New Disney Movie, Zootopia, Reaches to All Audiences

New Disney Movie, Zootopia, Reaches to All Audiences

Melanie Umbdenstock, Staff Reporter
May 16, 2016

“

Overall, I highly recommend seeing this movie. Being close to the best Disney-animated movies ever, this movie deserves a 5/5 rating.

— Melanie Umbdenstock

Disney movies played a huge role in most of our younger lives, so when a new one is released our inner ten-year-old comes out. Since these movies are usually targeted toward a more youthful audience, I was surprised to see that Disney’s new animated movie “Zootopia” had such a layered subtext so relevant and specific to current times. The family-friendly, adventurous comedy had a warm storyline as well as an intriguing plot.
The movie begins with a young rabbit named Judy Hopps who aspires to be the first rabbit police officer. She is constantly told she can’t do it but does not give up and continues to work toward this aspiration. She makes it through the police force and is assigned to the city of Zootopia, where both predator and prey live in harmony. In the city of anthropomorphic mammals, Judy realizes how difficult it is enforcing the law and faces some discrimination from the other members of the force, but she is still determined to fulfill her dreams. In order to prove her capability, Judy takes on a difficult case with the help of a sly con artist fox named Nick Wilde.
But “Zootopia” is so much more than just a heartwarming kids’ movie; it touches on racism, gender roles and discrimination. Judy Hopps’ aspiration to be a police officer was fueled by the fact that she was continually told that she can’t, pushing her to prove everyone wrong. For young children, this highlights the importance of never giving up on what they want. For older audiences, this story challenges the action of judging an entire group of people based on race, sexual orientation or beliefs. I loved that this movie was willing to take a risk to address some of the current issues in today’s society without being too direct. The message was subtle but still evident enough to make a statement.
Along with giving a message, “Zootopia” is also utterly amusing and fun. It began with a somewhat slow start, giving a bit too much information but was still very enjoyable to watch. It was delightfully entertaining for all ages with its cute storyline that everyone can appreciate.
Overall, I highly recommend seeing this movie. Being close to the best Disney-animated movies ever, this movie deserves a 5/5 rating.