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davidahallnum5
Nov 5, 20238 min read

Zootopia 3D Blu-ray Review

MOVIE REVIEW

Zootopia is a 2016 Disney animated film about a young rabbit named Judy Hopps whose dream it is to become a cop in the city of Zootopia where animals from all over the world join together in peace and harmony, or so it seems. Just when Judy's dream starts to come true and she joins the Zootopia police department, she gets assigned to a meter maid position, gets dunked on by her co-workers, and is accidentally conned by a fox into helping with his sketchy popsicle operation. Not exactly a great start for her and her dream of not only being the first bunny cop. However, all that begins to change when she gets gets assigned to find a missing otter. Sure, she's not in the system yet, she has a time constraint of 48 hours to solve the case, and her best assistant is the fox from earlier, Nick Wilde. But with her wits and expertise, she might not just gain respect from the police force, but also prove that in Zootopia truly can be anything.

Since its release, Zootopia has been regarded as one of those animated movies that can appeal to kids with its imaginative premise and cute characters but also appeal to the adults with its surprisingly messaging on topics kids won't often get. These movies are nothing new. Films like Kung Fu Panda 2 and Shrek have always been known by how they examine their characters in ways that will resonate more with the mature side of the audience. But it's not super often animated films come along where the element for the mature viewers comes in the way of its social and political subtext. And with Zootopia, that subtext is regarding racism and disproving stereotypes. As you could tell from the synopsis above, Judy's main conflict here is getting pass society's expectations that because she's small, she can't accomplish great things. So you'd think that'd be where the film's message of tolerance would spring from. And if this were, say, something by Illumination, you might be right. But Zootopia takes it even further than that. It also sets up a common discrimination against predators, especially foxes, for behaviors they were known for in the past before, according to the movie's logic, they evolved into something more civilized. This is where Nick Wilde comes in. Sure, he starts out as another shifty little fox who causes Judy to question her parent's, and everyone else's, casual distrusting of foxes everywhere. But over time, we start to see that there's more to his story than meets the eye. And over the course of the movie, most everyone we meet usually has something going on beneath just the surface.

There's no sugarcoating it: racism is a pretty messy subject. So it's pretty bold that Zootopia goes the lengths that it does. Most other animated movies might stop at something like "if you want something so bad, you have to work hard for it and people will accept you." However, Zootopia also acknowledges that life is a lot more complex than that. And quite frankly, if you're swimming upstream of the culture, the fight against it is a lot harder than most films portray it. The lesson about tolerance and acceptance isn't so much rooted in "getting out there and proving yourself" as it is realizing that most tolerance happens at an individual level and the first step to breaking down racial boundaries is to start accepting others yourself. And for the most part, yes, that's something I agree with and I think that's a pretty good common message we can all get under.

However, I can't help but feel the film, as far as it goes, could've gone slightly further in its social commentary. Yes, it does show that everyone's story is different and we should listen to others before judging them. But I also think the story could have made slightly stronger if it had shown truly all sides of the issue of racism. What if along with preaching tolerance, it also looked into why society had certain expectations of certain creatures, predator and prey. What if Judy Hopps, as witty and determined as a cop as she is, finds there's certain things she's unable to overcome due to her biology? Or what if SPOILER WARNING we actually saw predators act out in violence and aggression because of their inherent nature? END SPOILERS I know that'd all be beside the point of the film. But like I said before, racism is a pretty messy issue. While true, there are good people on the oppressed side and bad people on the more privileged side, the same is also true vice versa. I just think that if the movie was willing to go into that kind of territory, it could further deepen its themes about society and allow us to see why people in this film's universe are so hostile towards predators and lenient towards prey. That would go to show how tolerance and understanding is especially needed in a world that doesn't just look down upon certain people, but also at times has their assumptions genuinely justified. Thus, we could have a slightly more well-rounded and more poignant message that more accurately reflects today's society.

That's probably just me, though. The message we did get is still thought-provoking and mature by any movie's standards. As for the rest of the film, there are still many aspects to praise. The world building is creative and mesmerizing, the kind of thing you could justifiably spawn a franchise out of. The detective mystery is pretty intriguing. The characters are charming, and Judy and Nick do have some darn good chemistry. For me, the humor is a bit hit and miss at times (maybe the YTPs I've watched that have taken plenty of the jokes in this movie even further than the film allows them to kinda ruined some of the jokes for me. But I don't know). But the parts with Nick Wilde and especially Flash the sloth do draw some smiles, and at times, good laughs. There are also some genuinely heartfelt character moments that made you care for our protagonists. All in all, it's still a very well made movie. I wouldn't say it's quite on the same level as other Disney flicks such as Encanto and even many of the best Pixar movies, but I admire its ambition and sophistication and would still highly recommend it. It's perfectly harmless and at times, even inspiring. It's praise back in the day was well earned and it holds up well even now. I do hope that Disney gives it a good sequel. If any modern-day Disney movies deserve one, it's Zootopia. Now, a Zootopia 2 was announced earlier this year. And honestly, I can't say I have high hopes for the quality of the movie after seeing what came from other Disney sequels such as Frozen II and Ralph Breaks the Internet. But hopefully, someone will see the potential for a sequel (story-wise, not financially) and pounce on it like a lion.


