Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Zootopia (2016)



Number Rolled: 66
Movie Name/Year: Zootopia (2016)
Tagline: Welcome to the Urban Jungle.
Genre: Family
Length: 108 minutes
Rating: PG
Production Companies: Walt Disney
Producer: John Lasseter, Clark Spencer
Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Writer: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad, Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee
Actors: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, Shakira, Raymond S. Persi, Della Saba, Maurice LaMarche, Phil Johnston, Fuschia!, John DiMaggio, Katie Lewis, Gita Reddy, Jesse Corti, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister
Stunt Doubles: None

Languages
Speech Available: English, Spanish
Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Blurb from Netflix: When an otter mysteriously disappears from the animal city of Zootopia, a rabbit police officer teams up with a fast-talking fox to set things right.


Selina’s Point of View:
Up until I got to about forty-five minutes in, I thought this film was incredibly overrated. I just couldn’t get into it before the crime plot really started up.

Now that I’ve seen the rest of the film though, I get it. The mystery of the crime was actually very well done and I really liked the way revelations occurred to the characters. They made sense. In the end, though, what I liked the most was the amount of togetherness the film encourages.

The racial parallels are not subtle. In fact, the comparisons will beat you over the head like John Cena with a chair.


That being said, anything that promotes tolerance and togetherness is alright by me.

I was entertained by the rest of the film. Once I got passed that strangely bad start, I did wind up zoning into the story. I began to feel connected to the furry critters and I was amused by a decent amount of the jokes.

When I watched the trailer, the sloth/DMV part was my absolute favorite. Now that I’ve seen the film, the sloth/DMV part is still my very favorite. I could watch that on loop for days and not get bored of it. Not just cause I love sloths, either. They simply did a phenomenal job with everything about that part.

I did greatly enjoy the chemistry between the main characters. Judy Hopps, played by Ginnifer Goodwin (One Upon a Time, Something Borrowed, Big Love), and Nick Wilde, played by Jason Bateman (The Family Fang, Growing Up Fisher, Arrested Development), were relatively magical when I heard them together.

I don’t have much else to say. It was a good film. I’d rather watch pretty much any other Disney movie, but this one was great and it was something necessary for our divisive times.


Cat’s Point of View:
Right out of the gate, I’ll just say that I love this movie – so much so, that I am not really even sure where to begin. There is so much wonderful stuff jam-packed into this film. It’s got message, a stellar cast, a mind boggling load of Easter eggs, and infectious music.

I actually got to go to this one in the theater while accompanying my daughter to a Girl Scout outing. Everyone loved it, parents and kids alike. There’s good cause.

This movie is PG, but I’m fairly sure it’s only because some scenes might be a bit intense for very small children. There’s some violence involved – but nothing over the top or gratuitous. It’s all integral to the plot. I felt that was important to mention because the message this film carries is so important; especially in times like these.

This movie stands up against stereotyping and what some currently refer to as “profiling.” The message is strong that each person is able to accomplish anything if they have the drive and are willing to put in the work.

The creative team for this film did well in choosing the representative animals for these roles. A rabbit was the perfect choice for Judy Hopps. They are so adorable, soft, and seemingly cuddly – but with big pointy teeth! (If you heard that last bit in a shrill British accent, you are awesome.) Seriously. Have you SEEN or read Watership Down (1978)? That one was also PG but it was far darker. Don’t underestimate the bunnies.


I digress.

Waxing political is very much so not my thing. We are, however, in turbulent times amidst sweeping mistrust and division. The message of unity in this wonderful family movie is what we need more of, in order to scatter the shadows that are descending.

The cast brought their characters to life on par with the high expectations I had. Ginnifer Goodwin (Walk The Line, Ramona and Beezus, Electric City), Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses, The Gift, Central Intelligence), and Idris Elba (RocknRolla, Takers, Beasts of No Nation) among them. There were just too many people here that had me giggling in some form of fan-squee or another as the movie unfolded or as the credits rolled.

I can’t possibly go into the number of little references that are sprinkled like child-thrown glitter confetti throughout this movie. They’re everywhere. I was particularly amused with the cluster of them that surrounded Alan Tudyk’s (42, Tell, Trumbo) character. It would spoil all the fun if I explained it to you. This is one of those movies that you might actually find several new things in every time you watch it.

I can say with certainty that I would watch this one several more times, easily, and not find myself bored. It’s a fabulous movie.


Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 98%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 92%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 5/5
Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score3.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4.5/5
Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score5/5

P.S. Some visuals during the first part of the credits.

Movie Trailer:

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