Zootopia

This review may contain spoilers!

Disney just doesn't stop churning out masterpiece after masterpiece. I would give Zootopia an 8.5/10.

This is a film that looks absolutely amazing, Disney's films are looking better and better all the time. The way lighting is done, the attention to detail and the grandiose scale of how Zootopia itself is presented to us makes it the nicest looking Disney film of all time. The score for this film is really nice, it's light and fun but also provides some strong backing music to the action and chase sequences. This story revolves around one of the best Disney protagonists yet in a story about rising above bullying and discrimination to realise your dreams. It's a beautiful film that moves at a really natural pace and teaches it's audience what it is to be discriminated against as well as encouraging people to look beyond their prejudices to see everyone as equal.

Jason Bateman, who voiced Nick Wilde, is quite a good fast talking con man/fox in this film; however as the film progresses Bateman brings a really strong emotional edge to this film when he recounts his character's backstory and develops his bond with Goodwin's role. Idris Elba, who voiced Chief Bogo, takes a while to really make his mark as a voice actor but is immediately quite intimidating; as Elba gets more comfortable with his voicework you can really start seeing the fun he's having with this role. Jenny Slate, who voiced Bellwether, is quite a likeable meek role in this film; the twist of her being the film's villain is a really good one. Nate Torrence, who voiced Clawhauser, was one of the most consistent comedic performances of this film; Torrence had amazing line delivery and really created some strong funny scenes in this film. Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake, who played Bonnie Hopps and Stu Hopps respectively, really bounce off one another amazingly in this film; Hunt and Lake's roles constant worrying and fear was extremely fun to watch. J.K. Simmons, who voiced Mayor Lionheart, was the perfect choice for this strong authoritative figure; Simmons crafted a role who could be funny,a leader and also an antagonist when it was needed. Octavia Spencer, who voiced Mrs Otterton, really brought a strong display of emotion to her minor role; she made the case of the missing otter packed with strong emotional motivation both for the lead role and the audience. Shakira, who voiced Gazelle, was one of the best celebrity appearances done in this film; the musical pop star references that dominated the movie was brilliant. Della Saba, who voiced Young Hopps, wasn't in this film long but had a huge impact upon the start of the film; from her starting inspiring speech to the scary moment when she's confronted by her fox bully Saba creates a great introduction to Hopps. Maurice LaMarche, who voiced Mr Big, created the perfect parody of the Godfather for Zootopia; LaMarche's delivery was witty and it was one of the best scenes in the film. Phil Johnston, who voiced Gideon Grey, was a really terrifying role at the start of the film; however I liked that Johnston's role was developed to be likeable and show the progression of a character by the end of the feature. Fuschia!, who voiced the Drill Sergeant, was instrumental in creating a really fun memorable montage; her line delivery is great and very comedic. Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, who voiced Finnick, is one of my favourite roles in this film; his contrasting voice to the look of his character was a great gag. Kath Soucie, who voiced Young Nick, is another strong delivery of a younger version of a leading character; Soucie makes Nick's backstory all the more painful through her great line delivery.

However the best performance came from Ginnifer Goodwin, who voiced Judy Hopps. Goodwin creates a character with fierce optimism and determination despite the odds being stacked against her, she presents a role who is discriminated against but proves her worth despite this adversity. In Hopps Goodwin has given Disney one of it's strongest and most relevant female characters to date, this is really a pretty great impactful role. I like the humility Goodwin delivers in the second act of the film when she recognises her own prejudice and apologises for it in a very strong manner.

While this film has an amazing plot and sense of comedy it does lack a sense of urgency or tension in places; for example when the film is focussed upon the case of Mr Otterton you never really feel the pressure of the ticking clock that the story has set in motion, you believe the case will get solved and you never really fear for Hopps at all. My only other criticism of the film is that it has some strong themes and at points they aren't very well argued, from a basic narrative perspective these are awesome themes to have in a film but it is a little difficult to see who really is the victim of discrimination within this film.

Tommy Chong, who voiced Yax, presented a role that might contain a bit too much adult humour for a Disney animated film; I thought the jokes made around his character were a bit too lowbrow. Alan Tudyk, who voiced Duke Weaselton, was quite a throwaway antagonist in this film; Tudyk has a habit of voicing some very forgettable characters in Disney films. Raymond S. Persi, who voiced Flash, is a victim of the film's marketing campaign; anything that made the sloth scene funny had already been shown in every trailer leading up to the film so it just wasn't as funny when Persi's character was onscreen. Jesse Corti, who voiced Mr Manchas, is another forgettable side character in this film, Mr Manchas isn't so much a character as he is an opportunity to create a 'scary' scene in this feature. Leah Latham, who voiced Fru Fru, didn't have a very strong screen presence in this film; Latham's involvement in the chase sequence and Godfather scene didn't really stand out.