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(Late!) Zootopia Review
9 years ago
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Holy crap! It's been over a year since I last made a journal. Man, I have got to get off my lazy butt and do more besides work, come home, and then go back to work.
Warning: SPOILERS! The review is generally spoiler free with minor hints as to the plot. I make no promises for the comment section though.
Anyways, the movie's been out in the US for nearly a month now and I'm kinda late to layin' out my thoughts on this movie, 'specially considering I just saw it for the fourth time today. I have a few things to say about this movie... actually I've got 1,460,000 things to say about this movie, but it's taking a while to gather and express all of them, so I'm going to summarize it here.
Words cannot express how much I flippin' adore this movie. I have not enjoyed a film this much in a long, long, long, long time. When I see a movie twice in theaters, it means I enjoyed it a lot, when I see it three times (last one was The Dark Knight) it means I really enjoyed it a lot, but when I see it more and plan on seeing it 5, 6, 7, and more, it's become an obsession and that is how I feel about this movie. I am obsessed with it.
The world they created is amazing. Everything about the city of Zootopia is just a wonder to behold. Each district was well thought out and rationalized for all types of animals. Each one is unique and has a certain appeal from the Palm Oasis Hotel in Sahara Square to the beauty of the snow covered hills in Tundratown. Personally, my favorite district was Rainforest district because it felt distinct in a way. In addition to the area on the river, it had the vertical scaling of the trees, giving it a three dimensional feel. The entire world felt organic and alive as there was constant movement all around, not just what we see from the focal characters. In addition, there is so much more to explore, as there are numerous districts that were not covered in the film. Also, the creators have hinted at the existence of other countries for reptiles, birds, and primates. Though not explained in the film, the existence of these other areas makes an intriguing idea to explore later on.
The characters... my God! I don't think there was a single bad character in the film... well I mean there were evil characters. There were so many wonderful characters in the film that I just absolutely loved. My main complaint was that so many of them were only on screen for such a short time. Finnick needed a lot more speaking lines because that body and that voice is just gold. Chief Bogo was fairly complex and had a surprising amount of character development. Dawn Bellwether was a great character and her role in the film made perfect sense. Clawhauser is, in my personal opinion, the sweetest and most lovable character ever in a Disney film. He is so jovial all the time, he's got the cutest cheeks, and watching his tail fire up in the air when he's excited is just too cute to watch. And major credit to Nate Torrence who is, in all honesty, Clawhauser in human form. Judy is just the spark of the movie and changing her to be the lead was certainly the right call. She's perky, ambitious, tenacious, and optimistic and brightens up every scene with her smile. But it's her faults that make her such a great character. Her own unacknowledged prejudices, brought about by a childhood encounter and parental influence, contrasting with her open outlook on inclusion and acceptance make her a very dynamic character who's able to develop throughout the film. She's wonderfully animated, wonderfully expressive, and wonderfully voiced. She is just a wonderful character.
But - if I had to name a favorite character in the movie, hands down it goes to Nick Wilde. I can't say enough how much I love this character. His facial and body expressions were masterfully done. Jason Bateman was perfect to fill the role. But what really drives this character is his complexity. Despite the fact that I think Judy had the most development, Nick was, at least in my mind, the most complex. He's got the most extreme internal and external struggle of any character in the film, essentially torn between personalities, the one he wants to be and the one that helps him survive. As the movie continues on, that struggle shifts balance as his very outlook on life is challenged by Judy. And despite his tough exterior, he is an extremely vulnerable person and we see that vulnerability exposed. I have so much to say, but I said I needed to summarize and, well, believe it or not, this is summarizing. Nicholas Piberius Wilde has captured my heart and I know this is premature, but he is currently my favorite Disney character (yes, I love him that much).
The story, at its core, is a very basic, very formulaic, and very cliched film noir, buddy cop plot. But what really makes this movie so memorable and so enjoyable is what they do with that plot. They take a very mature and relevant theme, structure it in a very relatable way, throw in some amazing writing and characters and add some great action sequences and what they've done is create an engaging and immersive story with wonderful characters with great chemistry between them. The humor in the movie is well done and the dialogue is terrific. What really drives this movie is the element of prejudice. The movie does a damn good job of showcasing the issue of prejudice and bigotry without actually beating us over the head with it. It's a world where divisions occur between species or groups of species, instead of between races or genders or sexual orientation. This works well because as an allegory, the issue of prejudice in relation to the real world becomes situation-dependent and can be used as a general analogy. There's so much more to say. The movie is so deep and so mature that there are a number of topics to discuss. Nature vs nurture, how fear influences the masses, outward vs inward views of prejudice... I could go on, but I'll stop here.
