Disney has done an incredible job with storytelling over the years. They give us films fused with real-world problems and explain it so well that children can truly understand what’s going on in the world today. Zootopia is another film in which they accomplish just that.

The film takes place in the vibrant, diverse world of Zootopia, a place where predators and prey alike live in harmony. It’s a city where any animal can chase their wildest dreams, while coexisting with all other species.

In the case of an entire world of animals being the dominant species, I can only think of Robin Hood (which I really enjoy) and Chicken Little (which I consider to be Disney’s worst) that have pulled off the anthropomorphic setting. Zootopia takes the same idea, but really takes advantage of the environment it creates to create something really unique.

The plot revolves around Judy Hopps (played by Ginnifer Goodwin), a rabbit who used to live in a rural town. She dreams of moving to the metropolitan city of Zootopia to become a police officer, but there’s a problem—the problem is that no one takes a rabbit seriously as a cop. Judy is given the duty of meter maid and eventually encounters Nick Wilde (played by Jason Bateman), who later becomes an important source of information during a mysterious kidnapping.

Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are absolutely perfect for each other and play to their strengths: Goodwin with her charming and no-nonsense attitude and Bateman’s sly hustling ways. They dominate the film but luckily you’ll learn to love them immediately through their strengths and their flaws.

While this film has humorous moments, it also has some very emotional ones, especially during the main character’s flashbacks. The struggles that both Judy and Nick have to put up with feels very genuine and realistic, much like the problems we face today with race, religion, sexuality and more, which brings us to the main theme of the film: not judging others based on their species and avoiding common misconceptions and stereotypes about anyone who may not come from the same origins you do.

One thing I’ve noticed is that Rich Moore, one of the three directors of the film and probably the most experienced, has had other directing credits in shows such as the Simpsons and Futurama. What these shows and this movie definitely have in common is the mix of a well-paced story, strong characters, and shades of drama and commentary that speaks to the current issues.

While there is much praise in this review, I should address one minor flaw, and that is some of the writing. It’s not bad, and there are many memorable lines, but some jokes are so corny that they do tend to fall flat. Thankfully, there is a lot more that work than those that don’t. The action scenes are a lot of fun, very creative and the animation is spectacularly detailed and contributes mightily to the story line.

I rate the film 5 out of 5 bunnies. It is absolutely hilarious; it has heart-warming and tear-jerking moments that Disney is so wonderful at creating. The voice over work is flawless and is filled with an incredible supporting cast and brilliantly tackles diversity and discrimination.

Zootopia

Director(s):  Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba

Running Time: 108 minutes

Rating: PG

Genre(s): Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family

Rating: 5/5 Bunnies