Movies For Juniors – Zootropolis

Cinema: Zootropolis (2016)

Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) dreams of leaving her safe and boring life of becoming a carrot farmer just like her family. She really wants to become a police officer and move to Zootropolis, but the odds are stacked against her, as a bunny rabbit has never joined the force.

Zootropolis is a sprawling and diverse place where animals have evolved from their usual predator and prey roles and live together in harmony – or so it seems. Judy meets con-artist fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and the two of them are drawn into a conspiracy that wouldn’t be out of place in a James Ellroy novel.

I’d heard a lot of really positive things about Zootropolis so my expectations were very high and I’m pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed at all. Disney have once again struck gold and like the best Pixar animations, it manages to provide a funny entertaining movie but also make you care for what are essentially computer generated characters. I think it’s fair to say that I laughed (a lot) throughout the movie but also had a lump in my throat at some of the more emotional scenes. Some of the funniest scenes involved a Sloth called Flash but that’s all I’m going to say!

There are also themes running throughout the movie about determination and never giving up, which I think are really important messages for children and adults alike. Zootropolis even touches on issues like racism, xenophobia and stereotypes, if you’ll excuse the pun whether a leopard can change its spots and really lose that animal instinct.  As with most animated movies these days there are nods and winks for the adults to spot and I chuckled at The Godfather and Breaking Bad jokes. The makers of the movie are even big enough to poke fun at other Disney movies but I won’t spoil those jokes for you.

Zootropolis was absolutely fantastic entertainment and another successful Movies For Juniors trip to Cineworld. The animation and voice acting are impeccable and I would highly recommend you check it out.

Laughs: 4/5

Peril: 3/5

Fidgets: 2/5

Overall: 4/5

Review by Chris (co-host of 60 Minutes With and The Same Coin)