Aubrey Malone
Zootropolis (PG)
As we stand on the cusp of a new era in American politics – Donald Trump putting up walls to combat foreign forces and Hilary Clinton trying to break them down to embrace them – along comes an animated film about that very subject.
Taking as its lift-off point the fact that modern society is only tenuously tame and that, deep down, we’re all capable of unleashing primitive energies within ourselves if our DNA leans that way, it carries the message of not pre-judging people – or animals – based on their genes, be they predator or prey.
Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) is a plucky little rabbit from Bunnyburrow. She has dreams of making it as a police officer in the nearby city of Zootropolis but after graduating with distinction from her Academy she finds her journey to the top isn’t as smooth as she expected.
As soon as she gets there she’s given the job of doling out traffic tickets by a tough cape buffalo with a cockney accent (Idris Elba). He obviously thinks tackling crime would be too much for her slender build.
Afterwards, she runs into a fox – Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). He seems to evince all the traditional characteristics one associates with foxes, being sly and manipulative. But Zootropolis is a film about the need to abolish stereotypes. Just as Judy isn’t a frightened rabbit, neither can Nick be a sly fox. His past has made him this way. He can reform.
Almost every animal in the film behaves differently to what one might expect. This underlines its central message about us needing to think outside the box – or the zoo.
As you’ll gather from its PG cert that there’s some cautionary material. Children may be disturbed by the L.A. Confidential-style violence as Judy and Nick trawl Tundratown (Zootropolis’ seedy side) in search of a kidnapped otter. The script has adult language and there’s also a slightly vulgar scene in a nudist colony – though it seems strange to mention this considering animals don’t generally wear clothes!
Parable
You could cite about 20 films noir the directors (there are three of them) use as templates for this parable about inclusiveness. The one they unashamedly rip off is The Godfather. There’s a hilarious take-off of Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone, for instance. And shades of Jimmy Cagney in Duke Weaselton.
The celluloid menagerie also includes a cuddly cheetah that’s a police receptionist, some dopey sloths (very funny, these) a lion mayor and so on.
It’s all executed with a ton of manic energy. There’s a surprise ending. Only the eagle-eyed will guess the identity of the villain.
It even finds time for an American Idol-style epilogue.
One feels this is going to be one of the year’s big hits with children. It’s Raymond Chandler on helium set in Disney’s answer to Gotham City.
It might even scoop the Oscar for Best Animated Film of the Year, thereby becoming this year’s Frozen.
Very good ****