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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 03-07-2016, 05:17 PM:
 
CINEMA: Megaplex at Jordan Commons, Sandy, UT
AUDITORIUM: 14
PRESENTATION: Dolby Digital Cinema
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: None
RATING: Two and one half stars (out of four)

I see enough movies here to know exactly where I want to sit, but the seat chart on the website looks all funky, like my normal seat is way left of center now. Turns out, it is. The old skinny bucket cloth seats have been replaced with new wider leather models, the same ones you see in newer Cinemarks. Nice. But where F16 was center before, now F13 is.

THE PLOT: Pride and prejudice. Wackiness ensues.

This is a not-so-subtle propaganda piece taking aim at bullying and human stereotypes. Judy the bunny wants to become a cop, something only "predators" do. We see child Judy get bullied by a fox and, fifteen years later (or at least ten years after the average life expectancy of a rabbit), she goes through the police academy and, thanks in no small part to a diversity program, becomes a meter maid. The usual path of shenanigans leads to her getting an actual case where she teams up with a shifty fox and...whatever. It's a fucking kids movie with a message. You know there's no way Judy's getting eaten or doesn't come out the winner here.

The funniest part of the movie is the sloth segment at the DMV, and literally the whole scene is the trailer. Okay, there's a bit of a payoff to that in the end, but this isn't nearly as clever as critics have been making it out to be.
 

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Posted by Matt Russell (Member # 8989) on 03-07-2016, 06:01 PM:
 
Zootopia was entertaining, but I wouldn't put it down as my favorite Disney movie for sure. The critics definitely seemed very biased towards this movie. While it is beautifully animated, it's not a perfect movie nor is it the most entertaining animated movie I've seen (although in recent years, I would put this near at the top of my list.) The plot was alright and the characters were fleshed out enough, Jason Bateman as the fox, Nick, was a stand out for me. The best part about the movie were the references for sure, as basically everything from Uber to Breaking Bad gets a reference, and most of them hit. There's a lot of fun Disney easter eggs as well. As for the message, it's not bad and is encouraging for the kids to learn, but it's not something that feels "revolutionary" in this modern time. I believe the reason why the message is getting a lot of praise has to do with how timely it is. While that's not a bad thing, the message felt kind of forced at times. As for the other characters, they were all fine. Ginnifer Goodwin's Judy the bunny was bright and perky as most Disney protagonists should be, and I enjoyed Idris Elba as the gruff buffalo chief of the police squad. Overall, Zootopia isn't bad or even disappointing, it just doesn't leave you with the same impact many Disney movies in the past have managed to achieve. I don't think I'll go back and re-watch it, at least for the near future.
And I agree on the DMV scene, I really wished they didn't show the scene in it's near entirety as a trailer. Take note of that, Disney!
Film: 2 and a half out of 4 stars
Presentation: 4 out of 4 stars (projected without masking, but with the exception of some scenery shots, it didn't really take advantage of the scope ratio, at least I thought.)
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 03-07-2016, 11:38 PM:
 
Some of the soundbites say it's the best Disney movie since The Lion King. I'm assuming this means setting aside almost all the Pixar movies, Frozen, and a few others.

Zootopia is an enjoyable movie which does a great job of combining major social messages with pop-culture references. Although the 'messages' are about a subtle as a 2x4 upside the face, I didn't feel like it was preachy because it was handled effectively. What's clever is the use of animals allows them to address some very human issues without offending anyone.
 

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Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 03-26-2016, 07:24 AM:
 
Directors Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and Byron Howard (Tangled, Bolt) follow up their previous Disney hits with Zootopia, a story about a small country bunnykin's ambition to become a big city cop.

The film follows Judy, a carrot farmer's daughter who bucks social norms to engage in a career usually reserved for more robust species such as oxen, rhinos and tigers. When her abilities are underestimated by her chief of police, she teams up with city slicker con-fox, Nick, who is similarly socially pigeon-holed in accordance with his species as a sly character who is always up to no good.

