Zootopia

[James]

I'm actually getting a little worried about this now. Unanimous praise from critics on RT, another article I just read called it Disney's best since Beauty and the Beast, and now I'm also hearing it's a "message" movie. Last time Hollywood and the media went this gaga over an animated message movie was Happy Feet.

[Vernadyn]

For what it's worth, Happy Feet's at 75% (which is still more than what I'd give it). I saw a TV ad that had the quote, "Disney's best in 20 years;" while I'm not going to believe that hype, I'm still hoping for a good movie, which is more than what I was hoping for a few weeks ago. (On a related note, Bolt's Blu-ray cover says something like, "The best Disney film since The Incredibles." Not quite.)

[Bill1978]

What? Better than Frozen? Clearly that quote suffers from short term memory loss. Most movie goers today would have Frozen as the benchmark for the best Disney movie lately (and not say it is or isn't). And last time I checked Frozen was released within 20 years ago. That would be like describing Mulan as Disney's best movie in the past 20 years when The Lion King was everyone's default response to best Disney movie at the time.

[Ben]

Funny that in Frozen's marketing it was announced as the best Disney film sinc The Lion King! So Zootopia must be really, really, really, really good to warrant going back over both Frozen and Lion King to get back to Beauty.

That said, I'm still not expecting much from this, so I'll likely be dazzled.

[droosan]

Just got back from seeing Zootopia.

I really, really liked it.

Sure, it's a 'message' movie -- but kinda in the same way that The Incredibles was; the 'message' is in there .. but there's a really entertaining and engaging story wrapped all around it..!

There's a bunch of fun sight gags, throughout .. including many clever ones not seen in the trailers. There's also a playful pot-shot taken at Frozen .. and even a 'blink-and-you'd-miss-it' Moana gag!

Judy Hopps is a great character. She is ridiculously cute .. but as she sets out to prove, there is much more to her than that. Actually, I loved all the characters in this movie .. even the ones we're probably supposed to hate (gonna stop there, to avoid any spoilers).

I went into Zootopia thinking it might be Disney's version of Blacksad .. and it kinda was, in part; but it definitely has a flavor all its own. Still -- If you like one, you'll probably dig both..!

[EricJ]

What? Better than Frozen? Clearly that quote suffers from short term memory loss. Most movie goers today would have Frozen as the benchmark for the best Disney movie lately (and not say it is or isn't). And last time I checked Frozen was released within 20 years ago. That would be like describing Mulan as Disney's best movie in the past 20 years when The Lion King was everyone's default response to best Disney movie at the time.

What an entire generation that grew up with crappy Troubles-era '95-'05 Disney movies WANTS to say is that WDFA movies are finally good again in the 10's Lasseter Renaissance, because they're made with some actual attention to story, character and tone again.
Unfortunately, the only way they can say it is to compare it to some over-nostalgized 90's Renaissance movie, and Those Two are the only 90's ones that spring to mind for most people.
For the same reason, we can say that Frozen has become the default-comparison New Lion King.

[Ben]

What utter crap.

[James]

A lot of people today only know Disney as the company that made bad to middling films from the mid-1990s until the Pixar takeover. And they're thrilled with what they're seeing lately from the company. Just like Cinderella and the Jungle Book were to those of us who grew up in the late 70s to late 80s, Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King are to those people and that's the comparison they're making with today's films. In the same way that some said the Lion King was the culmination of that early 1990s renaissance, people today would say Frozen marks the full return of the Disney of old.

[EricJ]

And back during the 60's and 70's, if you wanted to sell a non-Disney kiddy animated film, it was "The greatest animated film since Snow White/Pinocchio!". Just those two. In fact, all anyone ever did was try to follow Snow and Pinocchio's leads.
Like B&B, Lion King, and Frozen, it's a buzzword-symbol of some romanticized era when the studio had its most iconic product, not some actual qualitatively graded comparison between one film and another.

Now, if a 10's Disney movie critic-blurbed "The best Disney movie since Aladdin!", there would be trouble in Dodge City....

[James]

I'm not saying this movie was bad, but it was so far away from being Disney's best in any time frame you want to consider! Wreck It Ralph, Frozen, and Big Hero 6 out do it it just about every regard! Again, not saying it was bad. But not even close to deserving the high praise it is getting from critics.

[Ben]

Now, if a 10's Disney movie critic-blurbed "The best Disney movie since Aladdin!", there would be trouble in Dodge City....

But this one *has* done that! In saying it's the best since Beauty, they're saying that none came close to that between 1991 and 2016!

[James]

AV review is online: http://animatedviews.com/2016/zootopia-film/

[Bill1978]

Thanks for your less than stellar review James. I always worry heading into a film that has received glowing reports that I will walk out thinking, that's it?? So it's nice to have some balance before heading in. Your review has helped me lower my expectations.

[James]

I actually find that when my expectations are lowered I enjoy the movie more!

[droosan]

Case in point: I hadn't read a single article or review .. and I'd only seen the trailers a couple of times each, as they were released. I walked into Zootopia knowing about as little about the movie as it's possible to know in this modern internet age .. and I thought it was a blast. I enjoyed the heck out of it.


So, do I think James' review is a little overly harsh..? Yes. Yes, I do.


(some SPOILERS hidden here!)

A good point, though: Just what do the (former) predators/carnivores do for food..? Maybe everyone in Zootopia is a vegetarian, now. But the issue really isn't ever addressed, at all .. which is a bit of a cop-out; I agree.

I found the characterization of Gideon -- and the arc of his attitude toward Judy -- quite poignant, actually. I attended junior high and high school in the deep south, and as a nerdy geek (not by the 'cool' modern-hipster-type definition .. but the decidedly-'uncool'-because-of-being-both-ugly-and-smart definition), I found myself the subject of constant ridicule and derision by a number of Gideons. Most of whom (happily) also have mellowed with age, and have seemed genuinely glad to see me during my occasional visits, in our adult years. I ended-up really liking him, as a character.

The fact that Judy's parents went from warning her excessively against any interactions with foxes to basically becoming business partners with a fox themselves was also well-handled. As Judy says: "That's .. really cool, you guys".

And heck: I even genuinely liked Bellwether -- in spite of the 'twist' which (I agree) was telegraphed a little too far in advance. I loved the scene in which Nick can't resist playing with the tuft of wool on her head -- and she never notices! Jenny Slate will also be the voice of Gidget in The Secret Life of Pets -- which I'm looking more forward to now, because her voice performance for Bellwether was so fun, and funny..!

Mr. Big's daughter's wedding was hilarious. Nick eating a tiny cake! Giant polar bears standing guard! I loved the scene in which Judy saves her from the rolling donut, too. Actually, that entire 'Little Rodentia' sequence was rather brilliant.

Gotta say, though .. nothing is gained by proclaiming any Disney movie to be "the best since (X)." I'm not sure why even Disney does that in its own marketing, sometimes.