The animation... spectacular. Even nitpicking certain tiny, miniscule details is completely pointless because the animation is just that good. The expressions for each character are wonderful and the world itself, as I said before, is actually populated so that in every shot, when necessary, there are people wondering around to remind us of that. The colors are so bright and rich and it's beautiful to look at. What really stands out about the animation, and it's the thing I think most people noticed, was the fur. The fur, in this movie, was taken to a whole new level of animation. The amount of work and thought that went into the fur shows up in spades in just how realistic it looks. Not just the look of the fur, but the fur patterns themselves. The variations in distribution and color, the inconsistencies in length, all thought out in detail. So much so that even the tiniest mouse had over 400,000 strands of hair, which is about as much as Elsa had on her head in Frozen. They even created new technology so that fur could interact with fur. Like other animation studios, Disney is always trying to push the boundaries in animation and for this movie... they left the competition dead in their tracks.
The music is wonderful. Until recently, I never really paid too close attention to a movie's soundtrack unless it really caught my attention, like it did here. There are many wonderful tracks and I honestly think that the score is more composed for adults than it is for kids. The exception of course being the premier track by Shakira. Nevertheless, it is a good song, very catchy, and I don't mind having it in my head.
Are there flaws in the movie? Of course there are. As I said, the movie is formulaic, cliche, and predictable. But Disney is rarely known for original concepts. They're known for taking classic tales and producing imaginative stories with great characters and immersive worlds. What they've done here is take a basic buddy cop mystery and mixed it with Disney magic to produce a very well told story with wonderful characters and the most inventive world they've every created. Another thing some people had a problem with was the fact that they rushed through the opening, but something to keep in mind is that when introducing people to a new world, it's important not to dwell too long on that introduction, otherwise we get bogged down with unimportant details that serve no purpose to the narrative. Do I want to know more? Yes, but not at the expense of the story and the movie is already almost an hour and 50 minutes. Another thing that bugs me is that ever since Wreck-It-Ralph, Disney has been running on the trope of the mystery villain, the question of who's behind the scheme. And to be honest, it's kinda starting to get old. Now it works here because of what the story is and also, Disney has gotten better with creating three-dimensional villains that are sympathetic. They did it here and they did it with Big Hero 6. Frozen and WIR, not so much. But still, I hope they take a break from this plot device for Moana. There are also some lines in the movie that I really didn't like because they were told badly or they're overused. They're few and far between, but they're there.
Despite its flaws, Zootopia has infected me. It has entered my mind and will not leave. I didn't even have to see the movie to be hooked. I was danglin' on the reel ever since I saw the main trailer back on New Year's Eve. I've already seen it four times and I can't wait to see it again. It only gets better every time I see it. I can't wait for it to come to BluRay so that I can burn through the disc watching it so many times so that I have to go out and buy another copy and get the digital disc to watch in slow motion so I can catch all the little details.
Put simply: I f*****g love this movie!
*pants* In a completely unrelated topic, I have had this song in my head for several weeks and it refuses to leave, but that's not a bad thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4
Warning: SPOILERS! The review is generally spoiler free with minor hints as to the plot. I make no promises for the comment section though.
Anyways, the movie's been out in the US for nearly a month now and I'm kinda late to layin' out my thoughts on this movie, 'specially considering I just saw it for the fourth time today. I have a few things to say about this movie... actually I've got 1,460,000 things to say about this movie, but it's taking a while to gather and express all of them, so I'm going to summarize it here.
Words cannot express how much I flippin' adore this movie. I have not enjoyed a film this much in a long, long, long, long time. When I see a movie twice in theaters, it means I enjoyed it a lot, when I see it three times (last one was The Dark Knight) it means I really enjoyed it a lot, but when I see it more and plan on seeing it 5, 6, 7, and more, it's become an obsession and that is how I feel about this movie. I am obsessed with it.