The film is a little heavy handed with it's anti-bullying, anti-discrimination, social inclusion, be-what-you-wanna-be message and, of course, it's an important message. But it's pushed so hard that you find yourself thinking , "yeah yeah I get it!" long before the movie is over.

This is a minor quibble, however, as the film is full of loveable characters and good humour which is often hilarious.

Considering it's directorial lineage, though, it's less than the sum of it's parts. It's not as good as Wreck-It Ralph though my 9yo daughter begs to differ. She says Zootopia is as good as Wreck-It Ralph but adds that neither are as good as Pixels - so make of that what you will.

Either way, though, Zootopia is nothing short of worthy holiday entertainment for child and adult alike.

7.5 out of 10

EDIT: I think the reason critics are loving this so is because they're typically left wingers and so they lap up this sledgehammer approach to progressive issues. And I suppose it's a reaction of sorts to that Trump fellow who seems to be in the news a fair bit at the moment. They're right to support what this film teaches, of course, but personally I find the message in the movie a little on the preachy side.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-27-2016, 12:20 AM:
 
I agree with your last sentence - it's too preachy. I don't know when it became the "standard" for all kids movies to have a "message," but I wish they would cut it out. Why can't kids just have a good time without having to go home remembering "what they learned" at the show?

Also why do all kids movies these days now have to end with a party, a dance or a fireworks display? Sometimes all three. It would have been just as good if the credits had rolled right after the final scene before the big concert/party/dance/fountain show.

I was also surprised at the language in the movie - specifically, phrases like "Oh my God" and "By God." I would think a lot of parents (Christian ones, anyway) would prefer their kids not to pick up these expressions, especially from their new favorite Disney flick. They just weren't necessary.

These gripes aside, I liked the movie a lot. The casting was spot-on, there were a few good "jumps" and scary scenes in the movie, and the humor was terrific. The culture references were excellent as well. I read somewhere that Disney consulted with ADA experts in designing the city as a place where creatures from 2 inches to 27 feet tall could live together.

I agree the sloth scene shouldn't have been in the trailer. Looks like Disney took a page from the Fox "Ice Age" trailer playbook with that. (At least in this case the movie is actually good, as opposed to the Ice Age flicks which scraped through the bottom of the barrel long ago.)

Overall, a fine time at the movies. I would say it's about on par with Wreck-It Ralph, but not as good as Frozen or Tangled. Three out of five stars.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 04-01-2016, 10:26 AM:
 
Since when has Disney been caring about Christian morals?
 

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Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 04-01-2016, 12:25 PM:
 
I really liked the fact the trailers really didn't give away the story... was quite entertained by this. And the 3D was above descent.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-01-2016, 01:29 PM:
 

quote: Mark J. Marshall

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Since when has Disney been caring about Christian morals?

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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I agree with your last sentence - it's too preachy. I don't know when it became the "standard" for all kids movies to have a "message," but I wish they would cut it out. Why can't kids just have a good time without having to go home remembering "what they learned" at the show?

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quote: Marcel Birgelen

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Delivering this implicit "message" as a backpacked payload has been a staple of Disney ever since the first full feature release.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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I was also surprised at the language in the movie - specifically, phrases like "Oh my God" and "By God." I would think a lot of parents (Christian ones, anyway) would prefer their kids not to pick up these expressions, especially from their new favorite Disney flick. They just weren't necessary.

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quote: Bill Brandenstein

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The "First Look" image is larger than the movie; the common-width screens in all auditoriums have no adjustable masking; previews were "double-boxed" with black on all four sides

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quote: Matt Russell

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Personally speaking, I don't know the reason behind the lack of masking for their auditoriums.

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quote: Stu Jamieson

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I think you need to see the movie to see what we're getting at, Marcel (I presume you haven't seen it?). Most Disney/Pixars have their moral in the subtext but Zootopia has it right out front. It's one of those movies that delivers it's message directly through the dialogue, y'know, just in case you're a dumbass and somehow missed it. A bit like a joke in a Jim Carrey comedy.

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