Ryder: Zootopia

ZOOTOPIA (2016)
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Is it any surprise that animation remains one of the most creative mediums of storytelling? The ability to meld any world into any kind of story is limitless among animation, and films like Zootopia has proven how effective it can be. John Lasseter has been knocking it out of the ballpark with his contributions at Disney, imbuing very relatable human drama into toys, video game characters, and now, bestial creatures with wild and uncontrollable instincts. These films are undeniable proofs that the real heart of Pixar belonged to John, and I wish he would just focus his attention there already. The main Disney brand's five minutes of fame are up, especially with its greedy buying out of Star Wars and Marvel. But I digress.

A number of complaints regarding this film revolves around the political-correct heavyhandedness of the story, and it can be quite challenging to disagree with either parties making or rebuking this claim. On the one hand, yes, the story is oozing with blatant racial undertones. If anything, it's the very central core of the conflict in the story! Spoilers! But on the other hand, you're not really seeing the forest for the trees here, the big picture of what the story represents with its racial undertones. Much like how Inside Out isn't just trying to teach us how our emotions can go haywire, but that everything's going to be okay in spite of our emotions going coo-coo every now and then, Zootopia uses said PCness to tell a more meaningful message than just "Hey, don't be racist/sexist!" In my opinion, the message it's more trying to aim for is a deconstruction of the American Dream.

Nick Wilde: "Tell me if this story sounds familiar. Naive little kid with good grades and big ideas decides "Hey look at me, I'm gonna move to Zootopia! Where predators and prey live in harmony and sing Kumbaya!" Only to find, whoopsie: we don't all get along.

Everyone comes to Zootopia, thinking they could be anything they want. But you can't. You can only be what you are. Sly fox. Dumb bunny."

If the idea of coming to a big city with dreams of working hard to become successful in life sounds familiar to you, you've hit it right on the nail - it's the American Dream. Of course, many films have tackled criticisms of this naive idealism before, so what makes Zootopia so special, right? Well, for starters, and this is probably the most important point - it's a kids film. For a family-friendly animated film to incorporate such mature ideas in the story (that easily match up to the likes of Toy Story mind you), it's always worth commendable because that can be a difficult thing to pull off without sounding too preachy or boring! But the movie ended up being entertaining anyway, with mixed genres of buddy-cop humor and just a plain action adventure.

This is probably one of the best animated films that your kids need to see, not just because of its pseudo-political correctness or whatever, but also because it teaches kids something many animated films miss very often - that life isn't a rosy-colored painting. Many cartoons tried to paint this picturesque world at the end where everyone gets a happy ending and the world is peaceful at last, but as the protagonist hopper reminded, "Real life's a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy." Much like Wreck-It Ralph, Zootopia goes into some surprisingly dark territories, darker even. I'm shocked that this only gets a PG rating, actually, for the subliminal messages hidden beneath certain violent actions in the story can be quite discomforting if you've been through similar experiences before. But the movie doesn't try and shy away from that, showing the ugly jungle we live in for what it is, but ends it on an optimistic yet realistic note spreading hope for a brighter world which we can try to make better. A cheesy platitude to some, but a sensible truism in my opinion.

Much like the world it paints, however, the movie is, of course, not without its faults. There are moments where the story gets predictable and by-the-numbers as it goes through the motion of a typical buddy-cop story getting in trouble with the local drug lord. But for all the ways it manages to subvert the tropes during the second half, where the unexpected twist regarding animal instincts hits you harder than a runaway locomotive, I could easily overlook those minor distractions. The level of depth in this cartoon is just too good to make me nitpick a few flaws here and there, and I look forward to Lasseter's next masterstrokes.

9/10, with my highest recommendation.

P.S.: That Godfather imitation is freaking hilarious, not to mention accurate to a tee, nailing Marlon Brando's lines and all of his mannerism very well. They even included that stupid wedding dance scene! LMAO!