The world they created is amazing. Everything about the city of Zootopia is just a wonder to behold. Each district was well thought out and rationalized for all types of animals. Each one is unique and has a certain appeal from the Palm Oasis Hotel in Sahara Square to the beauty of the snow covered hills in Tundratown. Personally, my favorite district was Rainforest district because it felt distinct in a way. In addition to the area on the river, it had the vertical scaling of the trees, giving it a three dimensional feel. The entire world felt organic and alive as there was constant movement all around, not just what we see from the focal characters. In addition, there is so much more to explore, as there are numerous districts that were not covered in the film. Also, the creators have hinted at the existence of other countries for reptiles, birds, and primates. Though not explained in the film, the existence of these other areas makes an intriguing idea to explore later on.
The characters... my God! I don't think there was a single bad character in the film... well I mean there were evil characters. There were so many wonderful characters in the film that I just absolutely loved. My main complaint was that so many of them were only on screen for such a short time. Finnick needed a lot more speaking lines because that body and that voice is just gold. Chief Bogo was fairly complex and had a surprising amount of character development. Dawn Bellwether was a great character and her role in the film made perfect sense. Clawhauser is, in my personal opinion, the sweetest and most lovable character ever in a Disney film. He is so jovial all the time, he's got the cutest cheeks, and watching his tail fire up in the air when he's excited is just too cute to watch. And major credit to Nate Torrence who is, in all honesty, Clawhauser in human form. Judy is just the spark of the movie and changing her to be the lead was certainly the right call. She's perky, ambitious, tenacious, and optimistic and brightens up every scene with her smile. But it's her faults that make her such a great character. Her own unacknowledged prejudices, brought about by a childhood encounter and parental influence, contrasting with her open outlook on inclusion and acceptance make her a very dynamic character who's able to develop throughout the film. She's wonderfully animated, wonderfully expressive, and wonderfully voiced. She is just a wonderful character.
But - if I had to name a favorite character in the movie, hands down it goes to Nick Wilde. I can't say enough how much I love this character. His facial and body expressions were masterfully done. Jason Bateman was perfect to fill the role. But what really drives this character is his complexity. Despite the fact that I think Judy had the most development, Nick was, at least in my mind, the most complex. He's got the most extreme internal and external struggle of any character in the film, essentially torn between personalities, the one he wants to be and the one that helps him survive. As the movie continues on, that struggle shifts balance as his very outlook on life is challenged by Judy. And despite his tough exterior, he is an extremely vulnerable person and we see that vulnerability exposed. I have so much to say, but I said I needed to summarize and, well, believe it or not, this is summarizing. Nicholas Piberius Wilde has captured my heart and I know this is premature, but he is currently my favorite Disney character (yes, I love him that much).
The story, at its core, is a very basic, very formulaic, and very cliched film noir, buddy cop plot. But what really makes this movie so memorable and so enjoyable is what they do with that plot. They take a very mature and relevant theme, structure it in a very relatable way, throw in some amazing writing and characters and add some great action sequences and what they've done is create an engaging and immersive story with wonderful characters with great chemistry between them. The humor in the movie is well done and the dialogue is terrific. What really drives this movie is the element of prejudice. The movie does a damn good job of showcasing the issue of prejudice and bigotry without actually beating us over the head with it. It's a world where divisions occur between species or groups of species, instead of between races or genders or sexual orientation. This works well because as an allegory, the issue of prejudice in relation to the real world becomes situation-dependent and can be used as a general analogy. There's so much more to say. The movie is so deep and so mature that there are a number of topics to discuss. Nature vs nurture, how fear influences the masses, outward vs inward views of prejudice... I could go on, but I'll stop here.
The animation... spectacular. Even nitpicking certain tiny, miniscule details is completely pointless because the animation is just that good. The expressions for each character are wonderful and the world itself, as I said before, is actually populated so that in every shot, when necessary, there are people wondering around to remind us of that. The colors are so bright and rich and it's beautiful to look at. What really stands out about the animation, and it's the thing I think most people noticed, was the fur. The fur, in this movie, was taken to a whole new level of animation. The amount of work and thought that went into the fur shows up in spades in just how realistic it looks. Not just the look of the fur, but the fur patterns themselves. The variations in distribution and color, the inconsistencies in length, all thought out in detail. So much so that even the tiniest mouse had over 400,000 strands of hair, which is about as much as Elsa had on her head in Frozen. They even created new technology so that fur could interact with fur. Like other animation studios, Disney is always trying to push the boundaries in animation and for this movie... they left the competition dead in their tracks.
