wonder if Disney has any idea they're referencing one of their own forgotten movies.
• Cute fat mice.
• Pop song cues...ugh....
• "Jude the dude."
• "My mommy says she wishes you were dead."
• Steve Buscemi was meant to voice a weasel. Wait. It's not Steve Buscemi? Really? Huh.
• Snooki hair.
• "Life isn't some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and all your insipid dreams magically come true. So let it go." Yes, please. Let's let "Let it Go" go.
• Emmitt Otterton looks like Hiram Favisham.
• "Did you just boot my stroller?"
• "We are good at multiplying." BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
• Tommy Chong? Why not? They had Cheech 28 years ago!
• Naked animals...not sure what the deal is with this. They're all in awkward yoga poses but we don't see any orifices...I don't get it. Why is this so shocking? I think it would be funnier if there was something constantly covering the thing we're not supposed to see, but instead what we're not supposed to be seeing isn't even there...which makes a logical adult like myself wonder how these characters go to the bathroom and make love.
 |
| Much funnier... |
• "She's an elephant so she'll totally remember everything." Are we still kicking around the "elephants never forget" joke from The Jungle Book? All righty then. I can dig it.
• People hate the DMV. Sloths. Patty and Selma. It's never good.
• This is comedy gold.
• "Who still uses CDs?"
• The Godfather jokes. Why not?
• "I was small and emotionally unbalanced like you were."
• Oh no. Tragic childhood back story. Tears.
• Lionheart calling Bellwether "Smellwether" is hilariously Mad Men for some reason.
• Wolves are a red herring.
• So is the mayor...
• Recording shit on smartphones #2010s
• App jokes #2010s
• Speaking of 2010s...is Shakira even relevant in this decade? Besides like being an American Idol judge or whatever? And that show hasn't been culturally relevant since Carrie Underwood won, amiright?
• Judy's just following his advice...they are all predators....biology...she's not good with public speaking.
• Shut up, Gazelle.
• Are 90% of mammals prey?
• Judy quitting makes the movie longer than it needs to be.
• This night howlers thing should have come up earlier...you know, cuz it's fiction. But maybe...the bag of "onions" stolen by the weasel...when Judy used the scientific name...was it the same? Obviously, I have not seen this movie enough.
• Disney references Disney...this is gonna be so dated.
• "They offered me what I couldn't refuse. Money."
• This is like a Breaking Bad reference, right?
• So for the fourth time in a row, so-and-so is revealed to have been the villain THE WHOLE TIME. I don't think it worked very well in Big Hero 6, but you know what? I like it here. SPOILERS: It's the mayor's sheep assistant Dawn Bellwether who set up the whole thing about turning predators into savages so she--a helpless prey--could be in charge.
Shortly before (or was it after?) my initial viewing of Zootopia, I read Antagony & Ecstasy's review and he pointed out:
Zootopia wants real bad to be a message movie, but all of its strengths lie in other directions, and the specifics of its world-building are exactly the wrong fit for making any kind of commentary on race in America. It's much, much better when it's metaphorically talking about gender - small prey mammals as women in a hostile male-dominated space, like Judy, or the mayor's sheep aide, Bellwether (Jenny Slate). In a shocking coincidence, this much more effective, intelligent, and narrative-justified thematic messaging is also the one that the film doesn't feel compelled to openly insert into dialogue.
I completely agree with this and it has colored my opinions of this movie. I see it as about gender and wish that was pushed a little more. Whenever Judy and Bellwether bond, I like it.
• Can't you just see this as a feminist rant?
• Twist ending! Can you dig it? Yes I can!
• But seriously, fuck this song.
Final Thoughts
I hate to get all "Final Thoughty" on a movie I've only seen twice...because it doesn't seem all that fair. My thoughts are good. Secret Villain Reveal-Part Quatre doesn't bother me here. The contemporary "touches" definitely do, however. This movie will not age well...but I suppose there are worse things. The kiddos won't mind. I mean, how well does that Arsenio Hall reference from Aladdin work today? The answer is: it doesn't. But it doesn't detract from my enjoyment today.
Zootopia's main asset is its lead characters. Judy and Nick feel very, for lack of a better word, human. They are dripping with personality. They are flawed and yet ever so likable. Both learn a lesson, both become more complete. And even though they are different species and it would seem "weird" anyway, I like that there is no forced romance between them. Men and women can be friends! And work partners! It is possible, kids!
And yes, I know it's not even an issue, but I also like that Judy--at this point in her life, at least--isn't wanting to reproduce. What? That's a big deal for a bunny!
Zootopia's main asset is its lead characters. Judy and Nick feel very, for lack of a better word, human. They are dripping with personality. They are flawed and yet ever so likable. Both learn a lesson, both become more complete. And even though they are different species and it would seem "weird" anyway, I like that there is no forced romance between them. Men and women can be friends! And work partners! It is possible, kids!
And yes, I know it's not even an issue, but I also like that Judy--at this point in her life, at least--isn't wanting to reproduce. What? That's a big deal for a bunny!
Favorite Character
 |
| Judy Hopps |
Favorite Moment -- Um...I'll have to get back to you on this one...
Favorite Song -- No. No, I will not put "Try Everything" here by default. Not happening.
