I had the opportunity to preview Disney’s Zootopia, and it was list-worthy! Zootopia is a place where no matter what you are—from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew—you can be anything. But when rookie officer Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman)—a fast-talking, scam-artist fox—to solve a mystery. Here are 5 reasons why you need to see Zootopia!
1. Cute Animated Animals
You know how people post cute little baby animal pictures on Facebook to make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Well this is a whole movie of adorable animals! A couple of scary ones, too, but mostly adorableness. And sloths!!! That alone will make you leave feeling happy. I don’t want to trivialize the genius in the character development and humanization of the animals. It really is incredible. After all, they spent 18 months alone researching animals. It’s the little details that really make everything work.
Flash the Sloth! Adorable, right?
2. It’s Hilarious.
Laughing makes me happy. And I like unforced laughs. It’s the unexpected, witty humor that gets me going. There’s plenty of that for adults and jokes that may go over children’s heads (but not dirty stuff, thank goodness). But the kids are not forgotten. I took my 11-year-old to the movie and thought maybe it would be too young for her. Nope. She was laughing with me. The facial expressions by the animals had me dying. Seriously, some of the scenes had me legit snorting.
Gazelle, voiced by Shakira, was so funny! Her hips don’t lie either.
3. Jason Bateman
Nick Wilde really looks like Jason Bateman. And since I’m practically BFFs with him…no, not really. But I did run into him at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge when I was staying there, and he was doing promotion for Zootopia. He was a sweetheart when my friends and I met him. I like supporting actors who are nice to you when they really don’t have to be. I loved him in Silver Spoons, I loved him in Arrested Development, and I love him in Zootopia. His character is one of those who maybe you shouldn’t like at first, but you can’t help it, because he’s just so dang charming.
Oh hey there, Jason Bateman! That is a Nick Wilde smile right there.
4. Fun for the Whole Family
My criteria for a really good family movie is whether I would pay for my entire family to go see said movie in the theater. We are a family of 7. Add in snacks, and movies get pricey, so it really has to be worth it. I will take my whole family to see Zootopia. There’s something for everyone without going for the cheap, easy laugh. It’s smart. My 3-year-old or 5-year-old will probably not understand everything that’s going on, but they’ll still enjoy it. There’s one scene that may be a little startling since it made me and my daughter jump, so just be prepared for that.
5. Zootopia Teaches Many Lessons
Not one, not two, but multiple (good!) things can be learned from Zootopia. I learned about true friendships, having dreams, and making a change. My daughter said she learned not to judge people. Judy Hopps always says, “In Zootopia, anyone can be anything.” She’s a determined bunny, and I have 5 determined bunnies in my family. This movie has a lot of heart, and it shows. Differences aren’t a threat, and unlikely friendships are sometimes the best! Director Byron Howard said, “We set out to make
a funny animal movie. But the more digging we did, we saw an opportunity to talk about something important.” And that they did.
Follow along with the Zootopia fun:
Like ZOOTOPIA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyZootopia
Follow ZOOTOPIA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyZootopia
Visit the official ZOOTOPIA website here: http://movies.disney.com/zootopia
ZOOTOPIA opens in theatres everywhere on March 4th!
