Zootropolis (Film) Critique 5/5

*****SPOILERS*****

 
Visuals
 
The realities of animals in the actual world are portrayed well in this film.

We see camels jogging in the sand. The animators really captured the rhythm, height and lengths of the ups and down (in regards to legs, shoulders and heads) in a realistic manner. The way their lips flap up and down (and side to side!) is also very accurate. They managed all this even though these camels are bipedal. Fantastic.

Judy taps her foot whilst thinking. This common gesture is elevated because Judy thumps this foot like a real rabbit.

The tubes humans use for pet rodents in real life? These are used for lemming transportation in Zootropolis.

The yoga elephant has beautiful henna on her skin. Yoga, henna and elephants are all very Indian in nature. (All the other elephants have been African elephants, so having this one as Indian is nice for diversity.)
 
Zootropolis needs different requirements to accommodate all the different species.

Sprinklers are used to keep the Rainforest wet. Snow is blasted from tunnels in the Tundra. Having so many environments close together isn’t statistically likely, so the filmmakers showing the audience how it is artificially managed was a clever decision.

When Judy boards her train, we see loads of different door sizes, matching the size of different mammals. This means smaller animals can’t be trodden on by larger ones and that everyone gets their required seat size.

When hippos exit the river, they stand on air vents to blow off the moisture. That way, hippos get their preferred habitat without dripping all over dry inhabitants.
 
Judy did a play in her youth.
            Judy ‘dies’ in it. To simulate blood, she used loads of ribbons and ketchup. There was so much of both (overkill is a kid’s forte, after all). Loads of blood usually made things gory, but not this time. It was the goriest non-gory scene I’ve ever seen: the fact this was pulled off was a mighty achievement.
            When they spelt a word wrong on a prop, it was scribbled out with the currect spelling written above it. (The word’s ‘vicious’, by the way.) That’s a very childlike way of correcting written mistakes so it’s an excellent detail to have happen in a child play.
 
I appreciate several miscellaneous visuals.

At the Natural History Museum, there’s a statue of a woolly mammoth. It’s wearing the stereotypical cave man outfit and it carries a Stone Age spear. The accumulation of all these details at this place was fab.

In the Tundra, people ride ice blocks down the flowing river. Making use of how ice and rivers behave (floating and flowing) to suit the needs of the people. I love how simple this idea is.

One shot is observing the top of an escalator. We see a giraffe’s head come up first, then a shorter animal’s, then Judy’s. We thus expect them to come off in that order. But it turns out their exit order is the other way around! What a clever way to play around with expectations and perspective.
 
 
Emotional
 
Positive emotions emanate from Nick, mainly.

Nick says his ‘child’ wants to be an elephant when he grows up. Then the small fox blows a kazoo in his trunk. So cute.  Nick then turns to the son and says, “This must be the worst birthday ever. Please don’t be mad at me.” Then Nick kisses him on the forehead. Too adorable!

Judy gives Nick a police application form and a pen to fill it out. This pen is the carrot-shaped pen-recorder that Judy used to record Nick incriminating himself. It shows that Judy trusts Nick and wants him by her side, that she believes in him. Warm fuzzies.
 
Nick’s words break my heart sometimes.

As a child, Nick was bullied as a scout because all the other members were prey species. Child Nick begs, “What did I do wrong?” This hurts because children who are bullied bullied instantly think they’re the problem, not the bully.

When they fall in the water, Nick can’t find Judy. He calls out her name with panic that’s felt beyond the screen. Plus, that’s the first time he used her name. That’s a significant moment, showing he actually cares. Heart wrenching.
 
Judy’s press conference creates injustice between predators and prey.

The reporters see Nick jump scare Judy and ask, “Were you just threatened by that predator?” Judy answers, “No, he’s my friend.” So the reporter asks, “We can’t even trust our friends?” Considering Judy just said she wasn’t threatened by Nick, the reporter’s follow-up question is only there to incite fear and hatred. Whether to get the views or make more-gripping new, this is horrid.

After Judy turns Zootropolis’ prey against predators, the Judy-Nick alliance breaks. But then Judy tells Nick, “I was ignorant, and irresponsible, and small minded. Predators shouldn’t suffer for my mistakes. I need to make it right.” She owned what she did. She didn’t try to minimise it or explain it away like most people do.
 
 
 
Conclusion
 
This is one of my favourite films.

The way it’s used as a metaphor for discrimination is perfect. Also, Judy originally thought Zootropolis was a utopia but this wasn’t quite the truth. This shows that good things take effort and need continual work in order to be maintained. There’s no room to be complacent. This is a good lesson to install in anyone.

Beautiful to watch and listen. Clever sentences, plot points and world-building (like how Zootropolis/trains are adapted for different animal species). Easy to follow but intelligent enough to enjoy. Humour and emotions keep rolling in. This all goes down to the smallest details, such as a gazelle being named Giselle: I love this similarity between species name and personal name.

The problems were, on the whole, unproblematic in the grand scheme of things. None interfered with the plot (even though audiences felt the night howlers had lots of plot holes, I showed otherwise).

This film tips the scales heavily on the positive side. Usually when I’m this invigorated, it’s over a sequel of a book I love. But to feel this delighted over something new? The filmmakers did a truly wonderful job.