The music is wonderful. Until recently, I never really paid too close attention to a movie's soundtrack unless it really caught my attention, like it did here. There are many wonderful tracks and I honestly think that the score is more composed for adults than it is for kids. The exception of course being the premier track by Shakira. Nevertheless, it is a good song, very catchy, and I don't mind having it in my head.
Are there flaws in the movie? Of course there are. As I said, the movie is formulaic, cliche, and predictable. But Disney is rarely known for original concepts. They're known for taking classic tales and producing imaginative stories with great characters and immersive worlds. What they've done here is take a basic buddy cop mystery and mixed it with Disney magic to produce a very well told story with wonderful characters and the most inventive world they've every created. Another thing some people had a problem with was the fact that they rushed through the opening, but something to keep in mind is that when introducing people to a new world, it's important not to dwell too long on that introduction, otherwise we get bogged down with unimportant details that serve no purpose to the narrative. Do I want to know more? Yes, but not at the expense of the story and the movie is already almost an hour and 50 minutes. Another thing that bugs me is that ever since Wreck-It-Ralph, Disney has been running on the trope of the mystery villain, the question of who's behind the scheme. And to be honest, it's kinda starting to get old. Now it works here because of what the story is and also, Disney has gotten better with creating three-dimensional villains that are sympathetic. They did it here and they did it with Big Hero 6. Frozen and WIR, not so much. But still, I hope they take a break from this plot device for Moana. There are also some lines in the movie that I really didn't like because they were told badly or they're overused. They're few and far between, but they're there.
Despite its flaws, Zootopia has infected me. It has entered my mind and will not leave. I didn't even have to see the movie to be hooked. I was danglin' on the reel ever since I saw the main trailer back on New Year's Eve. I've already seen it four times and I can't wait to see it again. It only gets better every time I see it. I can't wait for it to come to BluRay so that I can burn through the disc watching it so many times so that I have to go out and buy another copy and get the digital disc to watch in slow motion so I can catch all the little details.
Put simply: I f*****g love this movie!
*pants* In a completely unrelated topic, I have had this song in my head for several weeks and it refuses to leave, but that's not a bad thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4
When Clawhauser has to pack up his desk its just a great heart breaking scene as for the rest of the movie he was such a bright and happy character.
Nick is pretty incredible though and a good character to have in the movie and be a main character. What works is that he's a complex person pulled between wanting to be loyal and help people and what people expect of him. Its a great touch.
I don't have much else to say except its been a fun ride talking about the world.
Yes we have and it's been a lot of fun. XD I'll reply to your note when I get the chance. Just been busy with other things.
Yeah, the villain thing has become a bit trying, but like I said, at least they're getting better at it.
The part with Clawhauser at the end of that scene is the clencher for me. It brings tears to my eyes each time. To see someone so sweet and lovable be pushed aside for what he is just drown me with feels. And I think Judy feels the same way. It's ironic too because it's essentially the same treatment that Bellwether had to put up with as Lionheart's assistant, making me think it was her idea to move him. What really breaks my heart is Chief Bogo's complacency during the situation. He doesn't acknowledge it at all. Now I've got some ideas about his reasoning or thoughts about why this might be, but it nevertheless happens and it just tears my heart to pieces.
I'll be seeing it again next weekend.
No rush on the note. I've been a little out of it anyway and its gives me time to do some other stuff...
Disney has done some great villains Frollo, Scar, Maleficent, and so on all great in their own ways and their own times but Disney has been good about trying.
I feel the moment Judy sees her friend Clawhauser, one of the few cops who went out of his way to welcome her and help her, being pushed off the desk due to her actions is the moment it just all crashes home about what she's done. Its a great moment. I agree Bellweather likely was the one to "suggest" it. Bogo hides a lot of his reactions (also we dont see much of them) but its my opinion he probably disagreed but was saving his political capitol.
Great move in my opinion.
And I fully agree 100% about Judy at that moment. I honestly start to get a little butterfly in the stomach just thinking about it. And I also like to think that's the case with Bogo, that he really was just doing his job and felt he couldn't really do anything about it.
So yeah, overall I'd say we're on the same page.
Agreed though he's an officer of the peace before being a politician he's just gotten to be a good politician due to experience.
I can wait for it to come out on DVD! :D
Thank you, and I'm happy you did as well. I hope the make a sequel to the movie soon.