Movie Review: Zootopia

Zootopia is a movie that knows how to keep you engaged from start to finish. Something happens all the time, the characters are funny, the setting is creative, something is always moving to attract your attention, nothing overstays its welcome until something else happens to replace it. I wasn’t bored for a single second while watching it. And that’s all the good things I have to say about it, for everything else is one big mess.

Starting with the fabled racism topic where herbivores are afraid of carnivores and discriminate them. That’s not racism you guys, racism is something that applies to races of the same species, not throughout different ones. When a man considers himself superior to a fruit fly, that is not racism.

Even if we are to assume all animals in the move are supposed to be the same species and just happens to look completely different, and eat completely different things, it’s still not working because we are never given an explanation to why the ecosystem hasn’t been messed up beyond repair.

For example there is the joke about bunnies multiplying extremely fast. If carnivores are no longer a threat why isn’t overpopulation an issue? And yes, it’s a joke, it’s not supposed to be taken seriously. The same can be said about the whole theme. It’s not really explored, it’s just tongue in check and a lazy excuse for a conflict.

Then it’s the plot which, holy smokes, is it riddled with plot convenience or what? Every single event the heroine takes part in just happens to be part of the same conspiracy and works to her benefit. When things get really grim she just happens to have an epiphany. Also that carrot recorder is panacea. There is nothing you can’t fix by secretly recording someone against his knowledge. Which by the way it’s illegal to use without a warrant and can’t be used in court. Also, they can easily sue you for invasion of privacy. But what do I know, this movie is supposed to be smart.

And then there is also the issue of the furries, which is there to attract people with very peculiar preferences. Calling this a movie for kids, so I should not be very critical, is lying to yourselves. Just because it has cute talking animals does not mean it’s childish, for it’s full of pop references and sexual fetishes.

As a whole, I had a blast watching it. If I were to score it on enjoyment alone, I would have given it a perfect score. But I am not a pleb, so I won’t. The script is lazy, the themes are not really explored, and since I am not a furry, I was a bit creeped out by the bestiality innuendoes. It’s entertaining but it’s neither as smart nor as deep as it wants you to think it is.