Movie Review: Zootopia (2016) directed by Byron Howard
Once upon a time, the mammals of the world ran solely on instinct. Predators ate prey, and that was the way things were. But over time, evolution happened and now you no longer have to be defined by your species. Mammals live in peace with each other, and anyone can be anything! Especially in Zootopia, a city built on species diversity. That’s why Judy Hopps wants to go there and become a police officer, helping make the world a better place.
The first of her hurdles is that culturally, bunnies aren’t police officers. They’re agricultural workers, to be blunt, farmers. Traditionally the police force draws from predators and the larger prey species for their physical prowess. Judy isn’t going to let being the first rabbit police officer candidate stop her, though. Despite struggles with the physical demands of police academy, Judy persists, and becomes the valedictorian of her class. Mayor Lionheart exercises his authority and assigns her to District One, the central police station of Zootopia.
Chief Bogo is not impressed by his new affirmative action rookie and assigns Judy to meter maid duties while most of the rest of the force is working missing mammal cases, of which there’s been a rash. Judy does pretty well on her first day, exceeding her quota for tickets issued before noon. But then she runs into petty hustler Nick Wilde, who tricks her into participating in one of his money making enterprises in a small way. A cynical sort, Nick predicts Judy will soon lose her idealism.
Officer Hopps stumbles her way into being asked to solve one of the missing mammal cases within the next 48 hours, a task that has baffled the entire police force for two weeks. Her badge is on the line, and she has to proceed without the police computers as she’s never been given access. The case file on Emmett Otterton is nearly empty, but Judy does spot a clue that places Nick near the scene, and she manages to blackmail the fox into assisting her.
Nick’s not very helpful at first, pranking Judy a couple of times, but some leads are gained, and the two begin to have some grudging respect and empathy for each other. When Nick realizes just how serious the situation is (the missing citizens turned into violent “savages” before disappearing) and how badly Chief Bogo treats Judy (similar to how he’s been treated in the past, though for different reasons), he talks the Chief into letting Judy have her full 48 hours.
And they crack the case! However, the mystery of why some mammals, all predators, have been turning savage is not cleared up, and during a disastrous press conference, Judy’s own prejudices lure her into making some comments that sow discord between predators and prey. Nick breaks off their new friendship because of her bigotry. Tensions increase in Zootopia as more predators turn “savage.” When Assistant Mayor Bellwether, now acting mayor, wants to make Officer Hopps the new face of the ZPD, Judy resigns instead.
But as often happens in cop movies, this temporary leave of absence allows Judy to realize what’s really going on, reconcile with Nick, and save the day. Everybody dance!
This nifty Disney movie manages its metaphors for racism and ethnic prejudice by not having any of the species directly map on to a real-life group. Instead, much of it is based on animal stereotypes that the various mammals defy, embrace or subvert. And no one is immune. However idealistic Judy may be about everyone living peacefully together, she still harbors prejudice, especially against foxes, and that leads her to some poor choice of wording. Some of her struggles read more as sexism or prejudice against rural people. Nick faces a lot of negative stereotypes, but leans into some of them, and is not above touching Assistant Mayor Bellwether’s hair without asking when he gets the chance.
The scene where desk sergeant Clawhauser is asked to move from the reception desk to the basement records department because he’s not the image the police department wants to project right now will resonate with many adult watchers.
There’s good voice acting, nice music (though I am less impressed with Shakira’s big number than Disney might have expected) and the setting with its multiple climates and size accommodations is really cool.
The joke with the naturist (not wearing clothes) mammals goes on a bit too long, and some viewers may question whether having Nick join the police force at the end is really a happy ending.
Overall, this is going to be a good movie to revisit every five years or so so that new layers of meaning will resonate with the viewer. Recommended.