OVERALL FILM RATING: 4/5


MOVIE REVIEW

I'll be surprised if you can name one animated film from 2016 (or the rest of the 2010s for that matter) that hasn't been released in 3D. So the question isn't so much if Zootopia is in 3D as much as is it any good in 3D. I'm happy to report, yes, it is. Is it a necessary 3D watch, not really. But the added dimension does add plenty to the movie's picture that will satisfy the purchase price for a 3D Blu-ray.

The 3D in Zootopia is a lot less like The Lorax and more like The Nightmare Before Christmas from a couple weeks back in that the 3D works with the film pretty naturally rather than gimmicky. And just like, if not more than Nightmare Before Christmas, the depth on display is impressive, showing off how far the backgrounds are, how large the city of Zootopia is, and in more subtle moments, the apparent separation between the characters. In Zootopia, every detail from the street lights, cars, civilians, jungle foliage, and more are brought to life in 3D. We get well-composed shots of everything from moving trains to bridges and ledges and waterfalls and even an underground tunnel that all help to make the world of Zootopia stand out even more than it usually would on a flat screen.

One of the biggest things I've noticed watching this film in 3D was how the intense depth helped to emphasize the different sizes of all the different animals. I wouldn't say that makes the 3D crucial from a story standpoint. But the viewing experience provided from the added dimension certainly adds an interesting layer to it. There are shots where you see Judy up against large creatures such as elephants and buffalos. But what stood out to me the most was a scene were Judy was in the midst of a chase in the town of Rodentia, populated by creatures I'm sure most exterminators are familiar with. The small scale of the city up against Judy make for a mesmerizing view (there was also a neat bit involving tubes in between buildings designed for the mice to walk through that lent itself nice to 3D). Another thing I also hardly noticed in the 2D version that the 3D helped make all the more apparent was how small Judy's apartment was. In 3D, the quarters are a lot more claustrophobic. And there's also a small window that provides a view of the city that goes very deep into the background (reminding me of a couple similar scenes from The Great Gatsby).

While there were definitely some fun action-packed moments in the film, I don't know if I'd say the 3D added a whole new layer of fun to them the same way the 3D in something like Frankenweenie or Monsters Inc. did. But still, tracking shots through the different terrains of Zootopia, creatures lunging towards the camera, and some views from tall heights help you to gain some decent milage from watching the movie in 3D. There are a few memorable pop outs including a couple characters and a few miscellaneous objects getting thrown upwards, one intimidating moment with a fox, and a shot with an explosion that has some flying debris. Besides that, the remaining but infrequent pop outs usually consist of very subtle elements of the environment such as a street light or characters talking to each other. Like I said before, this isn't a movie where the 3D itself gains much attention, but the 3D helps the environment to gain attention.

It's one thing to explain how well Zootopia works in 3D and another thing to see it for yourself. Yes, there's plenty of moments where the 3D is well-composed to make good use of the extra dimension. But all in all, the main attraction is being able to see these characters and take in the many pieces of the environment as if they're actually there. That doesn't mean this is a first-priority 3D movie. The technology is still used quite subtly and honestly, there were a few times I even forgot the movie was in 3D. However, that doesn't mean the presentation we got isn't top-notch. 3D is still the ultimate way to get the most out of all this creative world has to offer.


3D RATING: GREAT


OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D:



FINAL THOUGHTS


Zootopia is a smarter-than-average family flicks that takes the anthropomorphic animals shtick to a whole new, and eeriely politically familiar, level. Yes, the kids will enjoy it fine. But Zootopia will stick the most with the adults who can see the parallels this movie makes with real-world racial issues. It makes some noble and surprisingly deep messages about out need for tolerance that will resonate with virtually everyone. While I think it could've been fleshed out a little bit more, I still left satisfied by the way the movie handled itself. And on top of that, it's an all-around expertly-crafted, well-paced, refreshingly creative, funny, and thought-provoking film. That's the sign of a great animated movie, even if it's not quite pure Disney gold. Now should you spring for the 3D Blu-ray? I think you know the answer to that. It's certainly not quite as memorable as the 3D presentations on say, A Christmas Carol or Meet the Robinsons. But the film still knows how to play its 3D cards right in a manner that provides Zootopia with some extra visual flair while also not detracting from its story. The film itself is a good time for kids and adults alike, and the 3D makes that all the better.


BUY IT HERE


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